SNACK ATTACK
Claire Keeton tried to get in on the Algoa Bay sardine run but found tons of hungry whales instead.
WHALE RUN
Marianne and I went to Plettenberg Bay to paddle with whales and found seals. We went to Port Elizabeth to snorkel with sardines and were surrounded by humpback whales instead.
Our guide Rainer Schimpf from Expert Tours had a permit for us to snorkel with whales on the sardine run but each of about seven pods of humpbacks we saw that day was too speedy or active for us to safely get in the water with them.
Rainer almost got swallowed in March when he was snorkelling with sharks on a baitball and a Bryde’s whale rose out of the depths hunting fish.
His narrow escape from the 15m giant made world headlines ( youtube.com/watch?v=aPh1CWYivg ).
His life is never boring: also in March, a great white attacked his rubber duck but they made it back to shore.
An environmental activist who has made two awardwinning films, Rainer spends his days on the ocean with his wife, Silke.
“The biodiversity of the marine life in PE is not known by many and we need to properly protect it. This is my passion and my love,” said Rainer, who has run Expert Tours in PE for more than 10 years.
This year he has done 110 launches, spent about 320 hours at sea and seen 14 large baitballs.
To contact Rainer, call 072 1420 420 or visit expert-tours.com.
AT SEA
We met Rainer and Silke at the Noordhoek ski-boat club on a mild morning, joined by an Aquavision film crew, who were shooting for National Geographic.
Kitted up in wetsuits, we climbed aboard Rainer’s motorised rubber duck. Within minutes of our leaving the harbour, Rainer spotted the first humpbacks. He went closer to see if they were keen to hang out but they were swimming faster than Chad le Clos.
They were the first of many humpbacks we saw on the seven-hour journey, traversing about 85km between Cape Recife and Point St Francis.
We saw them slapping their flukes and waving their fins in the salty breeze, arcing through the swells like synchronised swimmers.
The exhalation they made spouting was so forceful we almost expected the spray to reach us. We saw one humpback breach 13 times, creating a crater in the surface of the ocean.
We saw no sharks but did observe albatrosses and Arctic skuas diving for fish. Like any safari, you can’t rush and the wonder of almost being in touching distance of whales is unforgettable.
RESCUED PENGUINS, DYING SEABIRDS
Algoa Bay is home to the biggest African penguin breeding colony at the St Croix Island Marine Reserve, which has an estimated 6 000 pairs left.
The SA Marine Rehabilitation and Education Centre in the Cape Recife Nature Reserve, founded by Libby Sharwood, takes care of rescued penguins and seabirds. In June, dying cormorants and gulls were brought in and autopsies have not solved the mystery of why.
At Samrec are penguins too crippled or brain damaged to be released, or who need time to heal. Jay and Sandy, for instance, are lovebirds who are never apart.
For details, visit samrec.org.za.
ON THE BEACH
The Port Elizabeth beachfront is less developed than Durban’s yet has a similar energy.
We went for an easy cycle in the morning along the bike path and wooden boardwalk, which snakes along the coast with viewing decks and access ramps.
The Shark Rock pier opposite the casino is also a popular hangout. After our ride, we went for coffee at Angelo’s and then toured the Port Elizabeth Museum, which is SA’s third-oldest museum.
“Where does it stop?” Marianne asked as we walked into yet another hall in the museum, an eclectic mix of ancient and contemporary exhibitions.
The museum has more to offer than the small aquarium and snake park at the adjoining Bayworld, where we held a red-tailed boa constrictor, which started coiling around my wrist.
For a chance to see snakes in the wild, hike the 8km Sacramento coastal trail from Schoenmakerskop, on the outskirts of PE near the airport.
NO 5 BOUTIQUE ART HOTEL
Tiger Woods and John Travolta are among the famous guests hosted by this elite Art-Deco hotel, a few blocks away from the sea in Summerstrand. The original art in this grand mansion is prominent and provocative.
The 10 suites at No 5 are elegant but its appeal extends beyond the rooms. A jazz restaurant, whisky salon, wine cellar, movie theatre, gym, spa and two pools are among the attractions. We stayed across the road from the main establishment in luxurious suites decorated with a 2010 Fifa World Cup theme. Our dinner and breakfast were outstanding, as you’d expect at a five-star Mantis hotel.
Expert Tours is planning exclusive ocean safaris for its guests. For details, call 041 502 6000, e-mail guestrelations@no5boutiquearthotel.com or visit no5boutiquearthotel.com.
STANLEY STREET
For more down-to-earth but also great dining, take a trip to Stanley Street in the historic quarter of Richmond Hill. Stanley Street has a festive atmosphere with patrons out on the wide pavements, which sparkle at night with fairy lights. Music floats out onto the streets and you can sit at one restaurant and order a craft beer from another.
We met friends at Two Olives and enjoyed the tapas and had good sushi at Fushin before flying out.
Claire Keeton and Marianne Schwankhart were guests of the No 5 Boutique Art Hotel and Expert Tours