Two days ago we arrived in South Africa's hidden paradise: Sodwana Bay. I'm not one for settling (yet) but if I had to choose between all the places I've seen so far this would be it. Tucked away in the northern part of KwaZulu-Natal, Sodwana is beautiful and vast with a coastline that is protected as a World Heritage Site within the iSimangaliso Wetland Park.
The industry here from what I can tell is mostly diving and tourism, and today I saw a shirt that said "Sodwana Bay: A Small Drinking Town with a Diving Problem", which basically sealed the deal for me. There is a laid-back atmosphere and people seem very aware how lucky they are to live in a place with such a unique marine environment in their backyard, but they are also advocates for conservation and protect the reef as they would their own homes. On the reef you are not to take anything or leave anything, including shells, and diving without gloves is necessary to keep people from touching the delicate soft coral and polyps.
We arrived in Sodwana in the evening and were quickly briefed on our dive for the following morning. After almost two solid weeks of travelling and promoting SEA Pledge, I was more than ready to spend some time in the Indian Ocean. Our first night was spent in a lovely seaside cottage and we had a quick braai before bed. In the morning we met at the beach and realized that in order to reach Two Mile Reef we had to take a zodiac (or rubber duck if you're South African) through the daunting surf. This may not seem like much but when there are foot straps in place to keep me in a boat I'm getting a little nervous, especially being generally unbalanced in daily life.
Once we descended onto Two Mile Reef we were in another world. The coral was larger and more beautiful than anything I've ever seen, and focusing on just one rocky outcrop provided endless entertainment. Almost within the first ten minutes we saw a hawksbill turtle, and there were more powder blue tangs than I could count. We also saw various species of triggerfish and boxfish, and beautifully coloured parrotfish nibbling on the coral. I'm still in the process of compiling a list and will get it up soon.
This morning we went on another dive on the same reef but in a different area where rays seemed to be more abundant. There were more clownfish and larger anemones as well, which were fascinating to watch. My favourite of the day was a large fish called a clown triggerfish, which seemed to look at me with as much curiosity as I must have had for it. There is something humbling that happens when a fish looks at you that way.
Tomorrow morning we head out again, and I'm sure the dive will be filled with just as many wonders as the last two. I'm very quickly falling in love with Sodwana Bay, and will definitely be coming back here during the break in December. Maybe I'll even spend Christmas Day with the fish, who knows.
In the meantime I'll leave you with a few good pictures taken in St Lucia the day before Sodwana. We walked along a short boardwalk and came across several monkeys and a hippo that we could hear but not see. He or she must have been camera shy and all we got were some rumbles and splashes from behind long grass in the estuary. We can only guess that it was a hippo based on the sounds, but it may very well have been Jim Carey playing a practical joke.
Off to get a much needed sleep,
Jill
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