The first half of the boat trip with Ocean Safaris is pleasant, even fun. I am onboard a powerful motorboat with our guide, another charming South African man (who knew there were so many? It seems they keep their best for tourists) Giovanni Primo who originally hails from Lotus River in the Cape, and a large group of middle aged Norwegian bikers. We keep close to the golden beach of Plettenberg Bay, on a hunt for dolphins, but sadly they never materialize and I am bitterly disappointed. In Cape Town we see whales aplenty, and seals are a dime a dozen at the Waterfront, but I’ve rarely seen wild dolphins and was really excited at the prospect.
Finally we give up and turn away from the coast, heading into deeper waters. There is some swell and we speed along, bouncing across the tops of the waves and I’m enjoying the salty spray. The motor is pretty loud so Giovanni has to shout to be heard, but he spies the spray of a whale and the boat motor is cut while we drift about looking for her.
This is when things start going wrong for me. The rocking motion is beginning to feel unpleasant. I try and ignore it and to listen to Giovanni as he explains about the different kinds of whales. The one we’re hoping to see is a Brides Whale, aka the “˜now you see me now you don’t’ whale as it’s very shy and very fast. After a while we pick up speed again and I feel better but then we get to the seal colony at Robberg Island and spend the next 30 minutes or so watching the large, playful seals do their thing. At least that’s what the Norwegians are doing. I am standing on the opposite side of the boat, as far from the smell of seal poop as I can, trying desperately to hold onto my breakfast. It’s not very pleasant, through no fault of anyone else’s, but I am literally praying that we head back to the beach pronto. When we finally get back on dry land I stagger ashore and head for the nearest café and a ginger beer. The Norwegian bikers are most cheerful as they pass me where I am huddled over my drink so I’m pretty sure it was a great experience for them. When Giovanni comes over and offers to take me on the next trip for another chance to see dolphins I thank him as sincerely as I can but, alas, I have an appointment with another FTTSA accredited company right next door – Ocean Blue.
A walking tour of a township with Ocean Blue
The afternoon is spent with Agnes Kumkani who takes me on a walking tour of the Qolweni township just outside of Plett. Qolweni has only 7000 people and is set on some pretty green hills with a spectacular view of the beach far below. The name Qolweni means “˜slope’ or “˜steep.’ This doesn’t detract from the poverty – here there is no running water or flushing toilets and the community collects filtered water from roadside taps in large white buckets for use in their homes. The government of Belgium bought this land for the people back in 1997. Mostly the community members hail from the Eastern Cape and Transkei and Agnes tells me there is very little crime here, and a good feeling of community. Everywhere we go we are greeted and Agnes seems to know everyone.
The houses are mostly shacks where we are walking, but there are quite a number (around 180) newly built brick homes across the way which are part of the RDP housing supplied by government. Those who live in these solid structures have title deeds for the land and were given them for free – they had to qualify and there is a long waiting list.
Each FTTSA business needs to be involved in a community project as part of their commitment to improving the lives of others. We visit the pre-school which Ocean Blue funds. Two hundred and fifty children are cared for and fed here each week by nine teachers, all from within the community. As it’s Saturday the school is closed.
Next, we visit the B&B which Ocean Blue is also involved with – a few small neat buildings set in an attractive garden. There are no guests at the moment but more are expected soon. As with most places I visit, the past year has been a tough one with far fewer tourists than before.
Agnes says she would like to see Ocean Blue becoming involved in other ways, for example in helping members of the community to establish and maintain vegetable gardens. “People here try so hard to grow food, to eat and to sell,” she says as we walk past such a garden with drooping plants battling against the heat of the day. “But we need help – something to make the soil better, and skills to learn how to make the plants grow. With the drought we’ve been having most the plants die.”
Before we leave, Agnes takes me to her own home where I meet one of her two daughters. This young girl is unwell – she is recovering from TB and Meningitis. Before that Agnes tells me she used to help around the house, cleaning and cooking after school while Agnes was at work for Ocean Blue. Their home is a small shack with two bedrooms and Agnes hopes one day to also get an RDP home. “But I don’t know when,” she smiles sadly.
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