On my recent trip to South Africa, thanks to Jennae from Access2Africa Safaris and Ann from uShaka Marine World, I got to try something I have never done before. I knew we were going to to check out this fun place as it is one of Durban’s top tourist destinations, but I just thought we were just going to check out the 5th largest aquarium in the world. This theme park consists of 5 sections: uShaka Sea World, uShaka Wet N’ Wild, uShaka Beach, uShaka Village Walk, and uShaka Kids World. Before checking out the giant aquarium, it was suggested I should go snorkeling at uShaka Sea World as it was almost feeding time for the fish and I would get to see them up close and personal.
meeting the friendly staff at uShaka Sea World
I was a bit hesitant in trying snorkeling as I have never done this before and I haven’t really put my whole head underwater. I have gone floating in a swimming pool and sitting in a water wheelchair in a hot tub but having my head totally submerged is a new thing for me. It was not even the hottest day to get in the water but I wanted to do this regardless. The change room is not the most accessible so I had to get my buddy and another male friend to help me change. The bench is too small for a disabled person to lay down on and change so we had one person hold me up while another help me with my shorts. The room itself should be a bit bigger but we still made it work.
change room is a bit small and does not have a full changing bed
It was then time to be lifted onto the water wheelchair and have a life vest put on me. There was also a briefing of how to bite onto the mouthpiece of the snorkel while breathing and what to expect while snorkeling. I like how there was a ramp incline to get into the water and I was slowly wheeled into the water. The water was a bit cold but I was too excited about snorkeling to care. With a few people holding me, I was let out of the water wheelchair and was flipped around on my stomach with my head in a floating ring. I found this overwhelming and uncomfortable as I was trying to hold my head up slightly and trying to bite the mouthpiece and breathe.
geared up and ready to be wheeled down the ramp into the water
So to make it easier, I was put back in the water wheelchair and just had the chair parked on the edge of rocks in the water. Whenever I wanted to look underwater, I would just take a deep breath and leaned forward into the water. I was just so amazed at all the fish in the water. From above, I could not tell that there was so much fish swimming around. The goggles stayed on properly and I got a great view of everything. The fish were being fed so it was great to see so many fish near the surface. At times I thought some of the fish would bite my feet or legs but they were friendly instead.
getting help to look down
this is what i get to see looking down
So glad I got to do this. I can’t believe how accommodating the staff at uShaka Sea World was and how much I actually enjoyed snorkeling. It got a bit getting used to and was surprised how they made it really accessible for all types of abilities to enjoy this. Besides the change room not exactly fitting my needs, the whole experience was another hit with Acces2africa Safaris. Definitely have this in your itinerary when you book with them. I would do this again when I come back to Durban.
thanks again to uShaka Sea World and Access2africa Safaris for setting this up for me
Again, thanks to Durban Tourism, Tourism KwaZulu-Natal, Umhlanga Tourism, uShaka Sea World and Access2africa Safaris for making this trip possible. Please visit each website for more info.
