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I travelled to South Africa to spend a one month vacation between April and May, 2010. I took the opportunity to visit a few friends and shells suppliers and also to dive in some of the places I had often dreamed about: Cape Town, Port Elizabeth and Durban. In Cape Town the weather foretold extremely difficult dives: strong currents and winds, huge waves, very cold water and to top it all the great white shark. Such difficulties usually prevent any diving at all most days in this time of year. But I was lucky! Apart from the extremely low temperatures (8-9º C at the surface, 6ºC at depths of 40-45 metres), I had no problems with currents, wind or waves – all of these factors making diving very difficult. The dry suit I had taken with me from Portugal was a great help; it would have been impossible to dive without it...
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The underwater landscape is very beautiful, sometimes with irregular rocky bottoms, others with kelp forests. The fact that the number of species of fishes is relatively small, as is the actual number of fishes, allows many cowries, marginellas and trivias to walk about fully exposed in the day light, so that I was able to photograph beautiful specimens of Cypraea fuscorubra, algoensis, fuscodentata, mikeharti, coronata and iutsui atlântica, Trivia millardi, magnidentata, ovulata, sanctispiritus, clavariola, neglecta and sharonae, Marginella floccata, confortini, rosea, piperata and nebulosa. Once in a while I collected a few shells at low tide. South African Patellas are mandatory! They are very abundant locally, especially P. barbara, oculus, argenvillei, granularis, longicosta and granatina. Legally, one is allowed to collect only 15 specimens a day, which made me be particularly choosy! Cape Town is a fantastic city, with several places of great natural and historical interest. A visit to Table Mountain, from where we can enjoy an amazing view of the entire city, is not to be missed. In Port Elizabeth I found totally different diving conditions. The water was much warmer (18-20º C), which somewhat compensated the very poor visibility (sometimes of less than 1 metre). At this location, the Cypraea – edentula, alfredensis and capensis – seek shelter under rocks and dead coral, in view of the voracity and quantity of fishes swimming about. I also found Trivia aperta and a few species of Fusinus. Since I was particularly keen on doing underwater photography, I ended up collecting only a few specimens. I also did some collecting at low tide in Port Elizabeth. Among other species I must once again underline Patellas (longicostata, cochlear and especially the fantastic miniata), along with some Volvarina and Buccinum. Unfortunately, lack of time did not allow for a more detailed visit to several places of touristical interest close by. The visit to Durban had a special appeal because, besides hoping to collect and photograph shells that can be found nowhere else – in particular Cypraea broderipi – I had planned a few dives to photograph a number of sharks, particularly tiger sharks, blacktip sharks and bull sharks. Unfortunately, some logistical problems made it impossible to dive to collect and photograph any molluscs. I took the opportunity to dive with members of a local club and to try to photograph sharks, which was not easy at all, mainly because the water’s visibility was far from being ideal. I saw a few fairly large tiger sharks (some of them measuring 4 to 5 metres in length), but they would never allow me to get close enough to get a decent photograph. I did photograph a few blacktip sharks that were attracted by fish used as bait. The last days of my trip – which, as I said before, was meant mainly as a vacation – were spent in the unmissable Kruger National Park. Located in the province of Natal (north-eastern South Africa), not far from the Mozambique border, Kruger is a gigantic protected area, with over 20,000 square kilometres (bigger than the New Caledonia). Great for the observation and photography of large mammals, the National Park is well prepared to receive tourists, who in fact represent its primary source of income. I ended up spending eight days in this wonderful place that offers a few hotels, camping grounds, restaurants and small shops. I took good advantage pf dawns and sunsets, which are the best times to observe the animals; during the hotter periods of the day I would look for them in rivers, bogs and small dams. After dinner I always took part in a safari, which constituted an excellent opportunity to see lions, leopards and hyenas, among other nocturnal animals. Upon returning to my bungalow, I always checked the photos I had taken during the day (often over one thousand...), unloaded the memory card and took good care of recharging the batteries of both camera and flash. In most nights all that did not leave me more than 4 or 5 hours to get some sleep. When I came back home I was ran down from my trip, but utterly happy with the unique days spent there. I must extend warm thanks to all those who received me in their homes, who had me at their tables, who provided fantastic diving and above all who give me their sincere friendship. I owe Bruno and Linda and sons some of the most fantastic dives I ever done (not to mention a lot of help that they gave me); without them, I would not have been able to dive at all in Cape Town. I thank Mike, Renée and Mariette for the great kindness with which they welcomed me into their homes; I owe them the photos of Cypraea capensis shown here. Finally, I thank Clinton who not only welcomed me to Durban but also to solve every logistical problem – and I did have a few of those – that could prevent me from diving. They are all responsible for an unforgettable vacation! Many thanks to António Monteiro who kindly made the English translation! |
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