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Published by tasch, 2017-11-30 02:26:48

Khuluma December 2017

Keywords: Khuluma,Khuluma December,Khuluma magazine,kulula magazine

Words: Carla Hüsselmann, Photographs: Supplied, Willyam Bradberry/shutterstock.com, MZANSI’S HOPE SPOTS TRAVEL
DOLININAN/shutterstock.com, ziiinvn/shutterstock.com,tn-prints/shutterstock.com,
Wandel Guides/shutterstock.com, Codegoni Daniele/shutterstock.com, wildestanimal/shutterstock.com KNYSNA, WESTERN CAPE. The Knysna Estuary has

the highest biodiversity of any in South Africa and is the playground
of the endangered, rare Knysna seahorse and the African black
oystercatcher (pictured below). Along with the Goukamma Lagoon, this
nutrient-rich estuary acts as a sea nursery.

DID YOU KNOW...

• 70% of the oxygen we breathe
is produced by marine plants.

• 97% of the Earth’s water is
contained in the ocean.

• 30% of CO emissions
produced by humans are
absorbed by the oceans.

• According to a 2016
report by the Ellen Macarthur
Foundation, just 5%
of plastics are recycled
efectively 40% end up in
landill and a third in
fragile ecosystems such as
our oceans.

• Every year at least 8m
tonnes of plastics leak into
the ocean, which is the
equivalent to dumping the
contents of one garbage truck
into the ocean every minute.
If no action is taken, this is
expected to increase to two
per minute by 2030 and four
per minute by 2050.

PLETTENBERG BAY,
WESTERN CAPE.

Boasting incredible beaches and
verdant marine life, the Bitou area cares
for caracal, leopard, Cape cormorants, the
largest kelp gull breeding colony in SA,
African penguins whales and dolphins.

kulula.com DECEMBER 2017 149

150 DECEMBER 2017 kulula.com

POINT AND SHOOT TRAVEL

JUST
ADD
WATER

Photographer and visual
storyteller Nick Aldridge
captures humanity’s
relationship with water in a
series of diverse images.

BRIGHTER COLOURS

It’s a typical scene along roads in
Africa: Shop facades like this one in
drought-stricken Malawi transformed
into canvases for handpainted adverts
reinforcing iconic brands. In this case,
the effects of drought make for a
prophetic form of irony. Life goes on
and people exhibit goodwill, friendly
faces and hearty greetings in spite of
the daily difficulties.

kulula.com DECEMBER 2017 151

WATER OF LIFE kulula.com

Top: Domwe is the largest island
in Lake Malawi, the world’s first
freshwater marine reserve. The lake’s
crystal clear waters are home to
numerous species of cichlid, colourful
fish that make this one of the finest
freshwater diving locations on Earth.
Middle: Boys dive from a boat near
Cape Maclear at the southern end of
the lake. Also known as Chembe, Cape
Maclear is surrounded by forested
mountains, with sandy beaches and
granite rocks along the water’s edge.
Bottom: Illegally hunted for bushmeat
and for their teeth, there are an
estimated 3 000 hippos in Malawi,
occuring most abundantly in protected
reserves and along the Shire River,
where this photo was taken. The
Shire is Lake Malawi’s only outlet,
flowing eventually into the Zambezi in
Mozambique.

152 DECEMBER 2017

POINT AND SHOOT TRAVEL

ISLAND PARADISE

It takes abundant water to keep
paradise lush and green. Mercifully,
the island of Zanzibar isn’t all
about sunsoaked beaches and
idyllic resorts. When it rains, it
really pours, with the so-called
‘long rains’ driving down from
March until late-May, and the short
rains bringing relief in November
and December. Like most islands,
Zanzibar’s coastal culture revolves
around ancient practices, such as
communal fishing undertaken by
women. While men go out in dhows
and dugout canoes late-afternoon,
returning with their catch in the
morning, groups of women will
swim out with nets and form a
circle around the fish they trap for
the kitchen and for market.

kulula.com DECEMBER 2017 153

TRAVEL POINT AND SHOOT

CONTINENT OF kulula.com
CONTRASTS

A young man sits astride the
prow of the boat that transports
provisions to Azura Benguerra,
a luxurious island retreat off
the Mozambican coast. There,
guests want for nothing, and are
encouraged to engage intimately
with the surrounding sea.
Meanwhile, on the Mozambican
mainland, children use recycled
plastic containers to collect water
from a village pump. Their faces
belie the absence of conveniences
most of us take for granted.

154 DECEMBER 2017

POINT AND SHOOT TRAVEL

INDIAN SUMMER

Right: India’s Ganges River
is considered a living thing -
Mother Ganga - complete with
life-giving powers. It’s a place of
pilgrimage where Hindus go to
cleanse themselves of past sins.
Here, up in the Himalayas, the
holy town of Rishikesh straddles
the Ganges and every evening
thousands of devotees and
tourists join Aarti ceremonies
such as these, giving thanks
through song and prayer.
Below: Rain spatters the
windshield of photographer
Nick Aldridge’s autorickshaw
as he explores the streets of
after-dark Mumbai.

kulula.com DECEMBER 2017 155

Plastic jellyfish
& OTHER SCARY TALES

It’s estimated that more than
5 trillion pieces of plastic
litter the planet’s oceans.
Bryony McCormick gets
closer to just one marine
species that’s suffering
the consequences of
humankind’s wasteful folly.

156 DECEMBER 2017 kulula.com

ANCIENTS ON A HALF-SHELL TRAVEL

T he first thing I noticed was I was in Sodwana, part of iSimangaliso do they have to survive the incubation
not the movement of the tiny Wetland Park in northern KwaZulu-Natal, period, where they are likely to be poached
little leatherback hatchlings on a nighttime turtle hatching tour with and made into turtle scrambled egg by
digging their way out of the depths of their uFudu Turtle Tours. We watched the animals and humans alike, once hatched
nest, but the washed up, empty Jive Cola hatchlings emerge and make their way to they must dig themselves to the surface
bottle tangled up in the beach foliage the water for about 45 minutes, fending off (about 30 cm) where the strongest, and
and catching the moonlight like a tacky ghost crabs and gaining strength with each thus first to emerge, are usually ambushed
billboard reading ‘WELCOME TO EARTH, WE DO awkward flip of their flippers. by ghost crabs or seagulls.
PLASTIC HERE’ in bright purple and yellow
letters. Careful not to disturb the nest At the same time, tour leader Peter If they survive that, they need to aim
I leant forward and grabbed the bottle, Jacobs, an Honorary Ranger at Ezemvelo downhill and hot-foot it to the shore break
hoping to ease the little critters into the KZN Wildlife and owner of uFudu, through a gauntlet from hell. If they make
world with a little less debris and a little explained the hatchlings’ journey from it across the beach, they’re swept away by
more moonlight. the moment the eggs are laid to the point the waves and into the mouths of another
at which they reach the ocean. Not only row of hungry predators who

kulula.com DECEMBER 2017 157

TRAVEL ANCIENTS ON A HALF-SHELL WHO IS CLEANING UP are waiting
THE OCEAN? with their
158 DECEMBER 2017 knives, forks and
e Ocean Cleanup is a Dutch tartare sauce ready.
foundation aiming to rid the It was disturbing
ocean of plastic. An installation hearing about the
of U-shaped screens will channel obstacles each hatchling faces – not to
mention the grisly fact that only 1 in 1 000
oating plastic to a central point of these delicate creatures survive.
in the ocean. e concentrated
plastic can then be extracted and The bottom few turtles started to
shipped to shore for recycling into emerge with deformed shells and crooked
durable products. Testing of the flippers. My heart broke into a million
pieces watching them turn circles in
rst system will start o America’s the sand, unable to get moving. I knew
west coast by the end of 2017. they would die. Hell, I knew they would
theoceancleanup.com probably all die, but seeing it happen is one
of the worst things I have had to endure. I
e EcoBrick Exchange uses sobbed and willed them forwards, while
EcoBricks to build and renovate Jacobs explained that the deformities
preschools and buildings in were likely due to someone driving over
underprivileged communities. the nest in a car. Humans! Not only do we
An EcoBrick is made by shoving welcome these little guys into the world
unrecyclable plastic waste into by decorating their nests with plastic
2L PET plastic bottles. e waste, but some of us maim them before
EcoBrick Exchange is working they’re hatched by doing doughnuts in our
to help reduce the amount of 4x4s over their nests, too.
plastic waste in the ocean by
collecting it and cramming it To further fuel my disappointment in
into the bottles instead of it humans, I spent time chatting to Talitha
ending up in rivers and land lls. Noble, turtle rehab coordinator at Cape
ecobrickexchange.org Town’s Two Oceans Aquarium. Noble

Take 3 is a clever concept born
in Australia in 2009. e idea
is simple: You’re encouraged to
take three pieces of rubbish away
with you each time you leave
the beach, a riverside, dam or
waterway. Hashtag your picture
on social media so the data can be
collated using #Take3fortheSea.
If everyone attempts to take three
bits of rubbish, plastic will less
likely end up as a fake plastic
jelly sh meal for a passing turtle.
take3.org

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ANCIENTS ON A HALF-SHELL TRAVEL

FIVE SINGLE-USE PLASTIC Turtles easily mistake floating plastic for
ITEMS YOU DON’T NEED food since plastics resemble jellyfish, which
are typical turtle snacks.
It’s almost 2018 – time to get with the
programme, folks. Here are ve plastic
items you should refuse to use.
Plastic straws. Get yourself a glass or
wooden straw and carry it with you –
or use your god-given lips and mouth.
Chances are whatever you’re drinking
will taste better if it doesn’t travel
through plastic before entering your
mouth anyway.
Plastic lids on take-away co ee/tea.
Get your own reusable travel mug, or
sip out of the cup.
Plastic cutlery with take-away food.
Carry cutlery with you in your
handbag, briefcase, backpack or cubby
hole. And use it.
Plastic packets. Stock up on reusable
shopping bags.
Plastic mineral water bottles. Get a
reusable drinking container already.

Pictures: xxxxxxx says it’s not just the hatchlings’ survival face the entirely human-
we’re helping to put at risk, but the entire generated problem of plastic
lifecycle, since human behaviour is directly litter that ends up in the
endangering adult turtles as well. Without sea. If they’re not
humans, turtles would enjoy a relatively caught up in it,
risk-free life once they get past early- they’re eating it
adulthood, probably Mother Nature’s way because they easily
of saying sorry for the rough introduction mistake floating plastic for
to the world. Now, however, turtles around food – especially since plastic
the globe are facing extinction in the wild, easily resembles floating
and it’s one hundred percent due to the jellyfish, a typical turtle snack.
impact that we humans have
on the environment. ‘Marine debris from discarded
plastics is building up in
Over and above our oceans and poses
being a bycatch in a significant threat to
large scale fishing turtles and other
operations, being wildlife. Ingested
hit by boats or plastic causes bowel
poached for obstructions and
food, turtles also has caused

kulula.com DECEMBER 2017 161

TRAVEL ANCIENTS ON A HALF-SHELL

Marine debris from discarded plastics is
building up in our oceans and poses a
significant threat to turtles

fatalities in whales, birds and turtles while started sleeping at the bottom of the that it wasn’t doing any good in there. Pictures: supplied, Pigprox/shutterstock.com, ffffffly/shutterstock.com
many other marine animals are at risk.’ pool, indicating that the buoyancy issue Bob’s turn of good health came once the
had been resolved and at the same time plastic had moved through his system, and
Noble introduced me to Bob, the started having solid poops again. Then it is an indication of what the plastic had
aquarium’s resident rescue-turtle, and done to him.
shared his tragic story – how plastic something insane happened – Bob had a
resulted in his deterioration and near massive plastic poop. It included pieces Sadly, Bob is just the tip of an immense
death. In November 2014, Bob was found of balloons, some still attached to their iceberg – millions of turtles in the oceans
on the beach in De Hoop Nature Reserve. string and several other large bits of are doubtless suffering a similar slow-
He was an injured, sub-adult green turtle plastic. It is still not certain how death. In fact, according to the IUCN Red
and arrived with severe bruising and a and what the effect of the List, six out of the world’s seven turtle
fracture of the plastron (bottom shell). plastic in his system was, species are facing a high risk of extinction
He was also much more buoyant than he but there is no doubt in the wild. All thanks to us.
should be. He was named Bob because,
well, he was very good at bobbing.

His rehabilitation was a rollercoaster
to say the least, and is still ongoing
today. After about four weeks of ups
and downs, intensive
care, being dry-docked,
tube fed and losing
sight in both eyes, Bob
slowly started to come
around. He finally

162 DECEMBER 2017 kulula.com







Falling

There’s nothing more soothing than the
sound of rushing water, which is why we
add man-made fountains to our urban
parks, malls and homes. And while
research shows that even photographs
of waterfalls can make us emotional,
Gaynor Lawson suggests making an
extra effort to see these ones in real life.

166 DECEMBER 2017 kulula.com

DO GO CHASING WATERFALLS TRAVEL

MALETSUNYANE FALLS,
LESOTHO

These are the highest single drop falls in
Africa, with the water of the Maletsunyane
River (a tributary of the Orange River)
thundering down 192 metres to the gorge
below. Locals believe that the echoing of
the crashing water is actually the wailing
of drowned souls. The site has another
claim to fame according to the Guinness
World Records: the highest commercially-
run abseil in the world at 204 metres The
falls are also known as Le Bihan Falls after
Father Francois Bihan, a French missionary
who first marked their location on a map.
You’ll need a 4x4 or a horse to get there
– or it’s a lovely hike up from the nearby
town of Semonkong.

Pictures: Ugu South Coast Tourism, Supplied.

kulula.com DECEMBER 2017 167

TRAVEL DO GO CHASING WATERFALLS

Although now prohibited, it was once a
favourite pastime of daredevils to risk
death by leaping off the top of the falls

MAC MAC FALLS, commercial and tourism hub, unlike most
SABIE-GRASKOP, other waterfalls which are in remote
MPUMALANGA and often hard-to-reach locations. Rocky
crags tower above the small, pristine
It might sound like an offshoot burger beach around the pretty lagoon – one
chain but the golden arches in this of the deepest in the country – into
waterfall are genuine 24 carat. The which the waters tumble. Although now
plunging 64 metre falls were named by prohibited, it was once a favourite pastime
South African Republic president Thomas of daredevils to risk death by leaping off
Burgers while visiting the area’s goldfields the top of the falls – today the wildest
in the late 1800s. Obviously an astute activity on the lagoon is puttering around
politician, he won over the mistrustful on a paddle boat.
mining community by declaring that
he was naming the falls to honour the AUGRABIES FALLS,
predominance of Scottish names among NORTHERN CAPE
the claim-holders, many of which bore
the prefix Mac. The miners changed the This waterfall has a changing face
waterfall from a single stream to a duo depending on its water levels. It can be a
when they used dynamite to divert the frothy 56 metre cascade of pristine white
river to reach the gold-bearing reef over water channelled through the rocks, but
which it plunges. The falls were declared if the Orange River is in flood it becomes
a national monument in 1993. There are a churning cappuccino-coloured torrent
safe viewing points, while the Mac Mac made up of individual cataracts and
Pools and picnic and braai areas can be rapids. At these times of high water, the
accessed via a nature walk to the foot falls can be several kilometres wide with
of the falls. Swimming below the falls is 19 separate waterfalls cascading into
not allowed but you can enjoy a dip in the a ravine 18km long. Little wonder the
nearby pools. Khoisan people knew it as ‘the place of
great noise’. The falls are the crowning
UVONGO WATERFALL, glory of the Augrabies Falls National
KZN SOUTH COAST Park. Some 120kms from Upington, its
ancient landscape is rich with endemic
This 23 metre waterfall on the Ivungu flora and fauna.
River is set in the centre of a bustling

168 DECEMBER 2017 kulula.com





DO GO CHASING WATERFALLS TRAVEL

ROCKING ROCK POOLS At its most spectacular
during KZN’s summer rains, the tiered
Tonquani Rock Pools, Magaliesberg Tugela Falls is the highest waterfall in
Just over an hour from Joburg and Africa and second-highest in the world
you’re at this kloof with clear pools lined
Pictures: Ugu South Coast Tourism, Supplied. by tree ferns and huge boulders. It’s TUGELA FALLS, metres into a gorge formed by seismic
within the privately-owned Mountain DRAKENSBERG activity. It’s located near Lusikisiki, close
Sanctuary Park and permits are to Port St John’s, and is set in the 1 800
required for visitors, obtained through At its most spectacular during KZN’s hectare Magwa tea plantation where a
the Mountain Club of South Africa. summer rains, the tiered Tugela Falls is drive takes you just about to the top of the
mountain-sanctuary.co.za the highest waterfall in Africa and second- falls. But be warned, there are no safety
highest in the world (pipped by Venezuela’s railings. Nearby are the lesser Fraser Falls,
Drupkelders, Garden Route 979 metre Angel Falls). This splashing, Visitors Falls, Little Falls and Picnic Falls,
Loosely translated, these ‘dripping crashing torrent of water cascades 947 all reached by hiking along the coast.
cellars’ are a 3.6km walk (with some metres down the face of the Drakensberg’s
steep sections) through the Knysna monolithic Amphitheatre in three gushing ORIBI GORGE,
Forest to the massive pools and dark falls. The Tugela River begins at Mont- KWAZULU-NATAL
waters of the Homtini River. Tinted to Aux-Sources, several kilometres away, and
deep brown with natural tannins but can be seen by energetic hikers willing to About 20km inland from Port Shepstone
completely safe to swim in and drink, undertake the full day walk to the summit there is a dramatic 24km long and 400
another series of pools are accessible and the river’s source as well as to the top metre deep rift in the earth gouged by
via a climb up the waterfall. Visitor of the falls. The truly intrepid will climb the Umzimkhulwana River. Enclosed by
numbers are limited to protect this the chain ladder that affords breathtaking the 1 900 hectare Oribi Gorge Nature
pristine area, and permits are acquired views, if the terror of being up with the Reserve, visitors are spoiled for choice
through SANParks. sanparks.org lammergeiers (bearded vultures roosting in this natural park. There is abundant
in the cliffs) isn’t too daunting. birdlife, monkeys and small antelope, six
Suicide Gorge, Hottentots Holland trails and several waterfalls, including the
Nature Reserve MAGWA FALLS, Lehr’s, Hoopoe and Samango Falls. The
WILD COAST adventurous can abseil down a 110 metre
is is a very challenging day trip. cliff next to the beautiful Lehr’s Falls, play
Walking, scrabbling over rocks, These stunning falls look like a lace cloth paintball, go horse riding along the ridge,
jumping o 20-metre cli s into water, draped over a rocky tabletop. Unlike most raft the white waters or zip-line from one
lunatic leaps down waterfalls, and lots of the Wild Coast waterfalls (including side of the gorge to the other. And, if you’re
of refreshing rock pool swimming. It’s the awe-inspiring 93 metre high Waterfall truly brave, there’s the 165 metre high
open for kloo ng over summer and Bluff that drops straight into the sea), Wild Gorge Swing, which is the highest
permits are required. capenature.co.za this beauty is easy to get to. It’s also one swing of its kind in the world.
of South Africa’s highest, plunging 146

kulula.com DECEMBER 2017 171

warOCErANiors
Whether they’re breaking records, swimming alongside
the ocean’s gentle giants and misunderstood predators,
or ensuring the next generation of ocean guardians, these
women are determined to conserve the last wilderness.
Carla Hüsselmann dives into the blue.

172 DECEMBER 2017 kulula.com

SEA SAINTS LOCAL HERO

DIVE DEEPER WITH dreamt about. Then a female whale endeavours, she says.
HANLI PRINSLOO appears with her newly-born calf – the ‘The beating heart of
tiny giant rises to the surface, gulping in a the work we do is with
Her whole body vibrates to the magical breath of air. Suddenly he veers towards underprivileged kids from
song of a humpback whale gliding Prinsloo, curious about the foreign creature South Africa, Mozambique
10m below her in the Pacific Ocean’s floating in his watery nursery and sails so and Bermuda. One of my
crystalline waters. The gentle leviathan close to her that they make eye contact. favourites is the KwaZulu Mermaids, the
winds his intricate melody of loud, deep And then mom and baby are gone in a flick brainchild of I AM WATER instructor Beth
notes in unison with other males in the of their flukes and Prinsloo is left humbled Neale, where a group of Grade 7 girls
depths surrounding the South Pacific once again by the immense splendour of were turned into real little mermaids
island of Niue. Experiencing one of the the last true wilderness on Earth. through snorkelling and breathing lessons,
most complex non-human forms of ocean education sessions and a trip out
communication created by any species This kind of profound experience with to sea. Some of them were scared in the
in the animal kingdom so intimately is the ocean and its mega-fauna is what beginning but every one of them fell in
something Hanli Prinsloo has only ever lies at the soul of Prinsloo’s conservation love with the ocean and grew so much
ethos, prompting the establishment of in confidence. I’m very proud of our
I AM WATER, a non-profit organisation future ambassadors.’
through which she has been able to teach
over 500 people to freedive. Does she ever get frightened of the
sea? ‘The only time the ocean scares me
‘I AM WATER believes in conservation is when I see her fragility. When she’s
through human experience. We believe displaying all her power and strength
people are more likely to take care of that’s when I feel the world is as it should
their shorelines once they experience be. It’s when I see destroyed mangrove
the beauty and joy of our seas,’ says the forests, bleached coral or a remote part
former champion freediver (and, arguably, of the North Pacific that’s covered in litter
real life mermaid) from her home base that she’s terrifying.’
in Cape Town. ‘They’re taught the art
of freediving, the joy of moving through ‘The ocean is a mirror,’ Prinsloo muses.
water with ease and grace. They learn the ‘It shows us the bits about ourselves
physiology of the human body underwater, that we don’t see on land where we’re
the mammalian dive response we share so distracted. Every time I get in the
with whales, dolphins and seals, and how water I learn more about myself and
our bodies carry the memory of water.’ how I need nature – that’s the greatest
lesson the ocean can teach you. ’
Educating a new generation of ocean iamwaterfoundation.org
guardians is one of her most satisfying

pictures: xxxxxxx

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LOCAL HERO SEA SAINTS

CHANNEL THE OCEAN first-ever African woman to conquer this the Channel of Bones and inhabited by
WITH SARAH FERGUSON challenge – a sufficiently compelling lurky sharks, venomous Portuguese Man-
reason to undertake the arduous swim. of-War jellyfish and merciless currents.
In July this year, Sarah Ferguson swam But there was something more that
an inconceivable 59.8km across the Ka’iwi impelled her to brave the longest of the Ferguson also wanted to use her
Channel in a back-breaking 17 hours 54 world’s ‘big seven’ ocean swims, talents for a greater purpose: to raise
minutes and 25 seconds. Ferguson, a which is chillingly known as awareness of how plastic is
Durban-based physiotherapist, was the smothering our oceans. ‘If
we don’t take action now,
by 2050 there will be

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174 DECEMBER 2017 kulula.com





SEA SAINTS LOCAL HERO

more plastic than fish in the sea,’ laments many don’t realise is that I didn’t itttth’mhsbhJe1etowuefrih1.anhiecm3soSe.i’nlsun0w6loru.put6saauewerthmatlmdsenlfoomhesIpa:ensiednnrSpsri:e’ltcoteiaIdihaank’f-slrKteolrsgwarayteirrshyundoatea,oip.ntuwjnrmouA2’tssfeioimett.wsvnew4hretekgwpaliuenmrnsinJtdewdomobuelisCeosroadtfpsormlrcosilolyhrekdraeIakt.y.ehilaBsea2nvtgaeneoinego0tciidurhanmikynn1rielgntaipgaghw7e!sesrhoieulmnantna,t–pndgsesapei.iiHrcnntrWSoshksoggtshrauaoiiifootstrneohwmusauoedristgdlnnyhiihtannieehesu1ggaswoei0wppmitoafahpmsftthhaee–ytraeer,re
Ferguson, who is the founder of the non- just wake up one day and swim
profit organisation, Breathe Conservation. across a channel: I got there one prOIeeh1’eravN9a1fferes..Ea3dm0ccg6tol5MyaaawvailmmnemlIarLosv:eot:EcedSvJaeooaeTalcndhensOusndpibsrcereGetecbhcxoniOlaapaaatunlltc:aistkWtnoioeontntIoejsisu’pemhtsMshmwosthsarabiiwteamklee.rfiaokWmiiptnrn.humettet’hhvBhileeenaeaspymgblt.aaiamgIsasgtdtcbaitatellhiwetunicrteooshe!tveohttechhhoreeoeutauhrcnsreuswIr.’rvietehnt.
‘Did you know that a recent study showed good decision at a time. The
that 100 per cent of the mussels tested same goes for reaching the goal
had microplastic in them? I hate that the of a plastic-free ocean: it just
life in our oceans has to swim in our trash takes one good decision at a
and often gets sick or dies because of our time. If you add up every single
total disrespect and attitude of instant straw or packet you said no to
gratification. The ocean is life and we need over a year, you’d be shocked
it for life.’ at the real difference you
can make. Now imagine if
This tangible passion is what lay behind you got your loved ones and
the four years of intense training for her community to do the same?
Herculean feat and the estimated 60 000 Start now.’
strokes she took while navigating the tricky For the full report of
channel, which is actually 46km long but Ferguson’s epic swim:
saw her swimming just under 60km due sarahferguson.co.za/blog
to getting stuck in vicious currents. ‘What

kulula.com DECEMBER 2017 177

LOCAL HERO SEA SAINTS

SWIM WITH THE Institute of Marine Science. Research also tackle issues like the negative impact Pictures: Anthony Grote, Ivan van Heerden, Charlie Dailey, Luke Holland/shutterstock.com, Anastasiia Gevko/shutterstock.com, supplied
SHARK ANGELS shows that some populations are down 90 shark nets have on marine life, killing
per cent and up to 73 million sharks are dolphins, turtles and whales too.’
The quintessential dauntless, bronzed, killed every year due to, for example, the
blonde surfer, Olivia Symcox was prone high demand for shark fins and shark liver Symcox admits that because sharks
to something akin to walking on water oil (squalene oil) for cosmetics and are so misunderstood, protecting them is
whenever she spied a shark lurking behind health supplements.’ the ‘toughest PR job’ she’s ever tackled.
the backline, particularly after a surfer However, one of the most rewarding aspects
friend lost a leg to a great white. ‘I definitely Symcox points out that it’s really not of her mission is taking fellow surfers on
came from the dark side, believing that about whether or not you ‘like’ these dives. ‘It’s wonderful when their eyes are
the only good shark was a dead shark,’ majestic apex predators: ‘Humans opened to the miraculous “Avatar-like” world
admits the public relations consultancy need sharks because they play a crucial that lies beneath the waves. Sadly, they
owner who heads up Shark Angels, a NPO role in maintaining healthy oceans, the also see how many of the sharks have
focused on shark conservation, based earth’s life support system, and if you human-inflicted injuries from hooks
in KwaZulu-Natal. ‘Then in early 2003 I remove them, this’ll lead to the extinction and lures and have knife wounds and
experienced a complete turnaround when of many other species.’ boat scars.’
a large tiger shark swam past me on my
third-ever scuba dive. I looked into her eyes With the assistance of marine biologists And what precautions should one
and felt such awe at her majesty and found and volunteers, Shark Angels gives a take when diving with sharks? ‘I’ve learnt
myself trying to catch up with her! After voice to the voiceless, Symcox explains, that they aren’t really interested in us
that I made it my mission to spend more by driving scientific research projects, and you have to go to great lengths to
including vital research on the vulnerable get their attention. However, always stay
time getting to understand sharks.’ blacktip shark population at Aliwal Shoal, alert and maintain eye contact with them.
What she learnt about the education initiatives and activism such I also never surf in murky water. Truly
plight of the lords of the sea as the Paddle Out for Sharks and Silence respect that sharks are the ocean’s
upset her so much that she of the Sharks underwater protest. ‘We’re most efficient hunters, but they’re worth
decided to do something vehemently opposed to shark culls and more alive than dead.’ sharkangels.com
tangible with her newfound
passion – in 2008, when
she and local shark experts
Mark and Gail Addison met

Julie Andersen, the founder of
the American NPO Shark Angels,
they decided to launch Shark Angels
locally. They were determined to expose
the reality of the silent mass extinction of
the ocean’s top predators. ‘An average of
10 people worldwide are killed by sharks
every year but we’re killing 11 000 sharks
per hour, according to the Australian

178 DECEMBER 2017 kulula.com



WateTHrE boys
They’re young, they’re super-talented, and they’ve
all been touched by the ocean. Meet a few of
Mzansi’s salty adventurers whose time at sea has
bestowed them with a special affinity for the water.

180 DECEMBER 2017 kulula.com

SEA ADDICTS LOCAL HERO

pictures: xxxxxxx

kulula.com DECEMBER 2017 181

LOCAL HERO SEA ADDICTS

You have to let go of the reins,
and it’s such a beautiful thing
to do that.

My favourite place to surf is probably

Jaws, in Hawaii. It’s the ultimate big

wave in the world, a huge, barrelling wall

of water that reaches 60 feet, or even

bigger. When you see a swell forming, your

stomach absolutely churns. You almost

dread it, but at the same time it’s what

Twenty-six-year- you want so badly. I’ve had some of the
old Matt ‘Bromdog’ most terrifying experiences of my life
Bromley is a world- at Jaws, but at the same time, when I
renowned big wave surfer and overcome that fear and paddle into the
the focus of Risky Business, a biggest waves of my life, that’s where
film about catching insane I’ve felt like I’m really living to the full.
waves in incredible places My favourite place close to home is
around the world.

BIG WAVE MAESTRO: and you relinquish Sunset Reef, because it breaks right in Interviews: Keith Bain, Photographs: Mike Rose, Josh Tabone, Val Adamson
MATT BROMLEY
control. You have to front of my house. I can just grip my board,
It’s interesting that the scariest sessions
I’ve ever had – Jaws, Teahupo’o, and let go of the reins, and it’s such a beautiful walk down the beach and paddle out
Nias – are when I’ve felt incredible peace.
I feel like when I go out on big waves, I’m thing to do that. When you step off the with a bunch of buddies. It’s an incredible
stepping into my purpose – it’s my calling.
When I’m on land, I so often feel like a fish land into the water, you really are at the wave – most of the time, when it’s up to
out of water and I feel cluttered, my brain
filled with all the busyness and worries mercy of Mother Nature, you’re stepping 15 feet, it’s really fun and playful. When
of life. When I get out there in the water,
especially when the waves are big, that’s into the unknown and you have to learn it gets up to 20 feet or more, it becomes
the only thing I am focusing on – right
there and then. You leave all your worries how to go with that. another monster and then you can really
and stress on the beach, and you’re out in
the unknown, everything is unpredictable, The ocean is always going to be more push yourself. It’s a big perfect wave with

powerful than you and when you let go everything you need. And when you're

of control and learn to go with it, it’s the sitting out there at Sunset, there’s just

most incredible feeling. There’s this sense the most beautiful view of these huge

of being engulfed in God’s creation; when mountains all around you and these walls

the waves are really big, you feel so small. of water coming towards you, and you

You can feel the power of the ocean and it feel so small. It’s a special, special place

leaves you humbled and in awe. for me.

182 DECEMBER 2017 kulula.com





SEA ADDICTS LOCAL HERO

Surfing
since he was 10,
Brandon Benjamin grew
up on the waves in Muizenberg
and Kalk Bay. Now 22, he won
the Mercedes-Benz South African
Surfing Championship this year.
You can help him reach his
potential by supporting his
crowdfunding drive at
candystick.co.za.

THE ARTIST: BRANDON a left break. It’s a pretty heavy left-hand ever the same. Each one is a pure, unique
BENJAMIN reef break. I’m in love with barrels and it’s experience that cannot be manufactured.
good to know that, once it’s over two-feet, I am blown away by what it is capable of
Discovering what new artwork I can that barrel is always there – it’s very producing each time – each wave is a pure
create on a beautiful canvas – that's consistent, a great barrel that allows you and unique creation. And to be able to
what surfing’s all about for me. I think the to do carves and turns and airs. I get to create my own artwork on that wave, for
beauty and wonder of the ocean is that display a full package of surfing out there. me that is sublime.
every day it offers something different.
Witnessing the beauty of God’s creation, My personal relationship with the
and how it has different moods. No two ocean has a lot to do with faith. Out there
days are the same – you are always anything can happen. There’s an animal
experiencing new things. I’m someone that lives out there that can kill you in a
who likes new challenges, so I have a heartbeat. You can drown. You can get
big love for the ocean. It teaches you a caught in rips. You can hurt yourself on
lot about life, reminding you that things impact. So it is a very dangerous place.
aren’t always perfect, but you do get But at the same time, it’s very beautiful.
some pretty perfect days out there. You So I have a lot of respect for it.
just have to be patient.
Every day I am grateful to be out there
My favourite surf spot is Kalk Bay, in something so wondrous, experiencing
mainly because I’m goofy footed and it’s new things each time. No two waves are

Every day I am grateful to be out there
in something so wondrous, experiencing
new things each time.

kulula.com DECEMBER 2017 185

LOCAL HERO SEA ADDICTS

The ocean cleanses the soul
and frees you of frustration.

THE EARLY-RISER: precious asset – it’s Professional
TRISTAN ROBERTS given me ceaseless bodyboarder
joy ever since. The Tristan Roberts took
The ocean is my playground. It brings ocean has turned the top prize at the 2014
me pure happiness. When the waves are me into an athlete ISA World Bodyboarding
good, I feel blessed to be in the water. Championships held in
And when I’m frustrated with life I can Iquique, Chile. He was the
paddle out there and be alone to work youngest man to ever
it off. It’s a place that cleanses the soul, win the title.
frees you of frustration. I fell in love
with the ocean when I was six years and taught me self-
old and my family moved to Hermanus;
I remember going down to the beach discipline; it’s what urges
thinking the bodyboarders and surfers
were insane to be so far out in the water. me to wake before sunrise on
But watching them enjoying the ocean
soon convinced me to ease my way into those freezing winter mornings and head
the little waves that were lapping against
the shore. I remember loving everything down to the beach to put on a wetsuit
about the beach – the sand castles, the
smell of sunscreen, the feeling of having and be out on the water at first light. It is
sunbaked skin. And the water, of course.
my sanctuary.
I was seven when I hopped on my first
bodyboard and it quickly became my most My favourite spot in the world is

El Fronton in the Canary Islands. It’s

the most powerful reef break and the

perfect arena in which to showcase

what’s possible with a bodyboard – it

has big barrels and big ramps for big

air manoeuvres. In South Africa, my top

spot is Kogelbaai on the coast between

Gordon’s Bay and Rooi Els. It has a world

class beach break as well as waterfalls

and caves on the beach.

186 DECEMBER 2017 kulula.com





SEA ADDICTS LOCAL HERO

Durban-
based 24-year-
old Siya Vato sails
all sorts of boats and is
currently working on one
called the Flying Spaghetti
Monster, campaigning to
race the European circuit
within the next

two years.

What stands out for
me about the ocean is
the sense of freedom
it provides.

pictures: xxxxxxx THE YACHTIE: never in your wildest imagination expect
SIYANDA VATO to meet – you mingle with millionaires,
and because you’re all in the same boat
I discovered yachting in 2009 when I joined together, sailing together, you have to
a youth sailing programme. I’d fallen in work together, all under the same sail.
love with the ocean when I was much
younger – my dad was a lifesaver and My best sailing experience would
would take us to the Durban beachfront have to be crewing on a yacht called
after he’d knocked off from work. Ray Of Light as part of the Cape to Rio
Yacht Race. We faced so many challenges
The sea – and sailing on it – has taught during that race – simply finishing
me so much. It’s taught me discipline, felt like a major accomplishment.
how to weather the storm, and how to
find opportunities in difficult situations. My favourite place to sail is right here
What stands out for me about the ocean at home, in Durban. Nothing beats sailing
is the sense of freedom it provides. in the warm rain wearing nothing but
shorts and a light jacket, surfing on a boat
Sailing also provides a weirdly on big waves with a north-easterly
democratic space. At times you get stuck blowing – nothing!
on a boat with people that you would

kulula.com DECEMBER 2017 189

giftTHE Seas, rivers, lakes – these are
water formations we’re all familiar
with. But in the drought-stricken
Western Cape, Katherine Graham
found a man using an ancient
practice and a piece of wire to
find water hidden in rock crevices
deep beneath the earth’s surface.

W ho would have thought there rods (the kind favoured by Russell
would be acres of farmland Crowe’s character in The Water Diviner)
in the middle of Cape Town? and lots of wire. His favourite instrument,
And yet there I was, up before the
sun rose, driving past neat rows of he says, is a piece of wire twisted
cabbages on a massive farm in into a V-shape and covered in
Philippi. In front of me, kicking up a plastic to protect his hands
cloud of dust, was Nic Joubert in his from calluses.
white bakkie. I ask Nic when he first realised

A water diviner, or dowser, Nic he had this gift. ‘I’m the youngest of
makes his living finding groundwater – five siblings – two boys and three girls,’
a precious commodity these days, with he says. ‘We grew up on a farm in
the Western Cape experiencing its worst Fochville, Gauteng, where my father was
drought in a century. a diviner. One day I was out with my father

Nic smiles as we shake hands when and I asked if I could try holding the
we meet. We wait for Carl, the sticks. I did and it worked. And
farm owner, to arrive and that’s when I knew I also
I inspect the tools of had the gift.’
Nic’s trade. He has all He’s quick to
the diviner’s usual point out that
paraphernalia – a it’s a God-given
glass bottle, a set talent. ‘Nobody
of angle or L-shaped can see under
the earth,’

190 DECEMBER 2017 kulula.com

WATER’S DIVINER BEHIND THE SCENES

pictures: 31moonlight31/shutterstock.com, supplied WATER DIVINING
THROUGH THE AGES

Nic Joubert is lucky he wasn’t a dowser
in 16th-century Europe, when it was
considered by Martin Luther and
others to be the devil’s work. Gaspar
Schott, a German Jesuit, declared in
1662 that dowsing was ‘superstitious,
or rather satanic’, although he later
conceded that it might not be the devil
who was always responsible for the
rod’s movement. Known as avirgula
divina (Latin for ‘divining rod’),
a Y- or L-shaped piece of wood was
used to nd not only water, but also
metal ore and even buried bones.

e Germans were very good at
it, even being allowed to live and
work in Elizabethan England to nd
tin in Cornwell and Devon. Many
frontier farmers used water divining
or ‘witching’ to locate water in South
Dakota, as did Australian pioneers
in the Outback. Sceptics still abound,
then as now, with scientists today
attributing the phenomenon to the
ideomotor e ect – the dowser’s body
unconsciously producing an e ect
on the metal rod.

kulula.com DECEMBER 2017 191

BEHIND THE SCENES WATER’S DIVINER

flips backward, indicating the end of the

underground stream. Another mark gets

scratched into the ground.

He repeats the same procedure

walking from east to west to find the

he says. ‘Only I walked for 3km with my rod intersecting underground
flipping backwards. You could stream. By now his dirt
have drilled anywhere and you diagram looks like a four-way
stop. ‘Where the two streams
would have struck water! meet,’ Nic says, tapping the
midpoint, ‘that’s where you
drill for water.’

After about an hour of

God. That’s why divining, Nic has found two

I know it’s a gift Malmesbury still yields likely sites of water and marked the spots

and I don’t boast 30 000 litres of water an hour. off. After Carl is summoned to inspect the

about it. Only some The discovery of so much work, Nic is anxious to be off. His next stop

people have it.’ water was like hitting the is a juice manufacturer in Wellington.

Does he feel anything jackpot. But he doesn’t always get it It’s an occupation that involves a lot of

inside when the rod yanks down? ‘No,’ he right. ‘Seven years ago I was divining in travelling. ‘If I was a millionaire, I wouldn’t

says, ‘but I feel it in my hands.’ I ask how Jonkershoek,’ he says. ‘There the rocks are do it. I would stay at home and spend

it works. ‘It’s magnetic,’ he replies simply, granite and they don’t usually carry a lot of time with my family,’ he confides. But

adding that despite what detractors might water. We drilled down to 280m and still everyone and their dog wants to sink

say, his success rate is a staggering 90 per there was no water.’ It was a disappointing a borehole right now.

cent. His clients include farmers, housing moment for Nic, but even more so for the ‘A rock borehole is expensive,’ he says.

estates, manufacturers and hospitals and poor farmer who had wasted R60 000 ‘I’m not talking about a mini-borehole or a

he’s kept busy around the clock. drilling for nothing. wellpoint – those use surface water which

Carl arrives, pleasantries are exchanged Still, he believes his experience and can dry up in summer. A proper borehole is

in Afrikaans and he leads us to the field reputation count for something, as well an investment.’ But if so many people are

he’s renting to expand his business. But as as his modest fees. ‘I charge a quarter of fitting boreholes to water their roses,

with all farming, nothing will grow if there what a geologist does,’ he says, adding won’t the underground water dry up?

isn’t water – and lots of it. Carl asks Nic that his method is more effective than ‘Perhaps,’ he replies, but the costs

to find at least two underground water modern techniques. Nic doesn’t bother are prohibitive – R60 000 for drilling,

sites and then leaves him alone to get with surface water, either. ‘I only look R15 000 for a submersible pump and Pictures: 31moonlight31/shutterstock.com, supplied

on with it. for water deep down in the earth to sink R3 500 for a 2 500-litre tank. ‘In the

We trudge through knee-high weeds, rock boreholes.’ Western Cape you don’t need permission

avoiding holes made by moles along the ‘Underground streams travel in two to fit a borehole, you only need to register

way. As Nic paces the ground, searching directions in South Africa,’ Nic explains, it afterwards,’ he says, adding that in

for water, I ply him with more questions. ‘either north to south or east to west. some parts of Gauteng you’re not

Any amazing success stories? Yes, he Always in those directions.’ Holding the allowed to drill.

says. ‘Once I was divining on a farm in metal rod upright in his palms, Nic walks While some people might think what

Malmesbury. I walked for 3km with my a few paces from north to south. As soon he does is quackery, Nic is unbothered.

rod flipping backwards. You could have as the rod dips down, he knows he’s hit The results, he believes, speak for

drilled anywhere and you would have underground water. He makes a mark themselves. And his services will

struck water!’ To this day, the borehole in in the sand with his boot. Then the rod continue to be in high demand.

192 DECEMBER 2017 kulula.com



Float your kulula.com
boat into 2018
In Brazil, believers gather on
Copacabana Beach to welcome the
New Year, dancing, singing and floating
out tiny boats containing letters with
their wishes for the year to come and
gifts of flowers and beauty products.
They worship Iemanjá, a water deity
of the Yoruba religion brought
to Brazil by African slaves
centuries ago.

194 DECEMBER 2017

CREATURES FROM THE DEEP BEHIND THE SCENES

&Mermaisdeashorses
MGisaomyafnbymoosrutaigtcLiiwacsw,mamtseaoyrnsntdtheeasrxtuypmplaeonarrdkseetsmisttieihotrenmsmutaocuidhfrikntaaydnldeoaesubp.tutwnhdshaaontftiftsoolkulrocree,
any religions and ancient While modern humans are fast polluting
cultures treat water as our water sources, our ancient ancestors
special. It is purifying, were considerably wiser. Water was

cleansing, healing, and forms the basis revered and treasured, not sold in plastic

of many rituals. Water is powerful. It can bottles. It was the habitat of gods and

destroy as well as heal. Almost every guarded by spirits who kept mortals away.

culture and religion has a ‘great flood’ The pagan Celts saw wells and springs

story and many hold to the belief that as doorways between earth and the spirit

all life originates from water. The Quran world, and in many African cultures,

includes the line, ‘We have created every there’s a similar partnering. The dragon-

living thing from water’, while the first like Nyaminyami deity, with its fishlike

words of the Bible talk about ‘the face of head and snakelike body, supposedly lives

the waters.’ According to Hindu holy in the Zambezi River and is married

books, all inhabitants of the earth to the goddess of the underworld.

emerged from the primordial Their happy existence was

sea. Each year, up to 20 million shattered when construction

pilgrims immerse themselves of the Kariba Dam began in

pictures: xxxxxxx in the Ganges (which means the 1955.The floods and deaths that

‘sacred river’) with hopes that cursed the project were widely

taking the plunge will increase attributed to Nyaminyami’s wrath

fertility, cure illness, or wipe at being separated from his beloved

the sin slate clean. by the dam wall.

kulula.com DECEMBER 2017 195

BEHIND THE SCENES CREATURES FROM THE DEEP

THE SIRENS’ SONG part in Zulu belief and is regarded SEA BISCUIT’S SCARY
as a living force – it’s the spirits of SCOTTISH COUSINS
There are many examples of hybrid the water that call those chosen to be
mythical water creatures. Perhaps traditional healers. In Zulu culture, he Celtic folklore abounds
best known are merfolk (‘mer’ means says, mermaids are bringers of positive with equine water sprits, the
sea). One early mermaid genesis tale ancestral messages. most common being kelpies,
originated in Syria around 1000 BC. The shape-shi ing demons that
goddess Atargatis chose to dive into a It’s believed that mermaids only reveal live in water and on land.
lake to assume the form of a fish, but the themselves to those who are pure of heart,
underwater powers refused to allow the and only healers and chiefs or kings may ey supposedly prey on
loss of her great beauty, so only her lower approach a mermaid’s pool. humans, although there
half grew scales and fins. are tales of kelpies saving
The Meiringspoort Waterfall near children from drowning.
Mermaids are found everywhere, in George once claimed its own mermaid, a
legends of the British Isles and in the tale so persuasive that in 1925 the Prince eir hooves are attached
Arabian Nights tales. But they’re not of Wales visited, hoping to see her. She backward, reversed to
the friendly redheads from Disney films. was supposedly washed away by flooding
Some seduce sailors or men on the shore, in 1996. Rock paintings located in the those of a horse.
causing them to rush into the water to dry Karoo depict mermaid-like creatures, Another shape-
their doom, although some tales suggest suggesting that these legends have been
that mermaids simply don’t realise that around for a very long time. shi ing Celtic creature
is Scotland’s each-uisge
humans cannot breathe underwater. (literally ‘water horse’)
Mermaids and water serpents It resembles the kelpie
abound in local lore, too. but is more vicious. While
Ethnobotanist Dr Elliot the kelpie inhabits rivers and
Ndlovu, who is both an streams, the each-uisge is big
inyanga (medicinal healer) and league and lives in the sea and
deep lakes. Human riders are
a sangoma (spiritual healer), only safe while the beast is
says water plays a significant on land. As soon as the horse
smells water, its skin becomes
Mermaids only reveal themselves to those who sticky, trapping the rider who
are pure of heart, and only healers and chiefs will soon be dispatched in the
or kings may approach a mermaid’s pool. watery depths.

Merfolk have also had some astonishing
recent sightings. According to the
Ladysmith Gazette, a woman saw boys
stoning a beached mermaid in the
Madazane River in October 2013. It cried
for help in isiZulu and she bravely went
to its aid. ‘It said it wouldn’t hurt me, so I
helped it back into the water. Then it raised
its arms and thanked me’. The woman said
the bottom part was fish-like but the top
half was human (with blonde hair, nogal),
and ‘it cried real tears’.

196 DECEMBER 2017 kulula.com




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