I originally come from up country, from that city we all love to hate - Joburg. As a kid I used to join my older brother and his friends on frequent trips to the East Coast, namely Kosi Bay and Mabibi. These holidays still bring back amazing memories of lounging in the sun to the point of actually getting bored. One of the more recalled memories however was that of snorkeling, getting into the rock pools at Mabibi and enjoying some of the best underwater scenery our country has on offer.
At one spot that the locals had shown us due to the abundant crayfish there was a decent drop off to about 10m. Try as I might I could not get to the bottom cave that held the loot. After about a weeks worth of camping and me trying unrelentingly each day to reach the cave I finally managed to get to it, albeit for about 10 seconds. I did not managed to retrieve anything but still felt that sense of accomplishment.
I vowed to myself that I would return the following year and retrieve something from that cave even if it was a handful of sand. So about 2 weeks prior to our next holiday I started with some exercises in the communal pool in our housing complex. I had no idea what to do, so I just practiced holding my breath while swimming laps of the pool underwater. I was about 13 and had to do this between school, homework and a nagging mother begging me to come inside for supper, so I did not get in nearly as much pool time as I thought I needed as the memory of the depth of that cave (now a year old) had somewhat exaggerated the effort needed.
About a week later we arrived at Mabibi camp, and as you can imagine I rushed down the 150 odd stairs from the camp down to the beach, in the process aggravating the rest as they where left to set up camp for the ensuing two week holiday. The tide was a little low and I was left tip-toeing over the rocks to get to that familiar spot. I slipped into the warm water, readied myself and took my first dive to the nearest sand bank to warm up for the next deeper dive. I returned to the surface, now overly excited as on my previous dive was shared by a sizable turtle, something I had only seen in an old hand-me-down Divestyle magazine. I relaxed for a few minutes, managed to catch my breath and took the plunge, the one I had been preparing so fervently for, the one I had sacrificed many weeks of homework on. All the excitement, all the preparation rushed through my mind as a kicked towards the bottom.
There it was, "the cave"! It seemed my preparation had paid off, I still had a bit of breath to spare. I forced myself down just that little bit more so I could peer into the void I expected to hold a prized catch. Feeling my chest contract as it pleaded for breath I looked in and found nothing, nothing but a stray Scorpion Fish hovering mid water staring back at me with it's almost cocky "you suck" stare.
I returned to the camp somewhat de-motivated, the wind out of my sails, left to pitch my tent and sweep out the campsite, day dreaming of the two weeks ahead.
We never managed to go back to that camp after that holiday. The memory however nagged at my unconscious. I worked hard part time after school to pay off a scuba diving course trying to maximize my time underwater, to see all that there was on offer.
Time passed, circumstances changed. I ended up moving to Port Elizabeth in seek of greener pastures. It took me a few years before I finally got in the water with more than a costume, but when I did I felt like I had come home. I scuba dived as much as I could, I dived before work in the mornings as well as night dives, but this all faded with time, I eventually stopped diving, it all seemed to become a bit, well, boring. Even during this sabbatical I regularly recalled my time at Mabibi camp, the freedom I felt with nothing more than a cheap mask.
I related my Mabibi experience repeatedly to my wife. She seemed almost skeptical of it, having come from a history of asthma and respiratory complications as a child, her exposure to the underwater world was therefore somewhat limited if not nonexistent. We decided to ease her into it. We went to the local dive operator and bought a set of snorkeling gear. This went astronomically well, she was amazed at what lay just under the surface of the water at the beach she had frequented since childhood. It was not long and she was asking about doing a scuba diving course. A visit to a 'diving doctor' and the unexpected all-clear made for an exciting December holiday as she completed the classes and the dreaded exam.
Then came the dreaded day, her first ocean dive. I decided to join her for the moral support, but thought it would be best if I remained on the surface with just my mask so as not to complicate the process. Due to my wifes interest we invested in an entry-level underwater camera and I was now eager to put it to use documenting this pivotal moment in my wife's life.
A short boat ride brought us to Phillips Reef just off Kings Beach in Port Elizabeth. After a few frantic minutes the students where in the water and on their way down to the reef. I had to help my wife don her kit and therefore missed most of their time on the surface, the photographic opportunity just before she headed down with the others. I was not going to miss a photo or two! I relaxed as I watched the bubbles rise from their position just a mere 7 meters from the surface. I took a breath and headed in their direction. Suddenly the memory hit me again, I felt 13 again! I returned to the surface out of breath but almost in a daze, excited and covered with goose-bumps.
A few more dives and we were back on the boat and heading home, but I did not remember a minute of the ride as my mind was awash with thoughts and memories of Mabibi. I managed to take some photos of my wife, but the photos that took her attention were that of a large Red Stumpnose that I managed to get with in a meter of, I felt I could touch it.
It was not long after this that I started spending more and more time in the water with just my mask and snorkel. A few hour in front of the computer and I had a new word in my vocabulary - Free Diving!
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