The ‘Makatini from Cape Town’ and the True Viking Sea Kayak

‘The Makatini from Cape Town’ slips his toes into the cold but refreshing Atlantic ocean. With his paddle grasped in one hand, the sea kayak in the other, he pushes away and hops aboard. He is off on his next adventure with newfound companion ‘Richard the Lionheart’. Richard is leading the charge, setting the pace, as he dips his blade and we pull in unison. Each stroke propels ‘The Shamrock’ out of Three Anchor Bay and into the cold Benguela Current. ‘The Lionheart’ thinks he’s in charge, but alas it’s ‘The Makatini’ who has control. He applies some pressure with his right foot and the kayak slowly turns to starboard and heads towards the Cape Town Stadium.

The canopy of the kelp forest bobs up and down in the gentle roll of the swell. It looks like thousands of spinning tops dancing across a mirage. Below the surface the fronds extend up to 150 feet into the deep blue. They are fixed on the ocean floor and are home to an abundance of sea life and mammals. From here a Mola Mola, otherwise known as the Sunfish, makes his way to the surface to bask and reveals himself to the morning kayakers. This causes great excitement as there is a thrashing of paddles, people and vessels that all converge in orderly chaos to get a glimpse of the mystical sea creature. He takes one look at the shenanigans and gracefully departs to the depths from whence he came.

As we paddle up the coastline towards Cape Town Harbour, we have Robben Island on our port bow and Cape Town Stadium on the starboard while Table Mountain towers over it in the background. With every stroke Lionshead slips slowly away behind us as we move towards a flurry of activity and the occasional holler of excitement.

Drawing near with each pull on our paddles the shrieks become louder and louder, to the extent that we can decipher the words rolling off lips. “Dolphins!” The majestic mammals frolic and dance between kayaks on the water’s surface at leisure. The nearer they dive or break the surface the greater the whooping of delight is from the seafarers. We are totally engrossed in every movement that the dolphin pod makes. When ‘The Makatini’ and his companion ‘The Lionheart’ come to their senses they are almost at the entrance to Granger Bay Harbour. They have to make a hasty retreat to the safety of where they have come from, as their time on the water is drawing to a close.

Mimicking the ease and grace of a well maintained paddle steamer the comrades make their way towards Three Anchor Bay in a considerably shorter time than when they set off. Lionshead looms closer and closer with every inhale, exhale and stroke while the pair head into the bay at a rate of knots. They stop paddling and glide for 15 metres before ‘The Chieftain’ slips his foot overboard into the icy Atlantic, takes a deep breath and stands up to his knees in water. A wand in one hand and the kayak in the other he brings Richard ashore like a true Viking!