25.1. 2017
Five days down, four to go. The show in Dusseldorf is going well. As always our stand receives lots of attention from old and new divers. Many divers who know us well come and visit. Overtime it is a small celebration to see them again. More often than not it ends up in a booking. Beautiful.
Four times i am on stage which boosts us a lot too. During the interview they play our shark diving clips and photographs. It is hugely impressive to see those pictures on the big screen. Surely turns everyone’s heads.
The travelling to and from the showgrounds seems more cumbersome than usual.
The trains are over full and there are less trains than before. So we usually get home around 22hoo if not later. I then still have to do my e mails….
No wonder i don’t have much time for my blog….
Diving on Protea Banks
I get messages from my guys at home which fills me with envy. They are having unbelievable dives with thousands of hammerheads, many bull sharks and lots of other exciting encounters. For example, they had a manta ray a few days back.
The visibility is mostly good and the water warm.
A few times the base was closed due to strong winds. That’s nature.
We are still doing a few more days of diving before we have a break of about ten days. Just before we get back home, business resumes again as usual.
19.1. 2017
So we landed in Frankfurt, took a rental car and drove to a place called Woerrstadt. Here we were the guest of Roger Tours who ran their 36th annual Holiday and Diver Meeting. Roger Winter and his wife Margit are unbelievably energetic and talented organisers of note.
The weekend was a ball. Around 70 people came to the event and showed an amazing interest in South Africa.
These two operated their Tour Operator business Roger Tours for almost 40 years. And they are still as firey as ever. Now they live their well deserved retirement at their Bali Villa Dive Resort on the island of Bali in Indonesia. Are they retired though ???
After this ‘mini show’ we drove straight to Dusseldorf and checked in at the Novotel where we always stay. We are comfortable here and 14 days is not too much.
Of course we are here early to relax. Breakfast not before 10am
We went to town shopping for warm clothes. Hell, it is cold here !!!
While Beulah is worried about clothing us, i only dream about Curry Wurst and Chips.
It got so bad that i had to pull a move to get us away from a fancy restaurant and end up in a wonderful sausage den. Beulah stood outside steaming….
12.1. 2017
We are sitting here at Dubai Airport waiting for our flight to Frankfurt. Flew in last night and stayed as always at the Airport Hotel. This is when the stress falls off. We are nicely relaxed and ready to face a new day in the cold world. Driving on the wrong side of the road too…
Tonight we will stay at a place outside Frankfurt and participate in Roger Tours’ 36th Client meeting. Something like a mini show.
Roger is a hyper active person. This event promises a lot of action, fun and hopefully some good business.
9.1. 2017
Tomorrow we are off to Germany. We wanted to chill a bit this weekend but friends came to stay and dive on sunday and they wouldn’t hear about me not diving. It took all of 10 seconds to convince me that i have no option but to dive. I will be forever greatful to Steve and Karen !!!
We did a Baited Dive. Had 30m vis and 26C water. 6 Zams and 4 Black Tips on the bait. But hundreds of hammerheads swimming past us. All the time we saw hammers coming and going. Absolute brilliant !!!
Now it is monday night. I still sit on my balcony and admire the star lit sky. The sea is calling gently, the dogs are already in bed. I really don’t want to leave here tomorrow….the atmospheric pressure is just perfect here….the humidity keeps us hydrated and eases our breathng…the oxygen content in the air couldn’t be better…
Don’t want to leave our terror free country, lovely summertime climate, braaitime !!!
Every day this year so far i braaied and most days i had a swim in the pool.
From tomorrow things will be different….eish…..
1.1. 2017
We wish all our friends Happy New Year for 2017
The last two days of the old year ended on an absolute high on Protea Banks. Two of the best dives we had in a long time with 30m and 40m visibility, lovely warm 24C water and hundreds if not thousands of hammerheads. Bull sharks, Black Tips, tons of Guitarsharks, everybody was here to say good bye to 2016.
Even hardened divers like my old friend Iddo could’t stop raving.
New years eve we spent between falling asleep on the couch and walking to the fridge for a new beer. The more beer i drank, the longer i slept. In the end i managed to sit upstairs and watch the New Year fireworks. Thereafter i was right awake…
Today and tomorrow we are off, Tuesday looks like a blow out day.
So we will have some much needed time off in the pool….before we have to move across to icy cold Germany for the annual dive show in Duesseldorf.