Great White Sharks - Be Careful Where You Swim!

I have always enjoyed the sea - watching it that is! Although I grew up in Cape Town I have never enjoyed swimming in the ocean that much. I love being at the sea and have snorkelled at Boulders and other areas from time to time. However I don't really enjoy swimming out in the sea as much as many of the city's residents.

Now I know why! The City of Cape Town issued a white shark warning on Tuesday as we head into what is traditionally a period of greater shark activity in the waters around the city.

"Although white sharks are present in our waters all year round, we are approaching the time of the year when the possibility of encountering one of these animals is much greater," Gregg Oelofse of the city's environmental resource management department said.

Oelofse said that sharks moved from the waters around Seal Island in False Bay in the winter, to the coastal inshore areas during the summer.

Statistics over the past five years show that the period of mid-August to end September had seen the highest numbers of interactions between white sharks and recreational users of the sea.

People using the ocean should be "extra vigilant" over the next few months.

This past Monday (20 August) shark spotters sighted a shark at Fish Hoek beach just after midday - the first in the area in months.

I definitely won't be swimming this season!

For those who wish to get a little closer to these apex predators, take a look at this opportunity to go Great White shark cage diving

For some incredible footage of False Bay sharks take a look at this documentary from the Discovery Channel -

Rubbish Monster - Clean Up Or Else!

I remember very clearly the anti-littering campaign in South Africa during the 1980's - Watch the Zap It In A Zibi advert here and bring back the memories. The message was very clearly etched in my mind after countless SABC screenings of the ad, the posters in schools and around the suburbs and in the general print media.

In 2007 there is clearly a need for a renewed campaign against the scourge of littering. Our beautiful country is becoming a giant repository for junk as an attitude of social irresponsibility takes hold.

Enter - The Rubbish Monster! Watch the ad here (7.8MB).

This is the creation of Braam Jordaan of the Computer Graphics Society. The back story to the creation of this ad makes for interesting reading. I have not seen this ad on TV yet but I do believe it should be shown. Perhaps this character will hold as much sway in the minds of today's youth as the Zap It In A Zibi Can ostrich did for me back in the 1980's.

Pilanesberg Game Reserve - Family friendly and fun

One of the joys of living in Johannesburg is the proximity of some of the country's finest game parks. Just a 2 hour drive away in the North-West Province is the Pilanesberg Nature Reserve. Situated right next door to Sun City, this peaceful, well-run park is a joy to visit.

This past weekend we packed up the motorhome and headed out to the Pilanesberg. Arriving on Friday morning we spent time setting up the caravan site in the Manyane Resort, had lunch and headed out into the park for some game viewing. We were able to spot rhino, giraffe (right next to the car), hippo, warthog, impala, a number of bird species and wildebeest. It did take some time though to find all these animals and I was terribly disappointed not to find any elephant or predators. Still it was a great way to spend an afternoon.

The permit to enter the park cost us R100 - that included entrance for 2 adults, 2 pensioners, 2 children under 5, the entry cost for the vehicle and a park map. The permit was valid for 2 days. This seemed a reasonable cost to me. Bearing in mind that the camp site cost was R100 per day, this is a very reasonably priced family get-away.

The Manyane camp and caravan park is a lovely family-friendly resort to have as base camp while visiting the reserve. The facilities are clean and well-maintained. The ablution block we used was cleaned regularly by friendly staff who also were on standby to assist with the setting up of tents and so forth. There is also a mini-golf course and walk-in aviary on the property. Unfortunately on Saturday morning there was nobody manning the mini-golf course so my 4-year old and I just enjoyed a morning stroll!

There is something very special about being away from the city and communing with the bush. It is almost as though the worries and stresses of daily life are lifted as you enjoy taking it all in.

This is a great weekend get-away. We will be going back regularly!

Making A Point In The Cape

The drive from the Southern suburbs of Cape Town around Cape Point and along the coast to the city is one of my favourite drives in South Africa. Depending on the season, you will encounter whales, baboons, quaint antique shops, penguins at Boulders Beach, lighthouses, farm stalls selling delectable eats, camel rides at Imhoff Farm, glorious sea views and so much more.

It is truly a delightful way to spend an afternoon with the family. I was thrilled to see the website Cape Point Route which gives locals and visitors more than enough information to keep them busy. With accommodation, sightseeing, activities, travel guides and more, this site should be the first port of call for anyone wanting to tour around this part of the Cape.

The site is neatly laid out and has excellent navigation. Icons guide your accommodation decision-making and the sightseeing guides are well-written and very useful.

Cape Point Route now boasts its own blog - unfortunately it only has two posts! The last one dated 1 June 2007. I really do hope this blog is updated regularly. It would be a wonderful companion to a truly well-run site.

Next time you're in Cape Town and want something to do with the family, take a look at this site - you'll be glad you did!

Do You Really Want To Eat That Fish?

One of South Africa's greatest assests is her incredible fauna and flora. One of the often forgotten aspects of this is the myriad of life found in the oceans off our coastline. Our oceans are teeming with the most incredible life-forms which are also in need of conservation. Harbours that were once overflowing with fish stock now bring in small amounts of fish due to the over-fishing in years gone by.

Various initiatives over the years have drawn attention to the plight of many of our fish species. However most of us, myself included, give little attention to conservation issues when we place our order at the local seafood restuarant. We don't think about how the fish was caught, if it is on the endangered list, if it was purchased legally or where the fish comes from. All we want to do is enjoy a beautifully prepared plate of delicious seafood.

You now have a way to check before ordering!

The South African Sustainable Seafood Initiative (SASSI) has launched an SMS service to inform consumers about the choices they are making with regard to their choice of seafood. All you do is SMS the name of your choice of fish to 079 499 8795 and a return message is sent to you detailing information about the status of the fish.

Example :

I sms'ed the word 'marlin' and received this messgage : "Marlin. Status - Orange. A game fish and top predator. The only legal source is bycatch of tuna longline fishery. Sale by sports fishers is ILLEGAL."

Now I know!

This also works for crustaceans such as prawns and crayfish.

Status levels are colour coded Red, Green or Orange. The colours have the following meaning :

Red Species: No-Sale

These species are specially protected, restricted, or no-sale species that are illegal to buy or sell according to the law. These species should NEVER be offered for sale, or bought although some may be enjoyed at home if caught by licensed recreational anglers. Make sure you look at the latest regulations.

Green Species: Best Options

These are species that are from relatively healthy and well-managed populations that can sustain current fishing pressure. These species are recommended as the most sustainable choices available.

Orange Species: Species of concern

These species may be sold legally by registered commercial fishers and retailers. However, an increased demand for these could compromise a sustainable supply, due to one or more of the following reasons:

Scientific stock assessments show that the stock is overexploited or collapsed
The fishing method employed to catch them may cause excessive damage to the environment and /or ecosystem;
The species has not been properly studied, but it is suspected that it will be unable to sustain heavy fishing pressure, based on information for related species.

You can download a pocket guide to this initiative by clicking here - Pocket Guide.

I wholeheartedly endorse this initiative and encourage you to add this number to your contacts on your cellphone for the next time you are about to order from the seafood menu.