Day 8

On our second day in Knysna we began the day with an ocean safari. I was so glad we got to see dolphins. We saw two pods of dolphin and one lone seal. We looked around for sharks too but we didn't come across any.... that morning (foreshadowing here). I have swum with dolphins in Hawaii many times, so I thought that maybe it wouldn't be quite as exciting just to see them from the boat, but it was pretty nice. They were a different kind of dolphin than I'm used to. I'm used to the spinner dolphins and these were the Cape bottle nose dolphins (if I remember correctly). They were extremely cute and I had no idea they would be coming so close to the boat! It was fun to see them from a new perspective. They swam so beautifully alongside us.

Not only were we very lucky to see dolphins, but apparently we were lucky to be out on a morning when the water was calm. We were told that usually, getting out of the Knysna Heads - cliffs that form a small opening connecting the lagoon and the ocean - can be very rough. It is actually one of the most dangerous areas for boats to try to get out of. Even on our calm day the waves were several feet high. Rachel and I had enormous fun screaming our heads off as our little speed boat lifted up and slammed down in the water. (I don't think our skipper was quite so thrilled....).

In the afternoon we took yet another beautiful hike. This time along the coast of the Nature Valley Trust with our lovely guides. We stopped early on to look into the small pools of water in the rock. At first glance I didn't see anything, then I was amazed to see what I thought had been little shells were actually very small star fish! The goal of the hike was to  make it to a beautiful and secluded stretch of beach where we kicked off our shoes and cooled off for a few minutes before making our way back.

Starfish!

Private beach

The last activity of the afternoon was a very informative meeting with Professor Mike Brown, who works with the Nature Vally Trust conducting research on birds. He is helping to tag the birds that live in the fynbos and monitor their populations. Certain plants and bird species have a symbiotic relationship and thus rely on each other for adaptation and survival. We were shown one example of a flower that has evolved to perfectly fit the beak of the specific bird that feeds from it. It is these very special relationships within the ecosystem that remind us how important it is to protect biodiversity. We also got to pet and release the birds!

Professor Mike Brown

This day gave me a renewed appreciation for all life, both plants and creatures, great and small.