A Warm Sunshine Coast Welcome
The first week of the marine guiding course was fantastic. We already learned a lot about the marine environment and had many amazing activities like kayaking, beach walks, and snorkeling. We spent much time at the shore but also looked at some estuaries.
Monday we headed to the beach towards the three sisters. The Three Sisters are three sandstone outcrops which was a nice example of the erosion that took place there. A magic spot where we were able to explore the rock pools and snorkel all day – what a treat! The following day we headed off to the same beach but in the opposite direction and wow, such a different environment. It was a day for stretching our leg muscles and we explored the beautiful huge dunes that are found in this area.
Kayak Wednesday!! We headed down a stunning estuary in a small coastal town called Kleinemonde. We kayaked for seven kilometers in total and saw loads of bird species, like the pied, giant, malachite, and Brown-hooded kingfisher. We also had an amazing sighting of six fish eagles flying over us.
There were many fish species as well, but the two big ones in the estuary were the Garrick and the Dusky Kob. The Dusky Kob we managed to catch and it was massive – not to worry, it was successfully released back into the river.
On Thursday, Paul, one of the house owners of where we’re staying, showed us around Kleinemonde, showed us three different estuaries, and gave some additional information about them. Dr. Paul Cowley is an ichthyologist professor at Rhodes University. Paul and his lovely wife Jane are our hosts for the duration of our Marine Guide course. How lucky are we!!
For those of you that are wondering – An ichthyologist is a marine biologist who studies various species of fish classified as bony, cartilaginous, or jawless.
At the end of the week, we headed to the magic Kenton on sea for snorkeling adventures at the tidal pools at the middle beach. A spectacular area – for those of you that have never been, we all highly recommend it!!
We ended off the week with a nice cold beer and pizza at a great spot in Sport Alfred at route 72 saloon, where had a very nice and social evening.
- Joep