My first week in the Cape was full of inspiration, laughter, education, optimism, and hope.
Kevin and Judy showed me this place of hope – their home – and introduced me to their best friends, Greg and Kim.
My time with the four of them and their children set me on a course of discovering my life’s passions. There are so many stories. These stories gave depth to the person I saw in the mirror and are foundational to the picture of my life.
Where to start…?
“Anyone who comes to Cape Town has to dive for perlemoen and crayfish,” says Kevin’s friend, Greg. Greg and his wife, Kim, had picked me and my hosts up in Greg’s “Kombi” for a Saturday morning coastal drive from Cape Town to the Cape of Good Hope.
“Either will go nicely with this Sauvignon Blanc,” Greg continues as we finish our brunch of calamari and chips in Hout Bay.
“Perlemoen,” I thought… No idea what that was. And why on earth do these guys dive for crayfish? Where I came from, crayfish were maybe 3 to 4 cm long, and you found them as a kid by flipping over rocks in freshwater streams.
“We’ll take you diving tomorrow,” Greg continued. “We just need another wetsuit,” says Greg looking towards Kevin.
“I have one,” Kevin replied. “It should fit him.”
Now, the whole time I’m thinking, “Why do these guys dive in creeks to find little tiny crayfish and why do they need a wetsuit for that…and what’s that other thing… ‘pearl-lemon’…?”
“Shall we stop and see the penguins?” Greg asked. “No, Greg, just focus on driving you knob,” replied Kim, his wife. Wow, I thought, I like her. She’s funny.
It was clear to me immediately who the boss was.
From this defining proverbial point in the road, the stories begin. It’s hard to know where to start. Perhaps it’s best to start where I thought it might all come to an end.
Over the course of dinner and a show that evening — a talent show produced and performed by five little artists in residence, Judy and Kevin’s two girls, and Kim and Greg’s three — I learned that what South Africans call crayfish, I knew as lobster, and what they call perlemoen, I knew as abalone.
“The water might be a bit cold for you… it can get rough in the rocks, and you need to watch out for sharks…Great Whites. Other than that, you should be fine,” Greg casually announced during intermission. Internal panic ensued.
“Sorry guys, I am not going anywhere where a fish can eat me… no thanks,” I stated.
“Shame man, we thought you Americans were tougher than that. I grew up 20 meters from where we’ll take you. Trust me, you’ll be fine,” said Greg.
“Just as long as the Great Whites don’t think he’s an albino seal,” Kevin chimed in. Laughter followed. Nervous laughter from me.
“Apparently, this Boschendal Blanc de Noir and some Malva Pudding makes you Yankees braver,” Judy announced as she filled up my glass again. She was right. By the end of the second act, I was fairly confident I was Jacques Cousteau’s baby brother.
Sunday morning arrived, and oddly, my friend Babalas was visiting again. This new friend Simon introduced me to was becoming a bit of a nuisance.
“What’s this?” I asked, looking in the back of the Kombi. Greg held up a belt-like thing and said, “It’s a weight belt… helps you sink in the sea and keeps the surf from washing you away.”
“Come on, man, you said this was no big deal,” I replied, trying not to sound panicked.
I was already freaked out thinking about man-eating fish, and now he was showing me a belt that looked like a bunch of lead fishing weights you’d attach to your fishing line just above the bait. Bait, Great White sharks, rough seas… this wasn’t sounding too lekker.
“I don’t need a bunch of lead around my waist; I swim just fine,” I told Greg.
“O.K.,” he said.
“Here, put this on,” Kevin said, handing me a wetsuit. Now, I had never even seen a wetsuit, much less put one on. But I was far too cool to admit that.
“Do you need any help?” Greg asked, “These things can be a bit tricky.”
“No, I got it,” I replied, with a Babalas-infused dismissiveness.
Big mistake.
“Why do you two have big knives?” I asked as I watched them both walking toward the sea, wetsuits on, carrying flippers, dive masks, and snorkels.
“To defend ourselves against the Great Whites,” Kevin said. Now, I was somewhat sure they were messing with me, but this was Africa. What did I really know?
“Don’t I need one?” I yelled. No response, as they waded into the sea.
“We’ll meet you out there, between those three big rocks,” shouted Kevin, pointing towards a rock formation about 100 meters into the surf.
“O.K.,” I replied, staring out at the crashing waves.
Getting the wetsuit on seemed easy enough. It zipped up nice and easy. I didn’t seem to have the struggles Greg and Kevin had. (Remember my big mistake?)
Before they left me to channel my inner Jacques Cousteau, they reiterated that all I needed to do was take the mesh bag they gave me, hang out between the rocks, and wait for them to bring back their bounty.
“O.K.,” I replied. This was my second mistake.
The water was frigid, but I’d committed. They were long gone, and I was into this. “Gotta put my big boy shoes on now,” I recall telling myself, or flippers, as it turned out.
I was exhausted. I was numb. I thought for sure I was going to drown. I thought this wetsuit thing was silly. It was just weighing me down, and all I could feel was ice-cold water running down from my neck, inside the wetsuit, from my chest to my ankles. And the flipping kelp. It was like the ocean’s leash, enveloping my already numb legs. Panic was setting in.
When you’re exhausted, cold, and tangled up in kelp for the first time, everything looks like a Great White shark. Especially the two guys popping up from under me randomly to stuff crayfish and perlemoen into the mesh bag slung over my shoulder. I wasn’t having fun.
I lasted 15 minutes… maybe. But that’s all it took. The mesh bag was full, weighing me down even more.
Feeling sand and sharp rocks under my feet was the highlight of this experience. I literally crawled out of the sea, dragging with me a bounty of crayfish and perlemoen.
I got to shore and managed to stand up. Folks were pointing and laughing. I couldn’t care less. I was just happy to be alive and trying not to hyperventilate. That said, I was fairly certain wetsuits were pointless.
I looked like the Michelin Man, dragging Father Christmas’s sack of toys out of the sea.
“What’s up with this wetsuit?”, I asked demandingly of Kevin and Greg, both sitting on the beach looking very sporty in their skin-tight wetsuits with big grins on their faces.
They said nothing.
I struggled to unzip my wetsuit. My hands were completely numb from the 18-degree water. “Where’s my weight belt?” Greg asked. “Out there,” I said, pointing to the sea. “It was the belt or this bag,” gesturing to the mesh bag they both seemed pleased with.
Finally, I was able to move the zipper. As I unzipped the wetsuit, at least 30 litres of 18-degree ocean water came pouring out. There was an eruption of laughter from both Kevin and Greg, and from the twenty or so others who had gathered on the beach, staring at this Michelin Man-looking Jacques Cousteau from America, who had emerged like a great albino seal from the Atlantic.
Flabbergasted and dumbfounded, I looked at my hosts.
All I heard as they turned to walk away was... “The zipper goes in the back.”
Questions I Am Frequently Asked
1: What can I expect during a Great White Shark encounter in Cape Town?
If you’re anything like me, expect to experience a blend of excitement and sheer panic. Picture yourself floating in the cold Atlantic, hoping you don’t resemble a seal too much. But don’t worry, the experienced guides have done this countless times, and they’ve yet to lose a diver to a Great White. It’s the kind of thrill that makes you feel alive—or at least, really, really awake.
2: Why is Hout Bay seafood and wine worth trying?
Imagine enjoying some fresh calamari and french fries (chips) with a glass of Sauvignon Blanc, all while soaking in the seaside views of Hout Bay. It’s one of those simple pleasures that makes you feel like you’ve hit the jackpot. If you’re lucky, you might even learn some of the local language.
3: What adventures await at the Cape of Good Hope?
From the stunning beaches to iconic mountain vistas the Cape of Good Hope offers a variety of options for the intrepid explorer. A thriving food scene compliments some of the world’s leading fine wine producers. With eleven official languages, it is enlightening for even the most sophisticated linguist.
5: What are some unique adventure travel options in South Africa?
If you’re up for a bit of a challenge and a good story to tell later, try your hand at diving for crayfish and abalone. It’s not just the cold water that’ll wake you up, but the fear of bumping into a Great White. If that sounds too intense, there are many other less dramatic options like hiking, wine tasting, or sun-bathng on some of the world’s most iconic beaches.
6: What exactly is perlemoen (abalone) diving?
Picture this: you’re in the cold Atlantic, trying to look cool in your wetsuit (which, by the way, should fit snugly—zipper at the back, remember?). You’re diving around rocks, looking for perlemoen, which is the local name for abalone. It’s not easy, but it is certainly a unique experience.
7: What’s the story behind the “Michelin Man wetsuit mishap”?
Ah, the Michelin Man incident—a classic rookie mistake. Imagine getting your diving suit on, feeling pretty proud of yourself, only to discover it’s on backward, trapping gallons of icy seawater inside. The result? You look like the Michelin Man on a bad day, with everyone on the beach having a good laugh at your expense. Moral of the story: Listen to those with experience.
8: What can I expect from the Cape Town Diving Experience?
Expect to feel like a mix between a marine biologist and a popsicle. The waters are cold, and the waves can be a bit challenging, but the underwater world is worth it. Whether you’re swimming through kelp forests or watching your friends disappear underwater in search of crayfish, it’s an experience that’s equal parts exhilarating and exhausting—in the best possible way.
9: What makes South African coastal adventures special?
South Africa’s coastline is like a giant playground. There is always something new to do, whether it’s diving, surfing, fishing or just exploring the Cape’s iconic beaches. South Africa’s Cape of Hope is a bucket list travel experience for the most seasoned global explorer.
