This morning we had to get prepared in a hurry as we had to be at the Ocean Safari office by 0910hrs. We were all excited about seeing dolphins including me although I must have seen thousands when I was at sea. However this was different as I was going to see them almost at eye level and with my family. So we made sure we were well on time.

We were briefed on what we were going to see while given a lifejacket but not what to do in the event of an emergency. I supposed the operators were quite confident nothing was going to happen. Then we were escorted to the boat which was on a cradle for the launching. We could see in the distance, the disturbance in the water caused by the dolphins.

Within 15 minutes on the boat we were well amongst the dolphins, with everyone busy taking pictures, including yours truly. We were told that the crew had spotted whales the previous day and true enough we saw three of them but unfortunately didn’t get close enough for a good photo. After about an hour it was time to see the seals and what a sight it was. There were hundreds of seals some in the water, some just out on the rocks while a few had climbed up the cliff. How strong their fins are to be able to climb up and down the cliff I thought. Then it was time to head for the shore.

I had a quick use of the internet to check my mail at the office while Alison nipped into the shop next door to get something for Dannel’s new arrival. Then it was time for a quick lunch of fish and chips before going to the camping shop and instead of getting the cast iron pot Alison decided to get the BBQ set I had shown her yesterday. Of course we had to visit Joan at the Whale Shop to say goodbye to the nice lady who had pacified Adrian yesterday when he created a fuss about getting something to remember the town by.

The drive to Oudtshoorn started off miserably and I was getting agitated when the visibility was down to 50 meters as we progressed up the mountain. I told Alison that we should have stayed by the coast but she didn’t argue and just told me to turn back if I felt that way. However I continued driving and lo and behold 15 minutes later as we topped the mountain the clouds started to clear up and thereafter it as bright sunshine. I had to laugh when I told Alison that she must have prayed so hard for the sun to come out and it did.

We found out from the owner of Kleinplass campsite that in the last six months it had only rained twice in the area. Apparently the rain cloud disperses its heavy load as it gets blown up the side of the mountain from the coast and rain seldom gets over the mountain. We settled in quickly and had our Braai set going as we had no stove to cook on and had a lovely meal before turning in.