Friday April 26, 2019. Durban, South Africa.
4:35 a.m. alarms beeping, blurry eyed, swim suits tugged on
5:00 a.m. eighteen dreary racers and beloved driver, Sandile, pull out of guest house driveway
5:20 a.m. pitch black rolling hills outside, everyone’s sleeping
6:00 a.m. dawn breaking, pink and blue cloudless skies, arriving in sleepy seaside town, cage diving lot
6:10 a.m. eager anticipation pulling edges of worker’s voices into rushed requests: first group, wetsuits on, no belongings allowed, towels here, suns rising, boats waiting, let’s get moving, quickly downing pink yogurt breakfast
6:11 a.m. people questioning “do wetsuits go over bathing suits?”
*
6:20 a.m. golden sun drifting above ocean horizon, waves whipping into rocky pier, laughter prayer for safety and shark spottings
6:22 a.m. lifejackets going on, town boys rushing to push stuck boat one out to sea
6:23 a.m. coastland dripping honeycomb gold, melting morning dew, blues away, reminder of the ticking clock to get to sea
6:25 a.m. boat two pushed into post storm shore break, big sketchy, 4 m swell, brace with the foot straps, don’t lean face forward
6:35 a.m. past shore break, speed gaining, early morning large swell, taken 2 miles out
7:00 a.m. slapping water, fish gut chum, fish blood on feet, circling out at sea, guides were in national geographic!
7:15 a.m remora fish arriving, indicating first shark arriving, 3 feet away, fin circling, excitement building
7:20 a.m. cage going in, 5 divers in, first racer out and puking, 5 sharks circling
7:40 a.m. nausea building, determination to not miss out
7:50 a.m. 5 new divers in cage, me included, holding breath under water watching sharks slip by, eery rushing sound slicing water when they swim by
8:00 a.m. up & down, my body like a cork, emerald green water, sharks eating chum
8:05 a.m. surreal, like an aquarium, so near, such a dream, real life? Shark spinning, tail fin hitting cage against my nose! Not dreaming, definitely real
8:20 a.m. lifted out of cage, leaning out of boat, puking with friend back into water on beautiful sharks, yogurt parfait gone, three racers down puking
8:30 a.m. speeding back to shore, already craving more, boat paused, two more racers down puking
8:40 a.m. sped onto shore, wetsuit photo shoot, cold showers, powers out
9:15 sunlight hitting bare skin, that morning was a win, was I really just two miles out in Indian?
(* timeline becomes real improvised)
Magic, illusive, surreal. That was my experience cage diving! I’d pay for just the boat ride again, being out at sea, seeing God’s glory. His beauty in golden sun, power in the shore break, awe in the sharks, goodness in the provision (of safety & big sharks & fun), creativity in the remora fish cleaning sharks, wildness in the swell.
Seasickness aside, we were created to live alive, to delight in God’s creation. I wouldn’t trade a second of my life to have it any other way. I always want to live alive, eternally pointed.
God, our majesty, our Papa- what a grand, whimsical creator! The glory is all to Him.
Love,
Cait
