National Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year

I must resurrect this blog and briefly bring it out of retirement in order to announce the 2016 National Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year!

The Grand Prize Winner is none other than Greg Lecoeur for this photograph taken during the Sardine Run off Port St. John's. We were there with Greg when he took this photograph! So exciting!!! We counted on Greg to document our experience on the Sardine Run and he came through big time!

Viewing the photographs from the National Geographic contest was something we looked forward to every year during our stay in South Africa, whether it was in Pretoria or in Cape Town. I will miss seeing them in person this year.

Congratulations Greg! Now back to sleep in Singapore ...

Photographic Memory

I don't have one.

But luckily I didn't need one for our Sardine Run in June. We had professional underwater photographer Greg Lecouer on board our Zodiac and he expertly captured our Sardine Run memories on film.

I ordered a high resolution copy of this photo taken by Greg of bottlenose dolphins and some running sardines to be framed and hung at Valley Lodge.

Better than I remember.

They don't call it the Wild Coast for nothin'!

You will find South Africa's Wild Coast between East London and Port Edward in the Eastern Cape. It is probably called the Wild Coast because it is the most undeveloped and unpopulated part of the southern coast of South Africa. It is wild and pristine. But I called it the Wild Coast because of the wild Zodiac ride we took going out and coming in from from the Sardine Run. It was like Mr. Toad's Wild Zodiac Ride.












We went out into the Indian Ocean from the Offshore Africa launch on the Umzimvubu River in Port St. Johns.

In order to get out into the open ocean, you first have to go through a series of breakers where the river meets the sea.












These breakers may not look like much from up on the hill overlooking the shore, but from down below on the water and inside of a Zodiac, they look fierce!








Crossing the breakers was the only time we were required to put on our life jackets. Rob, our skipper, told us if we fall out, we have to ride the waves back ashore and catch a bakkie ride with Debbie back to camp. He won't be coming back in the Zodiac for us! I gritted my teeth, held on to the hand ropes for dear life and kept my feet buried in the floor straps. There was no way I was going overboard!

We made it out and I managed to stay in the boat. Woo hoo! I figured the worst part was over as coming back in would be like surfing on the waves. And once we made it past the breakers, it was smooth sailing out to sea. But alot depends on the wind and the chop and the currents and the location of the sardines.

Up at the airstrip, scouts take off to look for the shallow sardine schools offshore from high above in the sky. Rob kept in touch by radio to find out where the sardines were. And then he'd zoom out to find them based on their spotting.

scout overhead

By the end of the day, in order to follow the action, we had driven about 40 km southwest from Port St. Johns off the coast of the Hluleka Nature Reserve. And the wind had changed too sometime during the day.

When it was time to return to port, I strapped my feet back in and grabbed onto the ropes for what I though would be a smooth ride ride back to camp. It took a full two harrowing hours over choppy water to get back to the mouth of the river. We only stopped when necessary to change gas tanks. I told Vince afterwards it was like the first 20 minutes of Saving Private Ryan, only for a whole two hours. Brutal!

Thankfully we all had complete confidence in our skipper Rob. He is the best skipper on the Wild Coast and there was no doubt he'd get that Zodiac home safely. I was just happy to still be on board when he got there!

One good thing though. I was right about the breakers. We just surfed right on in.

Underwater with Greg Lecoeur

We were so very lucky to have Greg Lecoeur on the Zodiac with us to chronicle our Sardine Run experience on film!

Greg is a professional nature photographer and diver who specializes in underwater photography. He has an extensive publication list and I am looking forward to seeing his photographs of the 2015 Sardine Run in upcoming scuba and nature magazines.

Offshore Africa

me and Debbie

We chose Offshore Africa as our dive outfitters for the 2015 Sardine Run. They are simply the best!

Offshore Africa is run by Rob Nettleton and Debbie Smith, both highly experienced and qualified dive masters. Their resumes are quite impressive!


 

Offshore Africa is based in Port St. Johns in the center of the action on the Wild Coast. The closest airport is in Mthatha.

They are running special Sardine Run dive trips from June 20 through July 24 for the 2015 season. This is supposed to be the best Sardine Run in years so don't miss it!

And thank you Tracy Woodland for putting together our 2015 Sardine Run trip. You too are the best!

Offshore Africa is across the river from the Ntaba River Lodge

we stayed at the Ntaba River Lodge

our thatched cottage

Sardines for Father's Day

It took me three years but I finally got Vince to dive the Sardine Run! 

Theoretically, the Sardine Run happens in South Africa every June and July when the sardines migrate from Antarctica. They swim along the southern coast of the Indian Ocean along the Wild Coast to Durban through a trough where the continental shelf steeply drops off into the deep ocean.

I say "theoretically" because during some years, the sardines are a no-show. Apparently the sea temperature needs to drop below 21 °C because sardines prefer water temps between 14-20 °C. If not, the sardines do not run. 2013 and 2014 were dismal, but the sardines started running this year by mid-June in KZN. By all accounts, 2015 is gearing up to be a great year for the Sardine Run!

surrounded by dolphins

I have to admit I had never heard of the Sardine Run before Vince mentioned it to me three years ago. I am not a scuba diver and really have no interest in meeting a shark face to face underwater without a cage to protect me.

But the Sardine Run happens to coincide with something I do care about - the return of the Humpback Whale to the Wild Coast - and I was told there would be a good chance to see whales from out on the boat.

And we would definitely also be able to see dolphins since they are the key to making a sardine "bait ball."

This is the way it works. Once dolphins find a large school of sardines, they circle around part of the school, cutting off a large number from the rest of the school. They create a whirl pool around the sequestered sardines who spin around and around in circles until they form a tightly packed ball of bait. Then the crafty dolphins feed on the captive sardines. This phenomenon does not go unnoticed by others however. Out of the sky come gannets and cormorants who dive deep into the bait ball and eat their fill as well. Then there are the whales and the sharks who come in for some sardines too.

Humpback whales, like sharks, are feeding opportunists. If the dolphins take the trouble to make a bait ball of sardines, the whales are more than happy to join in and take advantage of a free meal served up by their friends.

circling dolphins

Jill watching the diving gannets

Vince getting ready to go overboard.

there he goes!

I brought snorkeling gear with me on the boat, but I wasn't sure if  I could actually go into the water if there were confirmed sharks swimming around. And in fact, Vince saw two sharks just swimming around the boat almost as soon as he entered the water. He said one actually circled back to get a better look at him before heading out to catch some sardines instead. No thanks!

I didn't need to snorkel like Jill to see the sardines anyway. The sardines were visible from above the water swimming around and under the boat. Besides I didn't come for the sardines; I came for the whales and dolphins. And I could see so many of both from the safety and security of the boat! They were putting on quite a show too. The whales were peduncle slapping the water with their tails and pec slapping with their fins, rolling on their backs like a puppy dog and clapping their fins together like a seal, breaching, lunging and spy hopping. And we saw a ridiculous number of common and bottlenose dolphins all swimming around and under the boat. We even saw a couple of loggerhead turtles!

humpback peduncle slap

I didn't take many photos of the Sardine Run though for a couple of reasons. First of all, Vince was busy with the GoPro and took hours and hours of footage of the sardines and sharks below the surface as well as the dozens of frolicking whales and dolphin pods all swimming around us in the boat. I had only brought my little Canon on the Zodiac and not my 35mm Nikon. (I didn't have a waterproof casing for it.)

Secondly, we were so lucky to have a world famous underwater photographer on board. I gave him precedence and a wide berth in our little Zodiac. (Between the diving equipment and the people, we were packed in like sardines!) No matter how good my photos might have been had I elbowed in for a better vantage point, they would never have been as good as his. I sure hope he got a photo of a dolphin breaching too!

Photo by Greg Lecoeur

photo by Offshore Africa

photo by Greg Lecoeur

photo by Offshore Africa

Vince surely earned his Sardine Run tee shirt

For his next adventure, Vince wants to dive with the fur seals and sevengill sharks off of Simonstown in the Western Cape. He can do that in July when I am safely back in the United States for the month. Have fun honey!

All in all, it was a great Father's Day. And as a result, we now have a new Father's Day tradition. From now on, Vince will remember and celebrate his Father's Day Sardine Run by eating a sardine sandwich for all his future Father's Day lunches.

Happy Father's Day, Vince!

Smelt

all photos of me by Marguerite Slavik

Another fun and creative outing in Joburg. This time, glass blowing and casting paperweights at Smelt located in The Factory on Grant in Norwood.

We had a choice between glass blowing or casting our paperweight. I chose ... both!

trying on the tools of the trade

Safety is numero uno at Smelt with amateurs like me. Only one person at a time could be in the glass-blowing zone. So after an overview of safety precautions and a description of the process, we each took a turn in the hot seat. Our workshop leaders Mike and Thabiso did all the heavy lifting. I just did what I was told. It's safer that way!

rolling the molten glass in the cobalt glass glitter

shaping the round paperweight

In between, those of us who opted to sand cast a paperweight created our form into which the molten glass was poured. We could add decorations such as colored glass rods, colored glass glitter, and copper cut-outs or wire.

the sand mold ...

... is filled with the molten glass

 The next day ...

... they were done.

hot out of the oven

our sand cast paperweights ready for pick up

Mandela's Gold

My sand cast paperweight with five slender glass rods captured inside. (Credit goes to Marguerite for the idea of using the colors of the South African flag in her paperweight.) Some people thought it looked like a bird-of-paradise. I can see it. In that case I will call it Mandela's Gold, a special bird-of-paradise cultivated by Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden, which coincidentally also has the colors of the South African Flag..

The Sardine Run

I am calling this paperweight The Sardine Run. Not because it was my inspiration before making it, but because that was my first thought when I saw it coming out of the kiln. It looked like a bait ball of sardines to me. It will make a perfect Father's Day present for Vince who will be spending Father's Day weekend diving in the Sardine Run!






 



This was a private workshop but Smelt offers weekly workshops on Saturdays and Sundays which are open to the general public. Just sign up.

Smelt also has art glass pieces, vases and plates crafted by professional glass artists on display and for sale and they will gladly take commissions.

Sandton Scuba

Vince has been a certified open water scuba diver for more than 40 years! He once was very diligent about keeping his certification status and dive log up to date. (Certification lasts a lifetime, but when presented, an active log precludes any additional check-out procedures administered by responsible dive operators on the day of diving.)

Vince snapped this picture of Alex and Nick diving in the BVI

But as he has discovered when diving in many places outside the USA such as the Caribbean, Thailand, Costa Rica and Mozambique, he has rarely been asked to present his certification card and log book for inspection. (Australia and the Great Barrier Reef is a notable exception. Like everything else, they care deeply about such things!)

But since we are about to check out the Sardine Run in the Indian Ocean and Vince will be diving with sharks and whales, he figured he'd better make sure his paperwork - and his diving skills - are all in tip top order.

So he's refreshing his skills at Sandton Scuba in Bryanston today. Scuba Sandton is a one-stop dive shop. Along with PADI courses and organized dive trips, you can rent (or buy) equipment for all your diving and snorkeling needs, including underwater cameras!

Sharks and whales? I am happy to just snorkel!