WILD AND DANGEROUS ADVENTURE SERIES
Wild Oceans GRAHAM VIVIAN LANCASTER
For Murray and Sydney.
L TRAYBERRY PRESS
ALEXANDER HOUSE Incorporating
TRAYBERRY PRESS 29 Howick Road Pietermaritzburg 0836388813 Copyright 2013 Graham Vivian Lancaster Copyright 2013 in this published edition ALEXANDER HOUSE All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the copyright holder and publisher. First published 2013
ISBN: 9780987014511 Cover design: G. V. Lancaster / Emile Rampaul Photography: Graham Vivian Lancaster Author photo: Cathy Bloemhof Distributed by Trayberry Book Distributors. Cell: 0836388813 Tel: 033 - 3427978
INDEX 1
Documentary Of Dolphins
30
A Motion Picture Grows
74
Fulfilment Of A Dream
WORKS BY THE AUTHOR: * SG = Study Guide NOVELS:
HUMOUR:
Wind Song Storm Song Strength Of ten The Devil’s Own
Bert and Co. Bert Another Story Nothing For Mahala Smoke Screens Penga Street
SELF HELP:
Everyone Can Do It Its Never Too Late Surviving The Ladder The Cost Of Money Who’s Shrinking Your Money? The Happy Customer POETRY:
Marks On My Soul Gypsey Whale Song Gravel Roads Fledgeling African Ride Moments of Truth Picaroon Journeys That Kind Of Feeling Rusty Gates Poetry SG
ADVENTURE SERIES:
Wild and Dangerous + SG Secrets of the Sea Cyclone Tracy Wrath Of The Gods Dangerous Alliances When The Earth Thunders + SG Awakening Africa Flying With Eagles Over The Edge + SG Wild Oceans ******************* The Adventurous Life Of Rory Flint Rat To Riches + SG Dock Town Mayor and Mayoress Dock Town Upside Down Sibanda Of The Zambezi River Courage And Secrets
Documentary Of Dolphins Kaitlyn bent tensely over the Handy Cam mounted on the back of ‘Bush Cat’ as she and Sydney watched the back line. “There they are,” Sydney stood on the beach pointing as two heads with dorsal fins round them lifted on the swell. “I need more height. We need to be out there with the helicopter now,” Kaitlyn mumbled her frustration as she bent into the video camera, filming Darryl and S’bu with the dolphins. Doctor Jeffries grounding the helicopter from flying for two weeks because of Sydney’s injured knee wasn’t helping. That thought brought her up short, feeling selfish as she looked at Sydney standing awkwardly on the sand. Her heavily bandaged knee was swollen and dark with bruising from the skirmish with the Chinaman and she was incapable of flying even if she wanted to. “Won’t what we have already taken from the helicopter be enough to add in?” Sydney tried to ease Kaitlyn’s irritation, supporting herself on the Land Rover with a sudden grimace of pain. “You are supposed to be on crutches, Captain Sydney Jade, not dancing around like some kind of fairy on your injured knee!” Kaitlyn admonished her, and when there was no response, continued, “I don’t think we have enough footage for what we need and none of it is of dolphins. We don’t want to get back to Crocodile Bridge and start editing, only to find we have too little material.” ‘We filmed for half an hour yesterday and conditions were good, with some fantastic shots from the back of the Land Rover so you probably do have enough to work with,” Sydney pushed on, knowing how desperately Kaitlyn was to get aerial footage of Darryl and S’bu with Jula. “It’s just that we have a major find here in S’bu and Darryl surfing with Jula and the world will do flick flacks to get at it with all the publicity the three of them attract. I’m not a professional
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and I really don’t want to mess it up. I want it to be perfect for them especially after they so unselfishly saved our lives. I have never heard of anyone being awarded a second Purple Bar, but it wouldn’t surprise me if S’bu and Darryl become the first.” “That could easily happen, Kaitlyn. Imagine that; two Purple Bars, and at their age. They are already international celebrities so I know what you mean about making the best film you can of, and for them but you will do them proud,” Sydney reassured her. “Thank you but I’m nervous. I’ll run through it all tonight and we can finish off tomorrow if there’s anything we still need, but it isn’t every day the surf, dolphins and the boys all come together like today,” she grumbled. “Today has been the best we’ve had for action shots. The swell is picking up. Get ready, Kaitlyn,” Sydney drew her attention back to the work at hand. They watched the swells growing, saw S’bu and Darryl looking out to sea and waiting for a good one. “The swells are big brau,” S’bu’s voice was edged with excitement. “Kaitlyn will be able to get some good footage – just as long as we don’t wipe out,” he said with a tinge of laughter to his voice. “I suppose that might make for good viewing,” S’bu laughed. “Maybe for the viewers but not for us. What about this one coming, Jula?” Darryl asked and as though the big bull dolphin understood, he nodded his head vigorously up and down. “I’m sure he’s right, D,” S’bu smiled as Purple watched his father in restless anticipation and nodded as well. Mrs. Purple squeaked admonishingly and moved between him and the shore to cut him off as Darryl and S’bu began to swim with Jula between them. “They are going to take it,” Kaitlyn whispered excitedly, filming the dolphins’ antics with S’bu and Darryl as they began to swim hard towards the shore. “I’m sure they don’t realize just how big the swells are, but I suppose they look even bigger from where they are,” Sydney sounded worried. “The bigger the better for them. For me too because it gives more height.”
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“Yes but we want the film for the right reasons and not have S’bu and Darryl on crutches as well.” “No one I’ve met can look after themselves as well as those two. They’ll be fine,” Kaitlyn reassured her as they watched the swell catching up to the swimmers. As they lifted up the face of the wave with the same ease it would pick up driftwood, their arms flailed the water, swimming furiously. Their bodies began to make white trails through the water and suddenly they were up at the top of the wave. It propelled them as though a giant handful of water had suddenly grabbed them and thrust them forward faster than they could swim. S’bu and Darryl tucked their arms in at their sides as they tipped over the lip of the wave looking down the sloping swell at the ocean some two meters beneath. With a sudden adrenaline pumping rush of speed they were body surfing, cutting across the water at an angle on the break from left to right. They were buried waist deep in the wave with their torsos out and the rush of water hammering on bare stomachs as they dropped down and across the blue face of the wave. Darryl flicked his head to clear the water out of his eyes and looked back at the wave towering above them. “Hoo boy, this is a live one!” he whooped as he felt the power of the water. Jula was between them and suddenly Purple forced his way between him and S’bu as they cut foaming white channels down the face of the wave. “Look at that, Kaitlyn!” Sydney shouted excitedly. “I’m filming it. It’s magnificent!” Darryl looked across Jula at S’bu. He was surprised to see Purple even though he knew it had to come sooner or later. Mrs. Purple would be there somewhere to discipline her adventurous child. He looked back over his shoulder, saw the dark shape speeding through the wave and felt her pass over his legs as she surfed across him and Jula; just letting him know she was there. She dropped in beside Purple in a sudden move that barged S’bu aside and almost upended him.
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He recovered quickly and angled into her, bunching them up and away from the foaming wave breaking to his left. “Wow! All three dolphins together with S’bu and Darryl on either side.” Sydney was almost beside herself. “I caught Mrs. Purple streaking through the water above them. I thought she would crash into Darryl,” Kaitlyn was just as excited. “I saw it. She must have touched his legs as she crossed. I have never seen anything like this.” “It’s incredible.” S’bu looked at the shore approaching rapidly. “We can’t let Purple go too shallow,” he called out. “I’m watching him but Jula will know their limits and stop Purple from beaching.” The women on the beach watched breathlessly. Never in their wildest imagination had they believed they would capture S’bu and Darryl with all three dolphins. It was a rare, probably unique and magnificent sight. From the beach they could hear Mrs. Purple scolding her calf and trying to turn him back to the safety of deeper water but Purple was having the time of his life and Jula wasn’t in the least concerned, so there was no thought of turning back. “All five of them together. That’s absolutely incredible,” Sydney hardly whispered. “No one in the world will have footage like this,” Kaitlyn’s voice shivered with excitement. “No one else would have had such privilege.” Darryl and S’bu heard the wave begining to break and looked back at the foam tumbling down the face of it off to their left. The wave was curling over towards them and the five of them turned away from it in formation. “It’s absolutely awesome how the dolphins and S’bu and Darryl are so in sync,” Kaitlyn breathed out. “They are taking Darryl’s lead as he edges away to the right,” Sydney was hopping, trying not to injure her knee any more than it already was. “Look at that! Jula is nudging him to the right away from the foam. You don’t know how badly I want to be in the water with them.”
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“Me too, but first things first,” Kaitlyn said as she followed the action with the camera. The wave suddenly broke to Darryl’s right as well and the five of them were surfing in a small gap between white foam before it suddenly broke all the way across. Darryl, the dolphins and S’bu disappeared in the boiling white foam as the peak collapsed, bouncing up in the air and shooting out spurts far ahead. “Keep filming,” Sydney hopped about excitedly. “I am. There – there they come – still body surfing!” she shouted as the power of the breaking wave flung them forward out of the churning white water. “Who would ever believe this story without seeing it?” “I sort of thought it must be true when they told us at Crocodile Bridge, but never envisioned anything like this.” Darryl flicked his head to clear the water from his eyes as the five of them cleared the foam. “This is as far as you go, Jula,” he called out and Jula nodded but showed no sign of stopping. “That’s it for now,” S’bu called as he and Darryl pulled up in the waist deep water and the dolphins with them. “That was absolutely amazing,” S’bu gasped for breath as he stood up, watching the dolphins flicking their bodies round to face the incoming waves. “One of the highlights of my life. Wasn’t it my big boy?” Darryl said as he wrapped his arms round Jula and the dolphin squeaked his delight. S’bu stroked Mrs. Purple and she didn’t pull away, so he hugged her and she squeaked happily as Purple tried to get his share of attention. Darryl felt the sudden awareness in the big bull dolphin. “Watch out, S’bu, Jula is getting ready to go for the open sea,” Darryl warned as an inadvertent slap of his powerful tail could break a leg. They stood away from the dolphins and Jula called once and streaked away with Purple and Mrs. Purple racing away after him. Jula jumped the first wave as Darryl and S’bu stood watching, Kaitlyn filming, Purple and Mrs. Purple jumping in line behind him.
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The three dolphins cleared the water together in an arc, with Purple at the highest between his parents as they leapt in a curve over the next wave. “This place makes me emotional,” Kaitlyn sniffed as she filmed. “There is so much that says to me ‘this is my place on earth’ – like a spiritual thing,’” Sydney said thoughtfully. In the cave on Cave Mountain a wizened old lady sat on a reed mat on the floor in the middle of the cave with her thin bare legs and feet stretched out straight before her as she concentrated on the flames of her small fire. The huge black mamba coiled on the mat beside her lifted its head in awareness of her interest, from where it lay resting on its sinewy coils. It watched her with its beady eyes glinting blackly in the firelight as she stroked it with the back of one hand, speaking gently in Zulu. “Shh, everything is well.” The old woman wore a 'myeko,' a beaded head dress of heavy white beads over her hair. In her hand, she held a 'shobo,' a wildebeest tail, a short knobkerrie in the other. She wore a 'konga,' around her waist, a red and white printed sarong with lions upon it and on her wrists were bands of animal skin and heavy red and white beads. On her ankles and round her neck were strings of beads, with a small bead woven calabash of her protective 'muti' hanging on a thong from her neck. She wore two large bands of skin over her shoulders, each with a heavy string of red and white beads crossing on her chest, with beads covering her otherwise naked breasts. She was very old and beneath the 'myeko' was her cap of white crinkled hair. Her flesh had withered away with age, her skin deeply wrinkled and hanging. The old sangoma Dora, Makosi Amakulu, threw a pinch of powder from the calabash beside her into the fire. It flared up, crackling in scintillating red and blue sparks and she saw Sydney, saw her injured leg and smiled. “Like my sons, you are brave - fearless - and you feel the spirituality of this place and that is why you are good friends. That
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