Shark Cage Diving!

Well, the day of reckoning finally arrived and I was on my way to cross another item off my bucket list: Shark Cage Diving! And not just any shark, and not just any place. I chose to do it in Gansbaii, South Africa (of greater Cape Town); the Great White Shark Capital of the World.

Here's the boat that my group went out on. Check out the 4-person cage! 16 people braved the 49 degrees (F) water temps, and oh yeah, facing off Great Whites!

So, we loaded up and headed out to sea!

Lars, our Master Diver, assumed his spot and immediately started scanning the horizon for tell-tale fins.

I was nervous, but my excitement outweighed my apprehensions.

After a 20 minute ride, the boat anchored and preparations for the dive began. First the cage was moved to the side, and then the first four went in (yeah, baaaaby!). Lars threw out bait attached to a bobber, and then the waiting game began.

Within minutes, we had our first sighting and Lars called out, "Sharrrrk! Down! Down! Down!"

We went under, and went face to face with JAWS. The girl to my left vomited when sharks got closer, and asked to get out immediately. Poor dear.

Some sharks were passive.

Some sharks toyed with us.

And a few, were down right aggressive!

I have to admit my heart jumped to my throat when the aggressive ones butted against our cage, but I stayed the entire time down. It was totally exhilarating!

But through it all, I kept clicking away... and enjoyed myself immensely!

Each dive group had about 45 minutes below.

BUT, I got to do a second dive since several people backed out. BONUS!

If I had heard the "JAWS" theme song when I saw this Great White coming at me, I would've wet my wetsuit! LOL.

Overall, It was an amazing trip, a wonderful adventure, and one I would definitely do again! Cape Town made my fave five. I HEART CAPE TOWN!

Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens

On my last exploration for the day, I visited the Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens just as the sun was setting. Founded in 1913, it's one of the most famous botanical gardens in the world, and it only cultivates and exhibits South African indigenous plants and flora.

I started out in the green house and then moved out to the sprawling grounds.

Beautiful statues were found throughout the property.

Nestled at the foot of Table Mountain, the imposing mountain range stood prominently over the gardens.

I came upon this flock of Guinea Fowls and followed them out into the open.

This Bird of Paradise hybrid was specifically cultivated to bloom yellow top petals. South Africans have named this particular hybrid, "Mandela's Gold," and is a popular sought flora.

I loved this statue. I thought the sculptor caught the essence of this big cat.

And then it was back to where I started.... what a wonderful day of explorations!

South African Penguins at Boulders Beach

In 1982, a pair of African Penguins chose to mate at Boulders Beach on the Cape Peninsula, and thus began a colony that has grown to about 3,000. It was remarkable to see these penguins in their chosen environment wander about freely, and live in harmony with the residential community nearby.

As we neared Boulders Beach, penguin crossing signs were posted at every street corner.

When I arrived, I was ecstatic to see these little 9" tuxedo clad-like birds waddling about or resting. They were SO adorable!

Young penguins are born with charcoal grey fuzz. This one was snuggling with its mama.

Penguins mate for life, and it was sweet watching them bond with each other.

These two were especially endearing as they tried to convince this elderly couple to open the gate, so they could waddle around the neighborhood. LOL.

I thoroughly enjoyed my visit, and loved my time with the African Penguins. I thought penguins had to live in an arctic environment to survive, therefore it was a great discovery to learn they could colonize in warmer climes. If I could have gotten away with taking one home, I would have hid one in my backpack. LOL. They were so darn cute!