Melanie van Zyl

SODWANA DIVING (P68)

Way back when cars were allowed to cruise along the beach, Melanie van Zyl was that Vaalie who spent the December holidays fending off vervet monkeys from the campsite and burying her sister in the sands of northern KwaZulu-Natal. Following the beach driving ban, her family increasingly took to the Limpopo bushveld instead. It took a fishing-mad Pietermaritzburg born-and-bred partner to reintroduce her to the wonders of what is now called iSimangaliso Wetland Park. Melanie has since grown a sweet fondness for the sea and exploring the wild underwater world. So much so, that she introduced others to it on a scuba diving trip with Womxn for Wild.