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Wetsuite 2 : BN 0
The morning after our ride we ate a filling breakfast and headed out for more safari adventures, this time on horse back. We met our guide, hair extensions, manicured nails and all, down a muddy road just outside the park. Right onto the horses we jumped and off into the South African bush we rode. Again we saw all sorts of wildlife, adding Wildebeest to our list. It was amazing riding through the tall African grass spotting herds of Zebra’s and lone Bushbuck’s. After a while our guide suggested a short trot and Bri, who was on a horse for the first time, started to look a bit nervous. But she was game and with some encouragement and a short lesson, off we went with Bri doing splendidly. Soon after we headed for the beach and what a stunning beach it was. The guide took me for a canter which was amazing, and then back to walking down to the Estuary entrance to find the hippo’s and crocs.
Pop Quiz #1: What is a Zorse and is it real?
By the end Bri was looking like a natural and I was making
plans for more riding when I get home. That was until we got off the horses and had to remember how to walk. There is nothing like the feeling of getting of a horse after a long ride. Your feet just don’t seem to want to point in the right direction and your bum is so sore you want to sit tenderly on a brick of ice. After many “thank you’s” and Bri handing out FIFA bandana’s we headed back into town to pack, find some food and drive to our next adventure: Diving in Sodwana Bay.
Two hours later, it’s dusk and we are bumping down a skinny dirt road peeling our eyes into the jungle for signs pointing the way to Coral Diving. After an entertainingly annoying argument with the park gate official who kept insisting that the park campsites were full despite our explanations that we weren’t staying in the park campsite, we finally showed up at the front desk of Coral Divers. After checking into a cabin we signed up for a couple of dives the next day and found some food.
Coral Divers is a rustic and pleasant dive resort in the middle
of the iSimangalisoWetlands Park just off Sodwana Bay, one of the top ten dive spots in the world. With a multitude of dive spots along a length of reef,Sodwana Bay itself is made of soft red sand which stretches for miles. The dive boats launch from the beach, right out through the surf and drop you at any one of the 20 or more sites. One of the southernmost reef systems in the world, the reefs in Sodwana Bay are host to Ragged-tooth and White Tip Reef Sharks, Whale Sharks, rays, turtles, eels, and too many fish and coral types to name.
The resort itself seemed well run with vacationers coming to stay for a few nights. There were plenty of amenities considering we were in the middle of the jungle and the dive operation is efficient. After sorting out our gear the night before, we woke to the resident Varvet monkey’s arguing over who get’s which visitors’ breakfast. We wondered up to the lodge to find a snack to tide us over before the dive and discovered that the monkeys had decided on sending in the babies to steal the feast. There were plenty of signs saying not
to feed the monkeys and I did resist, but gosh it was hard, They are unfairly cute little fuzzy things.
We climbed aboard the shuttle to the beach at 7:15am and tractored down to the sand. Geared up and having listened to our pre-dive planwe jumped into the boat as it powered out to sea. No time was wasted and suddenly we were in and under, eyes wide at the wondrous scenery bellow. Hundreds of colourful fish, including the biggest Parrot Fish I have ever seen. It was along dive, 50 minutes, and Bri and I were exhausted afterwards. Neither of us had ever been able to get our oxygen down to 70 bars and we both agreed it was one of the longest and most beautiful dives we’d experienced. Back on the beach we took stock of out energy levels and decided to opt out of the second dive and soak up some sun instead. A few hours later and we were back on the road to St Lucia. We checked back into the Jo-A-Lise after being blow off the beach by evening winds, and headed down to the Ski Club to try and catch some croc and
hippo sightings whilst sipping a cool one.
The next day we had breakfast at a nice little place in St Lucia and then checked out the Crocodile Centre, a local rehab centre for injured Nile Crocodiles and other scaly creatures.
Pop Quiz #2: How do you tell the difference between a Crocodile and an Alligator and where do each of them live?
After the croc centre we started the drive back to Durban and out for dinner on Florida St with friends of Bri’s.
More adventures to come, including tonight’s big game……Spain vs Germany!
Xo
S
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