The Life Aquatic (1 of 2)

Watching Poseidon brought to the fore, memories of a life once spent in the water/at sea. Reminded me that even as I miss the water, and even as I am certified the worst canoe-er and kayaker on earth, nothing weighs more than water, and nothing's more dangerous than life's most essential ingredient. Thrice I can recall doing the total opposite of what I should have in the water, and living to tell. Drinking while canoeing; skivvy dipping, at night, while totally blitzed... lost a watch. Then, in more sober days, following a mother and calf while 'swimming with the dolphins'. Came out the water, read the pamphlet about 'what not to do', and discovered just how lucky I was not to have been attacked. Methinks my guardian angels hand in notice weekly. But on to matters related to a agua.

2004, a 'boxing day' party at coast... lots of folks came thru, lots of alcohol flowed (the barracks should really consider opening up a store during the holidays... especially seeing how enough of Nairobi goes coast... they'd make a heck of a lot more money relying on free-market principles than on the whole have-to-know-someone M.O). Everyone who came in talked of how there were government officials on the beach, warning people off. I figured it was just storos of coasto. I mean, really. What were the odds?

I miss the wonders of the 'underworld'. The beautiful life that prospers beneath the water's surface. My favorite memories? Where do I begin?

• I once found KSh. 100 note next to a Porites head. Gave it to a coxswain who smoked like a chimney.


• Saw a live shell. A black-looking cowrie shell, until the mantle opened up a little to reveal a pristine white shell. Devine.


• Experiencing the tide come in at a 'mlango'. Used to be my favorite workout. [I may just end up one of those "old white ladies" reputed to swim at least 2kms daily in the ocean... Neptune to Public Beach]. I'd wait for the turn of the tide, get thrown against giant Porites heads as I tried to swimming 'upstream' to the boat. My favorite coxswain (man with the most gorgeous legs I have encountered thus far [that's a long-ass time, people, though I live in hope of catching a glimpse of Eto's powerful legs during 2010 :-D (was too slow to do it a couple of weeks ago when Barca played the Sundowns)] and it ain't easy going out to sea with a sculpted man dressed in shorts only, everyday, and maintain sura ya kazi while mentally melting down) would occasionally have some mercy, work those twin 40HP outboard engines to come get me. Those same engines would do 8 minutes from Public Beach to the 'coral gardens'. La puissance des moteurs? My absolute favorite thing on the water.

Tanga, 1995. Stayed at a place owned by a boer married to a KC from Kericho. Last I asked, the boer had died from cerebral malaria, the KC had returned to Kericho. Aquatic life has it's downsides as well.

TZ was still emerging from 'hamna' being the standard response to every commodity-related question. Someone in the neighborhood at which we stayed kept cows. Honestly, to tell Kenyans, biological and naturalized, that they had to have tea bila milk was just not on! My pointless about Tanga again? Oh yeah. The damage wrought by dynamite fishing.

Had spent time cruising the protected coral reefs of Kisite (go catch them now, before TIOMIN screws them up for several lifetimes!), Mombasa, Watamu, and Malindi. Never quite made it up to Lamu (Kiunga), then. Beautiful, protected, different levels of diversity. Diani and Kanamai were the coral deserts in my mind. Clearly, none of them prepared me for the craters of dynamite fished parts of Tanga. We'd swim up a ridge, crossing fire corals (and aptly named they are... they 'burn'/irritate the naked skin) and then look over into... a crater. Nothing but utter desolation, furrowed sand, flattened and dead coral. Right next to a coral garden. Of course we'd wonder why anyone would do this to God's ocean. Never thinking of it from the perspective of the dynamite 'fishermen'.

They were said to get dynamite from construction sites... maybe something quarry/army-related? They'd light the sticks, then toss them out their outriggers. If their estimate was correct, and the dynamite did not discharge prematurely (amputating limbs and cabecas), they would blow up an entire coral reef, and fish would float onto the water's surface. Their work? Be ballsy enough to deal with the risk of premature detonation, and then collect the fish floating on the surface. Zenith of efficiency. Unfortunately, not of sustainability.

There were also these tiny see-thru, jelly-fish-like creatures. Could fit in my doubled fists (had to 'experience for myself'). Everywhere. They were ultra-cool 'cause they had strobe lights in them. Flashing different shades of red. Only reservation was that they might just could sting. Can't remember if I got stung.

The one thing I was uber-thankful for? That I did not come face-to-face with a reef shark. Ok. Let me explain. Kenya's north coast has a fringing reef. 1 km away from shore. It makes that lagoon a lot safer than it would otherwise be (Durban isn't. They put out shark nets to protect the surfers. The Red Sea isn't as safe. Have you forgotten that the 'Horn of Africa' is where Greek captains 'offload' stowaways?) Next time you're at coast, take note of where you see the white surf of cresting waves. That's where the fringing reef is. This means that it's usually (relatively) small-sized sharks that get into the lagoon. Have I mentioned that we also have a 4m tidal amplitude. i.e. the distance between low and high tide (averaged out) is 4 m. Sharks will usually be present (in the lagoon) when that tide is high. Please note though, that like anything in the world, these are not 'rules' written in stone. Plenty of exceptional circumstances. The places you usually hear of shark attacks around coast, are sides of Likoni (victims are rushed to Pandya Hospital). 'Cause there's a natural break in this reef wall. Allows ships in (Likoni: natural harbor). Sharks follow ships. Might could it be because of all the junk tossed out the ships? I'm one of those people who doesn't weep about the supposed demise of sharks (fins for soup trade) or crocodiles. Happy to have a world with one less predator (of any kind). We'll engineer our way out the fallout later.