February 20, 2007

Do not underestimate the powers of the Lake-side….

Back, but not burning brightly - this last weekend did indeed take it’s toll - I smile at the memories, but not the cost.

An all time record 2 day bar tab of 22 grand (around $170 which is slightly extravagant for Africa) , 1 broken $500 camera, 1 broken set of Rayban shades (knock off cost in Vietnam $2 - but to replace out here....) and I nearly drowned.

There were sunset boat trips, fire juggling, four beautiful English teachers, drinks such as the Kampango Banger & the Malawian Russian, Kwasa-Kwasa music leading to dancing on the bar again, all round general debaucherised drinking till 830am, near miss of large fucking Ox + front bumper incident on the drive home.

The above shots show the lookout from the bar lakeside first thing Saturday morning - looks like glass - a peaceful serene setting indeed - all you can hear is the distant chatter of the village awaking and the birds in the tree’s - there wasn’t even enough energy in the water to lap at the shore.

365 km long and 52 km wide - covering a surface area of around 28’000km2 - at places they have no idea how far down it goes but estimates that it’s 2 or 3 km - Lake Nyasa is the third largest lake on the continent and thirteenth in the world - with the drop off’s under the surface, currents can be strong and when you see the waves suddenly change direction or when the wind picks up and brings you a sudden display of it’s true power, you appreciate that it’s no paddling pool out there.

Or at least I appreciate that now, where as when I decided to try and swim the 1km or so out to Thumbi Island (above) I think I underestimated it somewhat - my attitude was that it didn’t look that far and the water was as calm as I’d seen it - if we’d taken the Gecko boat out, we’d of been there in five minutes or so - besides I usually just swam out to where you see that boat resting, tap the bhoy and head back - this time I thought I’d keep going and see how tired I got and judge whether I could go all the way.

Once I got past the usual point, I felt like I could’ve easily kept on going - wasn’t tired at all - I headed on further out and I figured that I’d swim over to Thumbi and then, if I was shattered, I could just rest on the beach until I was ready to come back again or hitch a lift with one of the boat tours.

Around 600 or 700 metres out (halfway or so) I thought the sensible thing to do would be to head back to shore and then judge it that way - thinking being that if anything went wrong I’d be closer to people rather than further away - the water wasn’t quite so calm where I was at that time and although it wasn’t exactly breaking waves, I was still feeling the pull and throw of the waters tide rising and falling more so than closer to the shoreline.

I checked over far right and lined up with a boat to judge my position and then began to swim back to Cape McClear and Gecko - which up until then I hadn’t realised was quite so far away - then after five minutes or so of casually paced swimming, I looked across again to see how far I’d moved.

I hadn’t moved at all.

Apart from drifting further left towards the channel of the Cape leading back into the heart of the lake.

At first I just figured that I wasn’t swimming hard enough or perhaps I’d got my bearings out - I pushed a bit harder and that’s when I felt the current I was stuck in - and that’s when I began to panic a bit.

Well began to panic quite a fucking lot actually.

Usually there where fishing canoes criss crossing around this part of the lake, but there was nothing in sight - calling back to shore wasn’t an option as I was too far out - it also wasn’t like there where Bay-watch style lifeguards sitting around the place - the girls where already up and looking out from the bar veranda - I’d waved as I swam out - but waving now would not really of helped as they would of just waved back again and gone back to hangovers and breakfast - I knew that as far as getting anyone to help me out went, I was more than a little bit fucked.

The problem with a realisation like this is that you start to breathe too quickly and you’re blood starts rushing around getting it’s freak on - this leads to you getting tired faster and there is even less chance of pulling out of the current you’re stuck in - which is all very well to know as I sit and type - but when you are just drifting out to the big blue yonder and have no idea how to stop it happening, such knowledge does not really battle to the forefront of your thoughts.

This is because the word “Fuck” is in it’s way.

Stuck on repeat.

So panic set in and swim as hard as I could I did as that was the only answer to the situation in hand.

I pulled out of the current after a while, but once I had, I was fucking shattered - which meant the swim back to shore had now doubled in terms of the effort I had previously thought necessary - I’m far from being the worlds fittest fellow as well - and judging by the mess I’d gotten myself into - far from having the worlds sharpest mind too.

Obviously I got back eventually as I type this for you now - but at the time I was thinking I’d really taken a stroke too far.

Upon return I crawled up the beach and lay flat out on the deck before Paul breathing heavily - twas then that he told me of my foolishness and how many people he knew had underestimated the lake before us - how the current around Thumbi island circles the bay and then drifts out through the channel and out into the blue - that if you stand up on the veranda and look hard you can see the channels with the movements of the water and variations in colour showing the diversity of the depth - Id-jot me just stares out in the distance and thinks it’s a giant swimming pool.

Lauren scalded me later telling how when she’s diving she can sort of see the currents down there and put her hand in to feel the strength of flow - always strongest where the depth drops off and the cold water is rising up - leading me to remember those turtles rushing around the seas of the world in Finding Nemo.

All in all lesson learned - don’t underestimate the Lake.

And as Paul advised - when swimming, left to right along the shore is a much safer option than out into the big blue yonder.

Spo | February 20, 2007

Spo
Location:Gecko Lounge, Cape Maclear, Malawi.

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