Feb 08 2019
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Snowflake Moray Eel @ Sodwana Bay

By Sodwana Bay

We enjoyed it so much finding new creatures in our adventures around the rock pools @ Sodwana Bay, especially on the days when the tides were really low! We were privileged enough to catch a couple of different eels in the rock pools. What was fun and also a challenge was trying to capture any eel we possibly could find on camera. Not an easy job for a bunch of amateurs to do. But we still managed to get a few on camera. Please bare in mind I took a few guesses from Internet photos to match up the type of eels that we took photos of, thus to say they might not all be the same type of eels and also their information could be inaccurate to the specific eel to. Below are some images of our own and Images from the Internet with various information about them: Little information is given about the creature its self except that people like to keep these eels as saltwater aquarium pets. But here is a little Info on what they are: The snowflake moray (Echidna nebulosa) also known as the clouded moray among many various vernacular names, is a species of marine fish of the family Muraenidae.[ It is widespread throughout the Indo-Pacific area from the eastern coast of Africa throughout Micronesia including the Red Sea and Hawaii.[ The species is also found in the eastern Central Pacific from southern Baja California, Mexico, and from Costa Rica to northern Colombia.[ This species reaches a length of 100 centimetres (39 in) but its common size is 50 centimetres (20 in). It lives at depths of between 2 and 30 metres (7 and 100 ft). Well that’s all for now guys. Stay tuned for our next article. Source Description: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snowflake_moray Source Photo: https://www.bluezooaquatics.com

Nov 14 2018
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Scuba Diving @ Sodwana Bay

By Sodwana Bay

Scuba Diving Terms and Phrases: A Advanced Open Water: Follow up certification after Open-Water Diver; allows for deeper Air: A gas mixture containing 21percent oxygen, 78 percent nitrogen, and 1 percent other gasses (mainly argon); compressed air is held in a tank for scuba diving. Apnea: Breath-holding; apnea diving is a type of freediving, but in scuba diving you should never hold your breath. Ascent: Rising to the surface when diving; typically at the end of a dive. Ascent Rate: How quickly a diver returns to the surface. You should never ascend faster than your bubbles as a safety precaution. Scuba Diving Terms and Phrases: B Backroll: Entering the water from the side of the boat, back first. BC/BCD: Buoyancy Compensator. This is the harness divers wear that hold the air tank and connects to the regulator. Bends/Bent: The pain a diver feels when suffering from Decompression Sickness (DCS). See DCS definition below. The bends often occur from ascending too quickly. Boat Dive: Scuba diving that requires a boat ride to the dive site. Bootie: Scuba gear divers wear with open-heel fins. Booties can range from thin (1 mm or less) to thick (7 mm) neoprene and protect your feet from the cold as well as sharp rocks and other hazardous things you could step on when shore diving. Bottom Time: The length of your dive. Buddy: The person you dive with; this is the person you discuss a dive plan with and you are both responsible for keeping each other safe. Buoyancy: (Positive, Negative, Neutral) Buoyancy refers to your position in the water. Things that sink are negatively buoyant; things that float are positively buoyant; scuba divers should be neutrally buoyant (floating in the middle). Scuba Diving Terms and Phrases: C C-Card: Proof of scuba certification that you receive after completing your training course. This is necessary to go diving without an instructor for open water divers and is proof of any secondary/specialty scuba training and certifications you have. Call: To “call a dive” means that you are choosing or being told to end the dive and return to the surface. Cave: A hollow place in the ground, typically of natural formation. Cave Diving: Entering a water-filled cave system either on scuba or freediving. Cave diving can extend thousands of feet into a cave system for people who are properly trained. Cavern: A semi-enclosed area (often a rock formation) where you can still see the entrance and Certified Diver: Someone who has completed scuba diving lessons through a training organization and is able to dive without an instructor. Certification Agency: An organization like PADI, NAUI or SSI that trains people to scuba dive. There are over 100 agencies that do this, but not all certifications are valid worldwide. Check-Out Dive: These are the dives completed outside of a pool (can be in a lake, ocean, spring, quarry, etc.) to prove that you’ve mastered a set of scuba skills and are necessary to complete scuba certification. Confined Water Dive: Dives conducted in a pool or other shallow, current-free underwater environment so that students can master training and skills in a safe, controlled environment before completing open-water check-out dives. Scuba Diving Terms and Phrases: D DAN: Divers Alert Network DCS/Decompression Sickness: When bubbles of gas (often nitrogen) get trapped inside of the body. There are varying levels of severity, and can be caused by swimming to the surface too quickly. Depth Gauge: A piece of scuba equipment that monitors how deep you are during your dive. Most dive computers serve as a replacement for depth gauges. Dedicated Dive Resort: Accommodations that focus on scuba diving experiences. They often have a dive shop onsite, and include diving in the booking fees. Dive Computer: A piece of scuba gear that monitors depth, bottom time and a ton of other information about each dive you complete. All dive computers are different, but they are an alternative to planning dives with dive tables. Dive Instructor: This person has gone through many trainings and certifications (open-water, advanced-open water, rescue diver, divemaster and more) so that they can teach others how to scuba dive. Dive Light: A flashlight designed for use underwater. Dive Operator: A store, boat or lcoation that will take you to go diving and often can certify you as well. Dive Table: Tool that helps determine how long you can safely stay underwater at different depths. Developed by the military to keep divers safe from decompression sickness Divemaster: A professional-level scuba diver who has logged at least 60 dives and who is trained to assist instructors on dive boats and during certification courses. DPV: Diver Propulsion Vehicle. A handheld and operated scooter or motor device that allows divers to move faster underwater. Drift Dive: Diving in a current, often from a boat. Once the dive is complete, the boat picks you up at the surface. Dry Bag: A bag to keep any items dry that aren’t waterproof. Drysuit: A type of exposure suit that keeps you dry while diving; used in cold-water dive conditions. Scuba Diving Terms and Phrases: E EAN: Enriched Air Nitrox. This is a form of mixed-gas scuba diving. Entry: Getting into the water either from shore, boat, etc. Equalize/Equalization: Putting air into an open area to compensate for the change in pressure. (Most commonly ear equalization for scuba divers.) Exposure Suit: A garment worn to keep divers warm and help protect them from cuts, scrapes and other elements. Scuba Diving Terms and Phrases: F Fins: The scuba gear that you wear on your feet to help you swim faster/with less effort. First Stage: Part of a scuba regulator; this attaches to the air tank. Freediving: Diving deep or staying underwater for extended periods of time without an air tank. Frog Kick: A technique for kicking your fins underwater. The bottoms of your feet move at each other like you’re sitting Indian style to propel you forward. This is a helpful technique to avoid kicking up sand. FSW: Feet of Sea Water Full-Foot Fin: A fin that covers your entire foot and most often doesn’t require you to wear a bootie. Scuba Diving Terms and Phrases: G, H, I, J, K, L Giant Stride: A method of getting in the water where you take a large step off…

Sep 17 2018
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Sodwana Bay Coasters @ Sibaya – Sodwana Bay

By Sodwana Bay

As I have mentioned in a previous article, CNC IT and CheriTRee have teamed up to bring you awesome Sodwana Bay or any Coastal, Light Boxes, and Big Five trinquites, that you can think of straight to your doorstep. Todays project, consisted of making coasters. We are just experimenting with this great idea and are learning a lot by our mistakes. We are currently also experimenting with different shapes and animals to cut out onto the coasters (These will be shown in a different article later). But for now you guys can feast your eyes on these gorgeous amazing coasters that we already have made for you guys to see! Let us know what you think and please support us by ordering your own personal coaster/product. Whether it be something you see on our website or something that you would like custom made. Give us shout out and we will make your dream happen! Please contact us @ 0813920467 or info@cheritree.co.za with any wood related projects which you might like us to build for you. Orders can be placed via email (with photos or examples please): info@cncit.co.za, or to check that theres a real person on the other side you can give us a call on: 081 392 0467;). All quotes will be given via Email only. Please note that CNC IT and CheriTree are both online shops only!

Sep 12 2018
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Activities in Sodwana Bay – South Africa @ Sibaya – Sodwana Bay

By Sodwana Bay

We recently had the privilege of taking a trip down to Sodwana Bay (South Africa). Our journey started in Pretoria, and took us (roughly/about) 8 hours to reach our destination – Emoyeni Dive Lodge, although the trip was long and most of the way kinda boring we were still holding out with excitement to see the ocean once again and to have an exciting adventure in Sodwana Bay! Our first day, we settled in our “new Chalet” which we would be calling home for the next 10 days. Packed all our clothes away, got comfortable with our new layout of things and went for a quick drive down to the beach (+- 15 min from our location). It was really awesome to take in the ocean after such a long drive – worth every penny spent. Quick tip if you are planing on going to the beach in Sodwana Bay, get yourself a Rhino Card which will set you back R250 per person. Its a once a year subscription fee that gives you access to any of the iSimangaliso Wetland Park gates for a measly R5 p/p per day – Community fee. You will be paying a hell of a lot more per day without this card. Trust me we did that once! Heres the link to the website – sodwanabayinformation.co.za/rhino-card Sodwana Bay is a great place for snorkelling  in the rock pools, and Scuba diving on the many reefs in the protected marine area, some dive charters cater for those who cannot dive and offer offshore snorkelling expeditions as well. Although this time round we stuck to the rock pools we still had massive amounts of awesome fun. There is plenty more Activities  to do in Sodwana Bay but that is a topic for another time… We had an amazing experience with Snorkelling in the rock pools on the days that were not so windy and the seas were a bit calmer. We got amazing video footage of the mesmerizing underwater world, and even caught a small Manta Ray on video swimming around in the rock pools near the ”preek stoel”. Luckily we never stepped on it as we only noticed it on our video when we got back home. Here is another tip: Don’t be discouraged if you don’t see any fish on the surface above the water ‘cause most of the time they are keeping a safe distance from you, but are really close by, the moment you stick your head under the water you will get to realize how many fish truly are all around you. Also make sure to get yourself a pair of booties from your local dive shop. You will seriously need them walking in those rock pools. They are relentlessly sharp. Scuba diving is the most popular thing to do in Sodwana Bay. Although I do not have my Scuba Diving certificate yet, from what I have heard it is an amazing experience. Almost every Camp/Lodge I have heard of and seen all cater for scuba divers. Whilst we were in Sodwana Bay  we took a day trip out to Mkuze Game Reserve, which is also part of the iSimangaliso Wetland Park. (You can also use youre Rhino Card to gain access there). It is situated about 30 min drive from Sodwana Bay driving to Hluhluwe. Although we never saw the Big Five, we were able to see a few hippos in the hideout area and lots of bucks. We will at least try again next time we go. Remember there is picnic areas around the Pan, so take a “tjoppie” with to Braai. The park also caters for board and Lodge where you can stay over night in a Chalet or in a tent. There is a gift shop + take away area as well. So come join the Community of Sodwana Bay, Zulu land and experience all the great stuff this great land has to offer! A special Thanks to Emoyeni Dive Lodge for accommodating us during our amazing Holiday!

Dec 21 2017
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Strengthening environmental awareness @ Sibaya – Sodwana Bay

By Sodwana Bay

iSimangaliso: Strengthening environmental awareness and sustainable partnerships through sport The iSimangaliso Wetland Park Authority teamed up with local SMME and environmentalist Raymond Langa on 16 December for a community youth sports event at Khula Village, which borders the southern part of the World Heritage Site. The iSimangaliso and Dukuduku Sports Tournament event was hosted at the Nyamazaneni sports ground in Khula and was the finale in a round of games played in the month of November, organised by Raymond. He felt this would be an ideal vehicle to aid the message of conservation and environmental care which is so important to him. Raymond received training through one of iSimangaliso’s capacity building programmes and is an accredited Environmental Education facilitator working in the Park with dozens of school groups each year. According to Langa, “I am always frustrated by the environmental degradation activities taking place in areas of conservation significance. My area has many wetlands with an abundance of wildlife, seasonal birds and waterfowl. I have identified one area which is very significant to the entire village, but households living next to it dump all types of filthy items into it.” “To raise awareness, I approached the local school and conducted a workshop on the sustainable use of natural resources. Learners are studying Tourism in Grade 10, but they have little background of responsible tourism in their syllabus. I further invited locals to participate and promote environmental health to curb diseases as most of the litter is hazardous to both human beings and wildlife.” Following the clean-up activities, Langa was thrilled to notice that beautiful birds which had left the area started coming back to these rehabilitated wetlands. It was his drive and initiative that drove him to request a partnership with iSimangaliso in a sports event, and he opened the event with a talk on his environmental education activities, wetlands and the iSimangaliso Wetland Park. An introduction on iSimangaliso was also given by the Park’s Environmental Planner, Siboniso Mbense. He engaged with the youth by first asking questions to spectators for which he offered an iSimangaliso t-shirt or cap for the correct answer. These questions included identifying major problems faced by South African parks and the detrimental human impact on nature. iSimangaliso’s Slindile Msweli, Marketing Co-ordinator in charge of the logistics and a former bursary student supported by iSimangaliso, said that “the event gave iSimangaliso a platform to interact with the neighbouring communities, strengthen relationships and create awareness. The presentations were well received by the community present. You could see in other people’s faces the excitement of being part of this event; that made it special and it showed that even though thousands were not reached instantly an impact has been made on a few in one way or another, whether it’s a t-shirt they took away, bursary information or a few answered questions about the Park- that to me is an accomplishment.” Following the event it was gratifying to receive several letters of appreciation including from TM Mdletshe of Khula, who wrote to iSimangaliso to say: “We really appreciate what you did today at Nyamazaneni stadium. It’s given us the opportunity to learn and do something in life. I have gained more than I was expecting during today’s game. You taught me the importance of iSimangaliso and why we should protect our environment as youth.” Langa, on behalf of the Dukuduku communities and participants, said: “iSimangaliso showed a strong commitment to revive sustainable partnership with locals. Please pass my gratitude and best wishes to the entire staff, and management. From an environmental conservation perspective we need more similar gatherings, in order to achieve general support from the entire communities neighbouring the prestigious World Heritage Site.”

Sep 13 2017
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Learn how to Launch your Boat. @ Sibaya – Sodwana Bay

By Sodwana Bay

Learn how to Launch your Boat. Sodwana Bay Skippers Training courses Sodwana Bay is mostly known for its spectacular reefs and beaches worldwide but did you know that you can also learn how to safely launch your boat. As rule it is always better to learn from the best so we have listed the best Skippers License Training courses available in Sodwana Bay.