31.8. 2015
So we got to Dubai. I must say, we hardly noticed that we were flying. Not like usual when we get shook up like a cocktail, this time there was an initial pull back and a bit of a push forward in the end. That was the flight. Beautiful.
I watched one movie after the next and kept dozing off all the time. So now i can watch them all again….
When we got to Dubai we wanted to check into the airport hotel and found out that our travelagent booked us the wrong hotel. Ours was outside the airport but Beulah can’t go outside without a visa. So we had to book another room inside and pay again dearly….lucky we are on holiday….
Since we always fly with aemirates we have become Frequent Flyers with Silver Status. This allows us an additional 12kg luggage and we can use the Business Class Lounge in Dubai. This is like a five star hotel inside the airport where we can eat and drink anything of the best. What a treat.
Of course it is nice to travel with as much luggage as you can carry without having to worry about the dreaded scale.
Unfortunately this priviledge stops dead as we arrive in Male tomorrow. Then we will be reduced to normal tourists with a mere 20kg allowance for the water plane ride…
This is going to be really interesting tomorrow…..probably expensively interesting….

30.8. 2015
We are at the airport in Durban. Got here really early so we can turn our minds into holiday mode. We took the Margate Mini Coach which was cheap and cheerful. Now it is beer time and sushi at the CTFM restaurant. We have so much luggage again. Beulah packed everything she could find in the house. I am sure, people must think we are emmigrating….
As we sit here we watch the smokers. I wonder if they know what it looks like. This one woman, probably 10 years younger than us pulls like hell on her cigarette and holds her breath. wow. I wonder if she will ever get as old as she looks….

27.8. 2015
This week should have been the start of our holiday. The idea was to chill and get ready for the trip, get the heart rate down and the alcohol levels up…
Instead we worked like never before. Removed rubble and garden refuse from the Diver Villa for days, had the cars fixed and cleaned, cleared out the garages completely and shifted truck loads of equipment from one garage to another.
The days are not long enough and there is no relief in sight.
Wouldn’t it be nice to just go for a relaxing dive on Protea Banks…..!!!!!

17.8. 2015
We started diving again and had a picture book day. At least concerning the weather. No cloud in the sky, not a hint of a wind and easy 27C temp.
Whales are everywhere. A school of dolphins followed us for a while. Paradise.
The sea water was a bit green today. Visibility at the top barely 5m and the bottom 10m.
But there are lots of sharks around. Raggies, Black Tips and Zambezis. Even an Eagleray crossed our path.
Current is absolut zero. Lovely day

15.8. 2015
We had a busy week. Dives a few times and had a lot of fun testing some wetsuits out there with the sharks.
From tomorrow we are resuming our normal, daily dive schedule. This is probably the last stretch before we go into hybernation ( holiday )
We had seaworthy survey for our boats this week. This is an annual event where an officer from the maritime authority comes and checks all our boats and safety equipment. Always a bit of a stress as we surely don’t want to fail. Never did in all the years.
Also this week we started with the alterations on our Diver Villa. Old Warren loves the dust pump = angle grinder. I get all worried when i go see the progress. At this stage nothing at all has improved, everything has been broken and covered in dust.
Not sure if it will ever be right again….

11.8. 2015
Our friends from Bavaria and Austria departed on Sunday after a week of amazing diving on Protea Banks. It was so much fun doing some real dives, seeing tons of sharks, different species, even a Great Hammerhead was encountered.
We saw an Eagle Ray, a Humpback Whale on scuba and had ample fun testing new wetsuits for an Australian company. What a lovely week.
The Germans enjoyed the cool temperatures here in Africa while their families overseas struggled with temps just below the 40’s.
now we are slowly approaching the quiet time of the year. September is our worst month in terms of weather conditions. We decided to close the business for the whole of September and go away on holiday. Yep, Beulah and I have to go for psychological evaluations in the Maldives while Karen is already home in England to get some strength from her mom !!! Kyle will go to his mom and so will Shorty while Brian will keep the Dive Shop open.
During our winter hibernation time, old Warren will transform our Diver Villa. He is building us a new bathroom for the blue twin room at the end of the passage and he will build us a whole new self catering room where currently our outside bar is situated. And when Kyle eventually finds his own accommodation we will have a guest house with 6 bedrooms and 6 bathrooms. What a pleasure !!!

4.8. 2015
Things are getting back to normal slowly. I still have a lot of work to do , such as catching up on all my Sardine Run entries, couple of repairs to equipment and vehicles and mainly storing everything in its right place.
This week we are busy with some regulars from Germany and Austria. These guys have been with us 4 times, one of them, old Gerhard has been with us more often than our boat has launched !!!/
I so appreciate returning clients and I am so happy for these guys that the conditions on Protea Banks are absolutely brilliant.
We have 25m vis, flat sea, slow current and sunshine all the way.
On the Northern Pinnacle of Protea Banks we see around 50 raggies these days, about 5 black tips, eagle ray, dolphins and even a whale on scuba.
Southern pinnacle is a bit quiet this time of the year although we had a great hammerhead the other day which made the day great…!!!