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Although we have driven from
Durban to Cape Town via the Garden Route before, we had never been to
Hermanus. We have now found the place in the world we want to retire to,
there have been a few places this year where we have said we would live,
like a few places in New Zealand, but Hermanus really has got just about
everything we could want and is in the country that we feel most at home.
On the Monday it was Angela's
birthday and we went Great White Shark Cage Diving with a company called
Marine Dynamics. We cannot fault this company, from the environmental
aspect of their work to the service they provided. When we arrived we
were invited to sit by the open fire and brought some coffee whilst they
prepared whatever you wanted to eat for breakfast. When everyone arrived
we were given a short talk about the work they are doing, the effects on
the environment and the benefits of their work, followed by a full safety
briefing.
We then were kitted out with
waterproof jackets and lifebelts before boarding the boat and heading off
to Dyer Island, Geyser Rock and Shark Alley.
As well as several species of bird, there are an
estimated fifty to sixty thousand Cape Fur Seals in this area.
When you see how many seals are in
the water between Dyer Island and Geyser Rock it is easy to understand why
they call it, "Shark Alley!” Shortly
after we passed through Shark Alley we got a call to say that Humpback
Whales had been seen and we went to find them. Regulations, which these
guys are rightly vigilant about, state that you are not allowed to get
within 300 metres of these awesome beasts unless you are licensed, but
even so the views of these guys breaching was spectacular! After a short
while we then headed back to a point just south of Geyser Rock to "lure"
the Sharks.
The Sharks are attracted by using
"Chum," a mix of fish oil, water and fish bits which is slushed into the
water behind the boat. The Sharks then zig-zag up this "chum -slick"
looking for food until they arrive at the boat. Although bait, by way of
fish heads on a line, is used to attract the Sharks towards the Floating
Underwater Cage, the crew are extremely careful to make sure that they
don’t catch it, unless the sharks are really sneaky as
occasionally
happens! Whilst we are all being entertained and dazzled by the Sharks
some serious research and recording is taking place on board by Marine
Biologists, who track and record various data about the Sharks they see.
After putting on wetsuits four
people at a time took turns to go into the cage and after everyone had
been in once you could then go back in again for whatever time we had
left. Seeing a Great White Shark for the first time in the wild was an
amazing experience, they are so powerful, but extremely graceful at the
same time. When you get into the cage and a Great White swims by it is so
intense. You are holding your breath, anchoring yourself underwater and
trying not to scream all at the same time, but when you re-surface you
cannot help but giggle and whoop with excitement. If the Shark gets
aggressive and bumps the cage or just thrashes around on the surface close
to the cage it really gets the adrenaline pumping and those on-board seem
to get just as wet as those actually in the cage underwater! When the
jaws open and the dark blue eyes stare right at you, you can understand
exactly why people see these amazing creatures as some sort of crazed
killer in the sea, but they are far more timid than you realise. Honest!
On-board we were provided with
sandwiches and drinks and having a Marine Biologist with you meant you
learnt a lot about Great White Sharks! When we got back we were shown the
film that had been recorded whilst we were on-board and again provided
with drinks. They also brought out a Death by Chocolate Birthday Cake for
Angela which was seriously delicious!
That evening we went to a
restaurant called the Harbour Rock and had a superb meal to celebrate
Angela's birthday, whilst we talked crazily about the experience we had
earlier in the day and how it compared with some of the other amazing
things we had done this year.
A couple of days later we went out
looking for Southern Right Whales, although it wasn't really the season
for them. We didn't find any, but we met some extremely polite young lads
from Cape Town who were feeding the Dassies on the cliffs. They chatted
away to us and then picked some grass for Angela so she could also hand
feed them! The closest living relative to a Dassie is the elephant, which
is quite amazing when you look at how small these guys are!
The following day we went down to
the cliff tops to look for Whales, but the weather wasn't very good so we
called the Hermanus Whale Crier, who apparently knows where to find the
Whales if you can't see them. He informed us that none had been seen
since the weekend and the weather was not very good for them, so we
decided to go to the Cape Peninsula for the day.
Our first port of call, literally
a port, was Simonstown where the famous dog, Just Nuisance, is
commemorated with a brass statue. Just Nuisance was the first, and only,
animal to be given the rank of Able Seaman by The British Royal Navy, this
also meant that he was entitled to "rations.” He was even given a full
military burial when he died after the war.
After having delicious fish, chips
and mushy peas at the Salty Sea Dog we headed slightly further south to
Boulders Beach, home to a thriving penguin colony. These guys live on
this protected beach and the only access to see them is via boardwalks
that have been especially built. They are completely unphased by people
walking around taking photos of them, so much so that some of them even
lay under the boardwalks!
Our final destination was the Cape
of Good Hope, the most south-westerly point of Africa. Although there is
nothing really there, it is a nature and marine reserve and we did see
some Elands, a few Ostriches and a Blesbok.
One of the mornings we saw the
Hermanus Whale Crier and he confirmed that I had seen Southern Right
Whales in the bay near Gansbaai, not just breakwater as we thought it
might have been! We jumped in the car and drove the fifty or so
kilometres over there only to find that they had swum off! How dare
they! Anyway, after a couple of hours of waiting and watching we went to
Spurs, a great restaurant that has a bit of a view over the bay. Whilst
we were eating we saw Dolphins swim right up to the cliffs and when we
went to see if they were still there after our meal we saw the Southern
Right whales, albeit in the middle of the bay. In September they can
count up to 140+ Whales in the bay all at the same time. There is a total
ban on boats in the bay so the Whales come here either to mate or give
birth and keep returning every year.
We stayed at a guesthouse in
Hermanus, the Brown Jug, run by Louise and Abel Erasmus. We only had one
problem with it the whole time we were there, it was a big problem however
and that was on the last day, we didn't want to leave! The Brown Jug was
a home away from home, Louise and Abel describe the accommodation as three
units. What we were in we could only describe as a small house. We had a
small kitchen, two bedrooms, two bathrooms and a good sized lounge. We
also had a patio with a braai (bbq) and a swimming pool! We even adopted
a couple of pets for the week, a gorgeous black cat and an adorable little
Westie.
Our final night in Hermanus
happened to be a Saturday and the Springboks were playing France. We
found a bar that overlooked the bay and had a big screen television. We
were amazed however at 6pm when the owners asked us if we were ready to
leave as they wanted to close up! Apparently in high season they have
been known to stay open as late as 10pm! That is nearly all the bars in
Hermanus, not just this one!
Hermanus is somewhere that will be put into the future
plans pot marked, "for serious consideration!" |