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You ever have the feeling that you couldn't have possibly have experienced all that you just did in one single day? I've been having a lot of those days lately. Most recently I thought it would be a good idea that Obzside offer something other than scuba diving so I arranged an "Ocean Safari". The object was to take clients out on the boat to watch the sunrise, seals, dolphins and the occasional shark breaching the surface. (Cape Town is one of only two places where they do this) We had to start at about 4am because to see the sharks, you need to be there right as the sun is rising. So I was supposed to be picked up by the skipper (Shaun), but when he was about 10 minutes late I knew something was wrong because he's never late… So I grabbed all my crap and started running to the train station, hoping to catch another group of carpoolers before I got left behind. (I had no airtime to call him) anyway, barely caught the rest of the group and we made our way to the storage place to pick up the boat and trailer. We finally got onto the water and my guiding nature kicked in as I tried to entertain all the people on the boat as we got tossed around on the water, waiting for sharks to appear. (The usual riddles and verbal puzzles were an obvious hit) We saw a ridiculous amount of dolphins and seals but still no sharks… I was beginning to worry that we might not see any but then I saw a breach in the distance. Since they only breach for a second or two, you really have to keep an eye out for them if you want to catch a glimpse. I started to see a lot more breach but no one else caught it. This was really frustrating for them I'm sure. As we were about to make our way back to shore I saw something in the water next to the boat. At first I thought it was some floating trash or something being towed by another boat but as I pointed it out to everyone else, they all started to yell "shark!" It was huge! About 12-15 feet from what we could tell. We were only able to see it for a quick second but I was relieved that our passengers even managed to see one. (My boss has done this a few times and has still never actually seen one) On our way back to the boat ramp at about 9:30am we came across another large pod of Common Dolphins and decided to go along in their direction. Was a cool experience as they swam right next to the boat as we motored along. (see video) After getting back, I needed a ride back to Simonstown to catch a train back to Observatory to meet with Rowan (my bosses brother) to go kayaking. When getting off the train, about 3 minutes until the kayak group was supposed to leave, the conductor stopped me to see if I had a ticket. I couldn't find it anywhere. After searching for about 10 minutes he decided to let me go without a fine. So there I was, booties on my feet from earlier that morning, pants rolled up, shoes in my hand, backpack and two jackets under my arm wondering where was the best place to go… first I thought that I should just run to the grocery store to buy some minutes for my phone then I suddenly realized that I didn't even have my phone. I had left my phone and house keys in the compartment of the boat. So I put that dilemma behind me and began running through the streets of Observatory to get to one of the two places that Rowan might be. First, the office.... No luck. Then I ran to the kayak storage garage and they were all just about to leave but I managed to get there just in time. With no food other than the small Danishes I served earlier that morning, I was in no condition to be kayaking. So I asked Hendrik (the driver) if I could run into a gas station to grab something to eat… all junk but it had to suffice. So, I finally had a chance to wind down a little while sitting in the back of the truck on the way to the put in. I had no idea it was going to take us nearly an hour to get there as the creek was on the other side of the Cape. It was nonetheless an eye-opening experience as I saw yet another side of the Cape that I never knew existed. We went from metropolitan areas, to slums, to townships as far as you could see. Then we passed through farms then beach houses on endless sandy stretches. Then steep, green granite mountains with wooded cabins and chalets along the oceans edge. It was perhaps the most amazing drive I've ever done… with the exception of river road in Moab of course… Finally we got to the put in and I half expected to just hop into the water but I wasn't yet aware of the thirty minutes of dense wooded hiking that we needed to do to actually get there. We finally put into the water only to find that there were some paddlers that had never even been in a kayak before! This lent its way to the s*** show that followed. Although the drops we were doing weren't more than 10 feet, it was still a lot more than I would have ever wanted to attempt my first day out. We had to stop at almost every rapid to fetch someone or their gear out of the water and help them get back into their boat. Keep in mind that the shore was more or less a floating patch of vegetation so getting back into your boat was no easy feat. As we slowly made our way down, I couldn't help but think that I had just experienced so many beautiful things in only a few hours time. After unpinning a kayak up river I noticed that the shadows were getting longer and we were soon to be in the dark… We finally decided that all those inexperienced had to get out and walk back up to the road while those who wanted to would quickly continue down through the most difficult section at the bottom… I was obviously not going to back down even after Rowan and Greg (his dad), both experienced paddlers, decided that they would rather not take their chances. It was awesome. Not too difficult of lines since I can still read water but it was really bony. (shallow) It was pretty much a series of 10-foot drops, boofing from rock to rock the whole way down and in the dark no less. Was amazing to paddle in such an amazing national park. So, after being exhausted to the point where I felt like I could fall asleep standing up, I remembered that I had no way to get into my house let alone my room and no cell phone to call my landlord to get a set of spare keys.So I asked Rowan for his keys to the office and I was dropped off there in hopes of contacting someone who had seen that I had forgotten my keys and had brought them back.. no luck. My buddy Shaun (skipper) was nice enough to come get me and let me crash at his place seeing as we had to both get up for diving the next morning at about 6am… (I'm beginning to have the feeling that it will be difficult to avoid days like these. Recently days have been so reminiscent of my last few years; early morning coaching then running off to the restaurant and working till midnight. I get a laugh when I remember that I used to wash my hat hair in Little Cottonwood Creek on the way down the canyon. I think about that now and just wonder how the hell I was able to juggle it all while going to school full time and having a girlfriend. Not as crazy as some others I know but crazy enough.) After I got back to Shaun's house, I finally got to take off the booties I had been wearing for nearly 16 hours… my feet looked like the feet of a 300 year old. Smelly, disgusting, white as ash… in other words, no different from how they tend to look on a day-to-day basis. I had another scare when I was woken up while on the couch when I found a stray cat was sleeping on my chest. Scared the s*** out of me. The next morning I woke up to run our Sunday dive operation. The swell was big but the diving was really good. The perks of working with a dive center have really begun paid off during the weekend. I have to be there to make sure things go off without a hitch and to collect payments so why not go diving as well? Funny thing about diving that day was that Carsten was a complete moron when he decided to throw the anchor overboard when it wasn't yet attached to the line… You should have seen him, funniest thing I've ever seen. I almost fell out of the boat laughing. So, with that day mostly over and after making my German friend Frank about crap his pants when I woke him up from his nap by pounding on th windows of the car he was sleeping in (hilarious), I was finally able to get back into my house. My boss also returned home and was pleasantly pleased with the results of all that had been going on in his absence. That was a huge load off my shoulders. So, to celebrate on my "day off", Shaun suggested that we go mountain biking at a place called Constantiaburg. Was a lot of fun minus all the baboons that were on the trails… They seem all cute and cuddly until you piss one off and it shows off its huge fangs and starts making crazy growling noises. I stopped a few times to snap a few shots and take a short clip of the baboons on the trail to show you that although they were cool, they were a nuisance. I'll try to be better about writing more often but it's difficult since that's all I seem to be doing these days with my research in the dictation stages. Something that some of you might find funny that is unrelated is that I had my taxes returned to me a few weeks back because I forgot to sign them. Idiot. So, I had to have my mom (thanks mom) send them to me to be signed… and the cost… a ridiculous $76.99! There goes part of my economic stimulus check. Ha! I can only imagine how much it will cost to get it back to the IRS from here via DHL. I've been trying to write a lot of post cards to you all but have accumulated about 16 or so with no addresses… If your reading this, you should send me your address and I'll send you a postcard. That means you dad. Hope the summer is treating you kindly in SLC and that the bugs aren't biting in WI. For all the rest of you… (fill in generic small talk here)… Love to all especially my Oconomowoc beauty. Until next time.
Cheers!
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