Nkhata Bay
Swimming, Scuba and Serenity
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Swimming, Scuba and Serenity
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Lake Malawi, the third largest lake in Africa, 9th largest in the world, is a natural wonder. Home to more species of fish than any other fresh water body in the world, scuba divers come from far and wide to experience her bountiful embrace.
Nkhata Bay, one of Malawi's most developed lakeside towns, originally gained fame for this underwater revelation but now calls to any dust and dirt laden African traveler who craves a dip in one of Africa's cleanest and clearest swimming spots. Fringed by a clean and rocky shoreline, light green hues race towards a darkening deep blue under world. Such a beautiful spectacle above, I couldn't wait to see from below. But first, finding a place to sleep. A variety of backpackers (hostels) line the bay but as Nofar, Emanuel and I soon learned, the variance in price, amenities and service is tremendous! Advertising cheap rooms, free wifi and a happening bar, Big Blue Star, was a big blue dud! A delusional English woman’s dream of a successful backpackers. Built on an architects worst nightmare, the property suffered from every type of grade, none of which seemed even. Our room, built on a permanent 30-degree slant, did anything but harbor a good nights sleep. The fear of a splintered, hard-wood floor meeting an accidental roll out prevented my REM cycles from ever reaching dream mode. As for the, "happening", bar, the only inhabitants were a few oversized insects and the only beer on site was served luke warm. The restaurant, sporting a promising menu, was our only hope. "I'll take the cheeseburger please." Ten minutes later, the server returned, "Sorry, we are out". "Okay, how about a pizza?" "We are also out". Seriously? Our first and second choices all unavailable due to limited stock? Settling on a chicken sandwich and a few pastas, the meal took over 1 1/2 hours to prepare, each dish tasted like re-heated, frozen dinners, and worst of all, it was served ice cold. |
Expressing our frustrations to the quirky English owner, she responded with rants and raves of agreement. "I can't believe it took this long! It was cold?" Good help is so hard to find!" Blah, Blah. Then, as if to regain our confidence, she admitted the cook was also their gardener. The 'normal' cook was away and she placed the inexperienced gardener in his position. So, what you're telling me is the person preparing my food also pulled weeds, swept your dusty steps and disposed of property dog poo this morning? Yuck!
Wifi was the only advertised big blue attribute I can affirm. Especially after learning how difficult finding internet can be in Nkhata Bay. Still no wifi was worth this big blue blunder.
Wifi was the only advertised big blue attribute I can affirm. Especially after learning how difficult finding internet can be in Nkhata Bay. Still no wifi was worth this big blue blunder.
The better, and slightly more expensive option, was a few km’s down the road. Located on the other side of the bay, Mayoka Backpackers was a world away from Big Blue. The rooms were built as one would expect, on an even plane, the food served piping hot and drinks were actually cold. Mayoka also boasted an incredible swimming area. No sand for lounging, but a series of wooden decks and natural rock formations made for incredible dips. Free snorkeling gear is also provided and a floating pontoon makes for a great afternoon hangout.
Spending 3 days in this beautiful haven, the girls and I snorkeled, sunbathed and dined like queens but my primary activity had yet to be ticked -
Scuba diving.
Rumored to be one of the cheapest dive sites in Africa, I expected a going rate of 20-30 USD per dive. Wrong. I was shocked by the rate! 50 USD per dive? As mentioned with all my Africa blogs, prices are relative and 50 big one's might not seem like much by western fronts but for Malawi? Picking my budget conscious jaw up off the ground, I replaced it with an overpriced regulator and dove in.
Descending through the soft flickers of light refraction, the surreal, otherworldly sensation accompanying the beginning of any dive washed over - entering an unknown kingdom few have the privilege of seeing. Breaking past the shallow light show, the bottom soon came into focus - a vast ledge of smooth stone and boulders. The visibility was better then any ocean dive. No sand, dirt or current to contend with, just pristine visuals in every direction.
Scuba diving.
Rumored to be one of the cheapest dive sites in Africa, I expected a going rate of 20-30 USD per dive. Wrong. I was shocked by the rate! 50 USD per dive? As mentioned with all my Africa blogs, prices are relative and 50 big one's might not seem like much by western fronts but for Malawi? Picking my budget conscious jaw up off the ground, I replaced it with an overpriced regulator and dove in.
Descending through the soft flickers of light refraction, the surreal, otherworldly sensation accompanying the beginning of any dive washed over - entering an unknown kingdom few have the privilege of seeing. Breaking past the shallow light show, the bottom soon came into focus - a vast ledge of smooth stone and boulders. The visibility was better then any ocean dive. No sand, dirt or current to contend with, just pristine visuals in every direction.
Flipping slowly through the calm waters we followed the contours of the escarpment towards a darkening underwater horizon. Swimming past the rocky outcropping, we now hovered over a black abyss. Swallowed whole by the darkness of depth, the finite nature of such a drop was eerie and invigorating! The curiosity of the unknown filling my lungs far more then my air tank. My instructor allowed me to savor the moment and even dive deeper into the void then most companies might allow but in luo of limited air supplies and so much more to explore, we ascended to just below the ledge and continued along its side.
The rock formations were jaw dropping. Swimming below gigantic boulder hangovers, through natural caves, and between slabs of stone, what the dive lacked in plant life was made up for in unique terrain. My most memorable moment of the dive occurring when a huge shadow passed over head. Rolling onto my back I looked up and found a gigantic stone slab perturbing from the escarpment. It's shadow resembled an alien vessel invading a foreign world when in reality, the only invader here, was me. |
It was in shadows like these we hoped to discover the, "shadow hunter", Chisembe. Nocturnal hunters by nature, my dive master was hopeful we might find one of these elusive fish waiting for the promise of night below the smattering of boulders. Waving his hand back and forth just outside a small, dark cavern, a fin suddenly appeared. Then a torso. And finally a head. His hand movement and subsequent ripple effect, caused the fish to back out of his hiding spot and into the light of the day. The key to this backwards trance, electro pulses.
Chisembe generate their own electric field. Emitting weak electric pulses, they are able to detect prey and communicate amongst themselves. Glorified, "food finders", the pulses are not audible to the human ear but under high tech equipment, sound like crackling electricity.
After exploring the ledge, we slowly ascended into the more lively shallows, home to the vast population of cichlids. A chic-what? Think of your favorite, pint-size underwater childhood pets. You know, the one's lucky to survive a few weeks in our tiny bedside plastic aquariums. Small and vibrant, these freshwater aquarium fish develop quickly in the lakes ecosystem, evolving into today, over a thousand different species. Many of which can only be found in Lake Malawi. Swimming through hundreds of these psychedelic fish was a perfect way end my dive and my time in "the land of smiles", Malawi. Zambia here I come! |