Surfing Safari

Cape Town never ceases to amaze me, and I am truly grateful for every day that I get to live in this beautiful city. Last weekend myself and friends literally went on a surf safari, deep into the peninsula. And despite the horrid weather, here's what we were fortunate enough to find:

Something Different

I haven't had much time to shoot anything lately, and that has been driving me rather crazy. To say I'm addicted to my camera would be an understatement (just ask my poor boyfriend, or should I say, photographic assistant). I was determined to shoot some surfing this past weekend but unfortunately the sea had other ideas and I didn't find much to shoot. Driving home after an unsuccessful mission I passed Kirstenbosch botanical gardens and it dawned on me that I haven't been there in over a decade. And so a spontaneous visit ensued. I spent the afternoon getting lost in the beautiful surrounds and immersing myself and my camera into the world of the little creatures who live there. I love playing tourist in our beautiful city.

Those that live amongst us

Those of you who know me personally will know that I'm quite a serious animal activist (to the point of being one of those apparently 'annoying' vegetarians who don't eat anything with a face). But each to their own. I am fascinated with the little creatures who live amongst us and who every now and then enter our urban environment. Lately I've been having a few interesting animal encounters and I've tried to photograph all of them. Here are the pics and a little description of each.

I caught a glimpse of this little guy hiding out on a rock in the sun while I was out hiking in Arniston. If he hadn't have moved I would never have seen him. Doing his best impression of a rock here, brilliantly camouflaged from sneaky predators. I have no idea what type of lizzard he is but I'd love it if someone could tell me?

Another angle on the lizzard.

A Black Oystercatcher on Noordhoek Beach being absolutely sandblasted by the South Easter.  And yet he still just stood there. I'm amazed at the elements these birds and other animals deal with.

This gorgeous Cape Fur Seal was sun-tanning on the rocks next to Long Beach in Kommetjie a while back. I walked along to sit on the rocks and shoot the surfers when I nearly walked right into him. He didn't seem too phased by my presence and I got some lovely shots of him.

More of the Cape Fur Seal having a nap on the rocks in Kommetjie. 

My boyfriend and I went for lunch at the Old Farmhouse just outside of Scarborough. This very fat and happy little field mouse hides out in the shrubbery and feasts on crumbs dropped from restaurant-goers. 

Another one of the field mouse at the Old Farmhouse near Cape Point Nature Reserve. 

Sight 235A

A few weekends ago we decided to go on a spontaneous camping trip to Onrus, near Hermanus. It's only just over an hours drive from Cape Town and well worth a visit if you're down here. I love the Onrus campsite - it's right on the sea. It's just a pity that it's all fenced off now for safety reasons. I had a wonderful time being a tourist in my own "city" (region is more appropriate). We saw some incredible sights, especially the wildlife. The Hermanus region is renowned for it's whale-watching and we saw plenty of whales (and other creatures!).

A Great White Encounter (Part 2)

For those who didn't see my first post (A Great White Encounter), I've been lucky enough to land a job volunteering with African Shark Eco-Charters for a couple of weeks. They're a Great White shark cage diving / breaching tour operating out of Simons Town. We went out both days this past weekend but yesterday was the best trip by far. We had a 5m Great White Shark breach out of the water on a natural predation about 20m from the boat, and had at least 5 big sharks up at the cage. On our way back we were greeted by a pod of about 200 dolphins swimming alongside us and in the boat wake. It was the most incredible moment. We ended the day after sighting a Bryde's Whale... our oceans never cease to amaze me. I feel very blessed to live in Cape Town after this weekend.

 

  

 

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A Great White Encounter

A Great White Encounter

Yesterday I was fortunate enough to spend the day volunteering with African Shark Eco-Charters, a company based in Simons Town that does Great White Shark breaching and cage diving trips. It was an absolutely incredible experience. I couldn't take too many photos because I had to give priority to guests who were snapping away but here are the few "sneak peaks" I got. They're not fantastic pics photographically but it was a day definitely worth blogging about.