By Amanda Vegter
Today was an absolutely amazing day! Myself and six other Volunteer Abroad Interns, in addition to two UCT students and an amazing wildlife photographer, Evert Nel, were lucky enough to not only dive with Cape Fur seals but also to find some Dusky dolphins as well!
Dive Briefing
We took off from Hout Bay with Animal Ocean around 10 am, and it was a beautiful morning despite the strong winds. Most of the interns had never experienced snorkeling or diving with Cape Fur seals, and only a few had witnessed dolphins in the wild. We were so fortunate to see both of these species and to interact with them in their natural environment. The seals were out and about in large numbers, and kept us entertained with their playful antics and their curious personalities. Some seals were very interested in Evert and his underwater camera, and tugged lightly on his wetsuit while mouthing his equipment.
After about 45 minutes with the seals, we all climbed aboard the boat and headed out to Maori Bay, the site of the Bos 400 shipwreck. After checking out the wreck and boating around the coastline for awhile longer, we came across an energetic pod of Dusky dolphins that were clearly interested in our boat and what we were up to on the surface, as they stuck around and swam with us for at least 15 minutes.
The dolphins were darting all around us, swimming right toward us and then darting quickly below or off to the side. Once we all boarded Animal Ocean again, they began to jump and spiral out of the water, as if to say goodbye off with a little finale. It was an absolutely incredible experience that none of us will ever forget.
