Durban is a city in South Africa, the third most populous after Johannesburg and Cape town.
I have been there numerous times, enjoying good steak and wine in every single visit.
Even though there are plenty of activities to do, I only took the decision to explore twice. The rest of the times I was in food coma, literally.
First terrifying activity – swing jumping
I fell 80 meters into a stadium bowl! Crazy right?
In Moses Mabhida Stadium, crazy people like me pay to experience the world’s tallest swing according to the Guinness Book of Records since May 2011.
The whole experience starts on ground, where you go to Big Rush office outside the stadium. We reached there by taxi, which is quite cheap to use. You can get your ticket for just above 45 US dollars. Then, the experienced personnel will explain to you everything about the equipment and the process. Finally, get ready by wearing the quite heavy equipment and follow the instructors!
Instructors will lead you to the side of the stadium, where you will start climbing up the stairs to reach the swing level. While walking there you might be wondering what is this tiny line that connects both sides of the stadium. Guess what, you are jumping from there!!!
Take as many pictures as you can on the way up, the view of the ocean is just breathtaking. Take a moment to breathe and feel the fresh air of the ocean on your face. Moments like that are priceless.
Ok, back to adrenaline!
Need to mention here that you have a rope attached to you and the staircase throughout your climb to the swing. So far, so good, nobody is falling yet.
By the end of the staircase, you will probably be so tired, that you won’t even remember that you paid money to fall 80 meters into a stadium bowl! One thing that will remind you the purpose of all this, is ‘Who is next to jump?’
I was acting all cool and stuff until we reached to the level of the swing. It is kind of terrifying to look at the stadium from the top, knowing you will release yourself to – the nothing. I had to go down a tiny ladder to reach the level of all the ropes that are supposed to make you feel safe. Of course they keep you safe, but what about the emotional part! I was so close to quitting, but the people around me were supportive and I felt embarrassed to just leave.
When I reached the middle of the bridge, with all this heavy equipment, tears were all over my face. I could not control it, I was shaking. From the instructors’ point of view, it must be so funny. People can be super hyper, others might cry, others might scream way too much. It must be amusing for them.
The instructors explained to me how I am supposed to jump and how they will release me. I was crying and begging not to do it for a while but guess what…
I was screaming a lot and had my eyes closed for most of the jump. Also, it is not only the jump, it is a swing! After you jump, the rope is an elastic one, which will allow you to swing above the stadium. The whole swinging might last for a minute, then as you are just hanging from the rope, they will start pulling you up. Something that made me feel even more scared than the actual jump!
Anyway, I am a survivor. I survived the biggest swing of the world!
Obviously, someone else might feel completely different doing this activity. This is from a scared girl’s point of view. Hope you enjoyed it.
Let’s move to the next activity that made my parents question my life choices.
Shark Cage Diving!
We left the hotel very early in the morning, as we had an hour drive ahead of us.
We arrived at the Shark Cage Diving KZN just after sunrise. They have a cute little office by Rocky Bay. We got to know our instructors and were given all the information needed to experience this unique interaction with sharks.
Everything seemed to be easy, except wearing that wetsuit. It took me few minutes and I had to ask for help, too.
The whole tour lasted for 2 hours, with most of the time spent driving towards the reef location. We had to drive 5 kilometers off the coast of KwaZulu-Natal, south of Durban. We had to reach the Aliwal Shoal, which is a reef inhabited by many kinds of hard and soft corals and a variety of tropical and subtropical fish species.
The boat drive was super amusing for me! Not so amusing for people who had breakfast that morning. I did not have breakfast only because I woke up late. The only time in my life that waking up late was the right thing to do! The waves were so high, that our speed boat was ‘flying’ every few seconds. Loved it! The cage was attached to the back of the speed boat, which made every ‘landing’ in the water more fun – for me. For most of the people in the boat, let’s just say that we all saw what they had for breakfast.
After around half an hour, we reached Aliwal Shoal. The instructors dropped the cage in the water and divided us into teams of four. The cage is made from floating stainless steel. In that way, it always stays in the surface. Four people at a time were jumping from the boat into the cage. We were using masks to be able to see underwater.
First impression
The water was cold! After all, this is Indian Ocean. What was I expecting? It is better to keep your body under water as much as possible, because that cold breeze is not helping at all.
Few minutes after the first four people went in the cage, the first sharks appeared around us. They were just curious to see us. We all hoped they had their breakfast that morning!
It was an extremely peaceful moment, where different creatures of the planet observe each other. Unique experience, that brings you closer to the sea and its beautiful species. You can see Oceanic Blacktip sharks, Spinner sharks and few Tiger sharks during the summer, if you get lucky. During this adventure, we all swam in the same water, with the protection of the cage, keeping safe distance. How mind-blowing is this! If you are brave enough, you can request to snorkel freely with one of the experienced divers. Intense movements are better to be avoided, so sharks won’t get scared. I did not do the free snorkeling, cage was more than enough for me.
Only one of us did the snorkeling. The rest of us felt safer and warmer in the boat, under a couple of blankets.
We then had to drive back. Since we were all with empty stomach, the return trip was more pleasant for all.
Durban and generally South Africa is full of surprises and unique adventures.
A way to get closer to nature, have the most delicious food and connect with different cultures.
