Ok! Ok... I'm listening!

I think the Universe, or someone really big with lots of power, is trying to tell me something...

I'm in Dahab, Egypt, at last after stressful days finishing off work in Sweden, travelling trans-sweden to catch my flight here, only to arrive with a terrible cold and a raging fever.

You know when you feel like you're banging your head against the same door again and again, thinking that maybe you will get a different reaction next time- well surprise, you won't!
Patterns, it's all about patterns, the patterns we live- that become who we think we are- makes sense?
No? Hardly to me either. But I'm starting to figure out how much of what I do and what I say is actually me, and how much of it is just what I've always done... and said... ie. my pattern!

My rollercoaster life led me to above mentioned crazy trip to Dahab, where my heart and soul has been for so long- longing for this blue blue water and living only for my diving. And then, as the time approaches, I'm flat on my back with a terrible cold and a fever.
So now I've been here in Dahab since wednesday, and NOT BEEN IN THE OCEAN!!

Talk about a hard lesson, phew!
So now I'm observing my greatest love from a distance, and getting immense perspective through it. Seeing myself more clearly, my expectations, my dreams, what I am and what I want to be.

So, yes, I'm listening.
Listening more, speaking less.
And tomorrow- I will dive...



Photo: Annelie Pompe

Memories of a Shark Scare... or two!

Sitting in my dear friend's flat in Stockholm, snowing outside the window, and as usual dreaming about my beloved Cape Town. The place that I call home.

On one of my last surfs there a few weeks back, I had an exciting experience that triggered other memories... so bear with me here, this is not a marathon down memory lane, promise!
And there are sharks in the story.

I'm in Umkomaas, off SA's east coast a while back, and as we're heading out to sea to go dive with the beautiful black- tip and tiger sharks who calls that spot home, we pass by some buoys that our super skipper Steve expertly avoids hitting. 'What are those for?' I innocently ask, Steve looks at me in a somewhat baffled manner before replying through clenched teeth, 'the shark nets'...
Ah, the shark nets... the WHAT? So, we get in the water and for reasons I cannot devulge in this post, (but promise to later) - we get in the water, myself, Steve and some other avid shark lovers, and take a closer look at the nets. It's so eerie. This beautiful wide open wilderness of blue blue blue, cut up into small evil squares... ready to catch an innocent dolphin, turtle, manta ray, whaleshark or misunderstood shark. And of course I know we have shark nets in parts of SA, but this was my first real encounter with them, and honestly, it left me quite traumatised.
While finning around frantically in my monofin, trying to feel what it would be like to be caught behind a shark net, it happened, I GOT CAUGHT IN THE DAMN NET! My weight belt got tangled, and I thought great!!! this would be so apt, 'FREEDIVER DIES IN SHARK NET'.
It would be good for media purposes, though...

So, further along memory lane, some weeks later I was surfing my sweet little Muizenberg break, when the loud whooping sound of the shark alarm came wafting over the water, AHA- a GREAT WHITE in the water!! The Shark Spotters up on the mountain have seen one approaching, so they warn us, we catch the next best wave (or ok, the next wave...) and surf to the beach. Now the beach is packed with surfers like sardines, chatting, laughing... waiting for the white flag with a black shark on- meaning: shark in the water, to go away and the red flag- shark has moved on, to be raised. At which point we all paddle out to the backline and resume our worship of the waves.

And you know what, THAT wasn't half the scare as seeing those shark-nets was. It felt so good to be sharing the ocean with our toothy friends and not just happily, or rather- PRIMITIVELY setting out booby traps for them, in their own homes.

VIVA THE SHARK SPOTTERS, VIVA!

A small moment- in a Big City

Dogs, curtains and cold birds...

I was walking down the street, ambling, for once not cycling and not with
music on, actually partaking in the world, hearing some of the first brave
little birds tweeting out of tune, frozen little vocal cords straining,
cars hooting at intrepid cyclists- as myself- but today not me.
which is when i saw an odd sight: a man standing outside a shop on the
pavement, with a dog on a leash. the dog was straining and happily waving
it's tail at the shop window, the man looked cold and cross, shaking his
head emphatically at the window 'no, no, no NO!' i was intrigued.
approaching the shop, i saw the man's i suppose wife, standing inside
holding up curtain after curtain looking quite desperate, gesticulating
wildly at him, but he was not impressed. obviously the shop doesn't allow
dogs, and obviously it's gonna be a long day of window/ curtain shopping!

(Ah, this blog you wonder, is purely for freediving, or will be forced to
read the randon meanderings of this O2 deprived mind? Answer: yes!
As long as I'm not by the sea, neither will this blog be... but sooon!!)

48 HOURS TILL DAHAB ARRIVAL!

Not that Alkaline!

How often do you think about the blood in your veins?
When you bleed... is that all?

Well, Freedivers think of their blood quite often, or... should. See, your blood can either be alkaline or acidic, this is true and scientific, but I'm not going to explain the technicalities, just trust me.
So, alkaline is good. Better oxygen saturation. Acidic is not good. Bad oxygen carrier, AND infections grow in acid, from fungal infections (urgh, yes) to many other bad things. (Again this is all very scientific, but I'm not... so let's stay colloquial!)

What makes us alkaline?
Lots of good veggies, preferably raw, fruit- WATERMELON!!

What makes us acidic?
Coffee, sugar, wheat, alcohol, cynicism.

What makes the Swedish winter bearable?
See above, under ACIDIC...

Damn!