A Journey with the Sea

I wasn’t born on the coast. We moved to Durban when I was about three years old, and since then, I’ve always felt a strong connection to the ocean. From a young age, I was always fascinated by the possibility of what lived beneath the surface.

My earliest memory was having my dad wake me up in the early hours of the morning, the world still wrapped in darkness. He would walk my sleepy little body to the bakkie, which he had packed with his fishing gear and a flask of steaming coffee. There, I would rest my head on the foam mattress in the back while he cast his line before the morning light broke over the horizon. Once fully awake from the morning sounds creeping through the silence, I would stumble along the sand, coffee flask firmly in hand and sit beside my dad.

If I had to think about how and when I first felt truly connected to the sea, it was probably within these early moments: toes wiggling in the sand while watching the world come to life. I was too young to really know what that feeling was, but as an adult, I now know it was a feeling of inner peace. For the next 30 odd years, I’ve been chasing that feeling, and I keep coming back to the sea to find it.

If you knew me in the early 2000s, it would be safe to say I was a bonafide beach bum. On the weekends, I would sleep with my window blinds open. As soon as the sun hit my face, it was an instant alarm that kicked me out of bed and onto the beach. Most times, I would be sleeping in the bikini that I wanted to wear the next day to avoid wasting time changing!

There was also a short time when I joined the Roxy Surfing for Girls programme and competed in the amateur division of a surfing contest! I remember my coach telling my mom that I had the potential to be good. However, I was simply too distracted by my friends! The problem was, I loved surfing, but I loved my friends too. In the end, I chose my friends, and that’s when the ‘jolling’ started! Luckily surfing has proven to be similar to the metaphor of riding a bike, and I eventually got back on a board in 2020.

In 2007, I hopped on a plane to be a lifeguard in Dubai. I’ll be honest here, it was for a boy in the beginning, but when that didn’t work out, I decided to go for it anyway. I joined the Jumeirah Group as a lifeguard at Wild Wadi. As soon as I knew there was a ‘beach crew’ with only one other girl, I wanted in. That one girl turned out to be a friend for life, and we ruled the beach shifts together!

When I came home to South Africa in 2008, I got lost in Joburg for a while (and only a while) since it didn’t take long for my veins to crave more saltwater than what the Vaal could offer. After heading back to Durbs, I finally qualified for my PADI Open Water in 2009 and My Advanced in 2011. Since then, I’ve also completed my theory with RAID to become a rescue diver, with the goal of completing my practical this year. Last year I changed course from the scuba scene when I was invited on a dive with some free divers. Since then, I’ve absolutely fallen in love with this new perspective of playing in the ocean! I’ll be completing my Level 1 Molchanovs freediving course this January.

Despite all the disruptions within our long term Covid experience, I feel like I’ve finally come ‘home’ in the last year. I’ve come back to the sea, where I have always meant to be. And because of this inherent passion for the ocean, I’m constantly encouraging friends to experience it and all its wonders. It’s a place that never gets old. There’s always something new to learn (and re-learn!) each time I dive in.
The ocean has so many rich lessons to offer us, and I hope that through all the projects I embark on this year, I am able to share some of the lessons I’ve learned with you.

Ready to join me on my upcoming journeys to the sea? Drop me an email info@saltescape.co.za to keep up to speed on my latest events and retreats.