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Published: June 10th 2010
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After a week in Shanghai, I made my way to Lubumbashi...few flights, with stop in Hong Kong and Johannesburg. My usual trip to Lubumbashi, visiting great friends and working for a week. Than last Sunday, after few short nights, Lubumbashi-JNB-Durban. Landed in Durban at 6pm and it was already pitch black....you know, it's winter here, and by 5pm, it gets seriously dark.
I pick up my rental car and headed 85km South of the airport...passing on the highway through Durban, but not seeing anything of the city. I made my way to Umkomaas. I'm sure you've never heard of the place...and actually, this is the second blog ever on this place on travelblog.
It's diving time! I first heard of the place while diving nearly 2 years ago in Zanzibar. The French divemaster told me...if you like the big game, this is the place. Well....it's my fifth visit to South Africa, and my only regret is not to have known about this place before.
The area we dive is called Aliwal Shoal. This is sport diving...water was “warm” at 23 degrees. So time for me to get out my 7mm wetsuit one more time. The trick is...water is
very salty here, first dive I used my hood, so how many kilos do I put on? Answer is...second dive I went without the hood, and everything went fine.
The first dive....drift dive...solid...really solid. I have a hook, and guess what, even the knot holding the hook did give away in the middle of the dive (I couldn't believe it!)...the current was blowing us all over!
Aliwal Shoal, well, top 10 in the world, I think so, and I start to be very fussy about these rankings. We saw....in the small category...nudibranches, honeycomb eels, and everything small, but the drift was way too strong to be able to take any proper pictures. In the bigger, each dive at least 10 raggied tooth sharks. Well, these are a first for me...they are very “blind” so they don't avoid you much...and they seems to be pretty peaceful, yet with amazing teeth growing all over, and showing properly. I also saw a turtle on my second dive, and better...a honeycomb ray...a first for me, and what a massive one. But the best came at the end of the second dive...while you are still in the sharks, after the honeycomb ray, by
the end of the dive, we bump in 40 to 80 devil's rays gliding....we came on the back of them. Visibility is at around 20 meters, so the pictures are not that impressive. I've seen the same thing twice in Galapagos, and it's simply magical. Remember that name, Aliwal Shoal, be sure I'll be back for more!
So sharks, rays, eels, turtle...huge and fun drift...wow, amazing. And the best, because of the drift, when you ask what is the name of the dive site, well, the answer is...we did between 4 to 5 different ones in a single dive. I would not bring everybody diving here...it's serious sport, and seriously exhausting.
And on the surface, like the icing of the cake, the humpback whale was waiting for us. Yes, wish I could see one of those while under water, but the divemaster told me that here, it does happen maybe 2 to 3 time a year for the divemaster to see a whale while they are still diving...so not much chances there. It is one of the only area where you can be lucky enough to dive and get face to face with the great white shark. But
than again, I discussed with a divemaster who had been in the area for 12 years...he saw 2 of them!
Between the two dives we stopped where they do shark baited dives....I'm not into these, not natural enough for me...but if you are ready to fork around 170usd for a single dive, you will enjoy tiger sharks, oceanic black tips....a lot of them...and right on you. We stay just above...took few pics, but we had to be careful...it does happen quite often to have a shark getting his head out of the water, and than, your camera is gone, and maybe also few fingers...so not ready to take that risk.
After the diving, I quickly check-out of my B&B. Not much to write of the place, it was ok...but let's be honest, I'm not good at doing places who are just “ok”. I drove south 20 more minutes, to reach Selborne Golf Country Club...and here it is, after 2 sport dives, I'm on a golf course, playing 18 holes, and carrying my own bag, playing one of the best courses in South Africa...mad maybe, fun oh for sure...tired at the end of the day...oh yes, but tomorrow was
another day.....before heading to bed, I still had to drive south short of 45 minutes to Shelly Beach. Did I mention I had to forget of lunch, as it's getting dark here by 5pm...and time was running fast...
You live only once, better be good...if every single day of our live was like this...I would be either exhausted very fast, or either in a very good physical condition.
The aim was to make a single blog of my 3 nights in South Africa...till I realized that there is a good 80km between Umkomaas and Shelly beach, not really the same place.
So for my last adventure of Africa before the summer, hold tight, it's coming soon....and by the way, if I write this, it means I'm still alive!
With love, writing this on the plane to Hong Kong...getting closer to my little family.
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Cheap flights to India is now a reality rather than a distant dream
I also want to visit these places, it seems like a lovely place.