tanzania – Bill's Blog

The last time I went scuba diving was in 2001 in the Western Australian Aquarium shark tank in Perth. My daughter Ocean completed her PADI open-water certification diving course and it was awesome for me to go on her first dive together as a certified diver! I did a refresher dive practicing all of the skills of diving and the safety precautions. Ocean is a natural in the water, it might have to do something with her name.

I earned my certification in 1991 with Dawn’s High Desert Divers in northern Nevada. I remember my first dive was in a geothermal hot pond in the Great Salt Desert. I continued diving on the Caribbean coast of Colombia, earning an advanced diving certification. Since then I’ve done quite a bit of snorkeling and swimming, but not much diving. Part of it was in Colombia I suffered from seasickness and hated all of the preparation to dive. My motion sickness has diminished as I am getting older, one of the only nice things about being in my 50s. I am not crazy about diving, but I think everyone should do it in their lives. The earth is 2/3 ocean and for those people who do not dive, they are missing out on a wonderful part of the planet.

I did six dives during the week, some with the students, some service dives, and others, just with the other teachers. The coral reefs of the Indian Ocean Tanzanian coast are making a comeback. Efforts of conservation and restoration of the reefs are taking place all up and down the coast. Country officials are realizing the economic value of ocean biodiversity. We helped the restoration of the reefs by planting cement shells that serve as a medium for coral growth. Local fishermen use dynamite to fish which destroys the coral. This is not prohibited, although it still occasionally occurs. Our school is establishing a relationship with Fish Eagle Point and others in the region to support their conservation and rehabilitation of the Tanzanian coral reefs.

I am proud of Ocean! She found time to complete the online course before leaving for the trip. She has a busy academic schedule and Ocean was not entirely enthusiastic about going. She had a little trouble equalizing her sinuses on the first couple of dives, but after that, excelled as a diver. She is now a certified PADI diver. I would love to get Owen and Oliver as divers as well so we could all do a Lake Superior dive this summer. We’ll see.

Placing the sound recording device anchor in the boat

Our friendly crew at the Mkomazi Campsite

I completed a lifelong dream of going on a safari in Africa. My daughter Ocean and I visited the Mkomazi National Park located on the border of Tanzania and Kenya. It is adjacent to the Tsavo West National Park on the Kenyan side. Mkomazi is little visited compared to the more famous Tanzanian parks in the Serengeti region. However, I was swept away by the majesty of the African savannah and Acacia-dry woodlands all the same. The park features breeding programs for Black Rhinos and the African Wild Dog. It was patched together through combining reserves and somewhat controversially, evicting pastoralists and local villagers without giving adequate compensation. During the long drive from Fish Eagle Point to the park, we saw many poor villages all the way up to almost the border of the park. We also saw the occasional Maasai herders, walking along the side of the road. I have mixed emotions as a rich foreigner able to visit the rhinos and celebrate the success of conserving a big piece of land.

The majestic **African Baobab Tree** **Adansonia digitata**

I was pleasantly surprised by the size of the park. It is slightly larger than my home of Iron County in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula (over 3,000 square kilometers). We didn’t start seeing large concentrations of animals until the interior of the park. It is the end of the dry season and many of the animals concentrate near watering holes. The Black Rhinos were used to tourists which was good that we got to see them, but bad in that it was a bit more of a zoo than a park.

Our campsite was beautiful. The views of the mountains in the background, the immense Boab trees, and the clear night skies were dreamy. We were definitely not “glamping” as it was a school trip. We all had basic tents with sleeping bags and mats. We had a delicious dinner on picnic tables. We paid extra to visit the rhinos and wild dogs’ breeding areas. I was disappointed that you just can’t go on an unaccompanied hike through the park. Part of it is for safety and part of it is not to disturb the wildlife.

I see the economics of tourism and national parks in Tanzania. I am glad my tourist dollars go to the local employees and government to give them a good life and conserve the incredible wilderness of Africa. The trip really opened my eyes to the beauty of Africa. It is similar to South America in many ways. It is a bit poorer with less infrastructure, but the nature of the tropics is on par with the Amazon, Pantonal, Andes, etc. I feel so fortunate to experience a safari. I remember Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom with Marlin Perkins as a kid (1963-1988). Growing up in a little town in northern Michigan, I always wanted to visit the exotic locales and see the wilderness that they featured on the show. I hope to go back and experience more of African wilderness.