This post is part two of a series about our visit to Grootbos in South Africa. Be sure to read part one!
Day Three - A Rough Day on the Sea
The town of Gansbaai is well-known for its diverse marine life. One of the major attractions in the area is diving with great white sharks. It's an adrenaline-filled excursion, lasting an entire morning into the afternoon.
We woke up really early, grabbed a quick coffee in the main lodge, then hopped in the van to drive down to Gansbaai. We were dropped off at a restaurant named Great White House, which is the meeting place for Marine Dynamics tours. Here, we were served breakfast while we filled out some forms.
We were given a briefing video which outlined the tour, explained safety guidelines, and gave some information about the great white shark. After the video, our guide mentioned that the seas were going to be a bit rough, 3-meter swells were expected. I wasn't thrilled to hear that...
There were about forty guests in total. We walked outside and were given life jackets, marine jackets, and wetsuits. Once everyone was fitted and ready to go, we walked down to the marina where we boarded our boat, the Slashfin.
The skies were clear, but the wind was strong. About twenty minutes out from shore, the waves really picked up. We were rocking and rolling for pretty much the entire time we were out at sea...
Obviously, some of us got very seasick and seasickness can be quite debilitating. However, we toughed it out the best we could!
The cage holds about ten guests at a time. Each group spends a couple of minutes in the water while the guides attempt to lure sharks to the cage with a bait and line. When a shark is spotted, the guides scream down at the cage, "down down, right" or "down down, left" depending on the location of the shark.
When we anchored in a region known as Shark Alley, we slipped into our wetsuits, threw on our goggles, and waited to get into the cage. We watched from the deck as sharks came and went. Unfortunately, I didn't get many photos of the sharks...
When it was our turn, we psyched ourselves out and climbed down into the cage. The water was very cold, but we forgot about the frigid water as soon as we heard the guide scream, "down down, right!"
We dove our heads into the water and looked around. I barely caught a glimpse of the shark's fin, since the water was quite murky with sand. Others got a much better view, but I was happy to see what little of the shark I could!
After waiting awhile without a shark siting, we climbed out of the cage and were offered a choice of hot tea or cocoa. Some of the other guests wanted to stay in the cage longer. So, we stayed anchored.
The tides dictate whether the boat is allowed to head back into the marina. The water has to be at a certain level for the boat to safely sail back to shore.
When all the groups were finished getting into the cage, we still had some time to kill before going back to shore.
We sailed out to Seal Island, a small rock out in the ocean where seals like to swim and lay around. It was quite the roller-coaster ride to get out there, as the ship smashed head-on with tall waves!
When we arrived, there were tons of seals on the rocks! It was quite a sight to see, and a really strong smell. For the seasick, the smell definitely didn't help.
With a go-ahead from the marina, we finally started heading back to shore. Again, the waves were rough heading home. After about thirty minutes, we finally hit calm waters and our stomachs were given an opportunity to settle down.
We were very happy to be back on land!
We were very happy to be back on land!
We were so exhausted from the shark-diving excursion, we had no energy left to do anything else. For the rest of the day we relaxed in the lodge, ate dinner, and had drinks into the night.
The plan for the next day was to go on a marine safari, which meant getting on another boat... Unsurprisingly, we cancelled the activity.
Day Four - A Farewell Hike in the Forest
Our last day in South Africa had finally arrived. It was a beautiful morning, the sun was out and its warmth could be felt from the moment we woke up. Before getting ready for our last activity, we gathered our things in preparation to pack as soon as we got back.
At the main lodge, we had the usual breakfast buffet. However, we ordered extra hash browns to go along with our meal!
We decided to go on a Botanical Tour to cap off our trip. It's an open-vehicle drive throughout the nature reserve while learning about the different plants unique to the region.
It's a fun ride, reminiscent of our game drives at Kirkman's Kamp. As we drove through long stretches of dirt roads, it was cool to see the landscape change around us!
Fynbos is a 100-to-200 kilometer-wide belt of shrubland along the Western Cape of South Africa. It forms part of the Cape Floral Kingdom, which has a high concentration of diverse plant-life. The climate along this belt is perfect for many types of flora.
Along the way, we stopped to learn more about the different species of plants that live on the reserve.
Some were familiar, like the pink Erica irregularis.
This "pincushion" flower is known as Leucospermum prostratum.
This large pink flower is known as the King Protea and is the national flower of South Africa!
We pulled off the main road and made a steep descent down to an open trailhead. Bongani parked the vehicle and we climbed out for a quick hike.
The trail starts off with some stairs down into a valley between two hills. Water often collects in these valleys, creating a very fertile forest below.
Occasionally, the trail opens up to blue skies and mountain views, but quickly descends further back into the forest.
After about an hour of walking, we were greeted by a gorgeous waterfall at the end of the trail!
We couldn't help but take a dip underneath the falls. Despite the warmth of the sun, the mountain water was freezing!
Final Thoughts
As we hiked back to the vehicle, I reflected on our wonderful time in Grootbos: the beautiful landscape, the exhilarating activities, the hospitality, and the humbling experiences. There are few places in the world as vibrant and full of life.
At times, I felt like I never wanted to leave. To stay in this natural paradise, surrounded by flora, overlooking the sea forever. Other times, I felt like time moved too slowly... riding the rough waters in a boat out on Walker Bay. Either way, there's just so much the area has to offer, it'd be hard not to have many more good experiences.
I'll never forget our visit to Grootbos and I'm sure I'll always long to return. I couldn't ask for a better ending to our South African adventure.
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