Swimming with seals!

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Sorry if you're hoping for some underwater photos with seals, we used our waterproof camera but we think it leaked so we might not have any!

Kaikoura is a lovely seaside town on the East Coast of the South Island. Most people come to swim with dolphins, but because it's twice the price and it can be done in loads of places we decided to spend our money on seal swimming instead.

Seal swimming can only be done in 4 places in the world and 2 of them (Mexico and Australia) are in dodgy shark-infested waters. The last 2 places, NZ and Galapagos are pretty safe, the reason (people think) being that there are loads of dolphins, which are one of the few animals that can seriously injure or kill sharks by attacking them in large numbers. So we set off safe in the knowledge that the pretty dolphins in the distance doing back-flips were actually protecting us from the Great Whites.

Dressed in our hooded wetsuits and snorkel masks, we jumped into the Pacific near a large rock where the seal colony was. The water was 14 degrees, which might not sound cold, but was freeezing! For half the time the sun was behind a cloud which meant that the seals on their rocks weren't coming out to play. But eventually, as the sun started poking out, the pups started coming in one by one for a swim. You can't go too near them, but they were quite friendly and so we were about a metre or two away, and one guy actually had a seal rubbing up against him!

They were quite playful swimming round us and diving down and then poking their heads out of the water rubbing their eyes with their fins. Eric had one swim underneath him and because their eyes were on top of their heads they had a stare-out competition under the water! I was following one and lost him. After a while searching under water I came up to be told that the seal had just jumped over my head!! Shame I missed that!

We had been in the water longer than normal because we had to wait a while for them to come in. This meant that our feet had turned yellow and had lost all feeling for quite a while. Lovely! Eric even had the shivers when he came out!

Bye for now,
And thanks to everyone who posted a message recently....we get excited when we see them so keep posting :D

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Comments

[Sarah]

Germany definitely not as exotic
Hey!! Well, firstly wow, looks so cool and I've only had a quick look around so far, SOMEONE forgot to let me in on the email train, although i did find your email Ez just before you left with this site address, but that was it! How was i supposed to know what that meant? Thought it was some code or something to help find the Golden Carrot. Anyway, i'm so envious, have lots of reading to catch up on and find out about all your adventures. Did see that you did a tango class in Argentina, the only place for it!! I'm doing dance classes too though! Tango is great, i reckon all of us will be famous soon. Email later. Have fun, although i don't need to tell you that, and take care Lots love xxx

[Maman]

Vos aventures me fascinent !
Tout d'abord, et avec un peu de retard, "Joyeux Anniversaire" Eleni ! Balades en camping-car, marcher sur un glacier, nager avec les phoques, quel programme de vacances ! Je n'imaginais pas que cela serait ainsi. Quel beau cadeau que ce voyage, toutes ces aventures et innombrables photos toujours aussi belles qu'impressionnantes ! "Cool" de se parler, hier, Eric ! Bonne continuation ! Grosses, grosses bises ! xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

[Tashweka]

C'est fantastique
Wow! First gliding, them swimming with seals in shark-infested waters. Leni, I have to say that you are more adventurous than I'd previously given you credit for!! Keep having fun. Hugs ...

[Uncle Colin]

Wish we were there!
Amazing. I am embarrassed to say that this has been my first view of the journal. I am convinced this is all made up and there is an organisation that has retouched you into 'pictures of the world'. You're really somewhere in 'blighty', where by the way there are plenty of carrots. Not that I am jealous but I wish I was twenty and did not have two brats - Pauline and I would be on a 'love world trip' but probably not in a camper van. Hope the rest of the trip is exciting and wonderous and I will call again. Love from the Kleanthous's of Cambridge.