we arrive at the bottom of the ocean
with no one to guide us
but we make our way
through strange passages
reminiscent of asylums of old
shipwrecks of yonder years
but we persisted in our course
destined to arrive at the treasure
of all knowledge
alas
our route lay destroyed
like a shipwreck
on the ocean floor
where we now greet the newcomers
with no hint at the hell they cannot escape
Welcome to the Bottom of the Ocean
We live in a strange world, strange because of the very nature of life — strange animals and strange natural occurrences — but also strange because of the way we humans are. Modern humans want to categorise and define everything, no stone is left unturned, we cannot leave anything "untouched" or wild. And therefore the strange phenomena of zoos and aquariums and all of these places where we exhibit animals for our human eyes to take delight in. How strange.
That said, these places are a reality, and even though most of their charity work is questionable, I am not one to know enough to have a position on them. Usually, I do not go to these places, but my fiance and I were in a foreign town and we did not know what to do besides sticking to the "touristy" areas (in our own country!). So we ended up going to uShaka Marine World Aquarium in Durban, KwaZulu Natal, South Africa. Please join me on this virtual tour of this strange place where you can go to the Bottom of the Ocean.
(NOTE: I do not like places like this, and I do not condone any of the behaviour of people working at these places. I know that places like this all over the world harm animals for the entertainment of humans, and even the little bit of charity and education they do cannot offset the harm that they cause animals. However, these places exist, and public money does support it. The individual cannot begin to change the depressing situation.)
Arriving at uShaka Marine World
We arrived early, and we were one of the first to enter the park or marine world. It was quiet and the early morning sun was a welcome to the cold but fresh air. As you arrive at the marine world or park, you are greeted by many different cultures, wildlife, and places.
The outside is decorated in what I presume are traditional shields and spears, but at the same time, you are greeted with a gigantic shark mouth suspended in the middle of the walkway trying to bite you. Just a bit further along, you are greeted by a confluence of different cultures, traditions, and food. From Durban-Indian spices, to traditional African beads and even some gemstone shops! On the beachfront, you are also greeted with many different shops that sell different foods and drinks; it is truly an amalgamation of differences!
But we were not here for the food or drinks, or the things you could buy to give to friends and family, we were here to get to the bottom of the ocean! Before that though, I could not help but get a little "photographic" with all of the nice scenery around us.
A Quick Photography Interjection
In classic fashion, I bent down and got into various strange positions to take some photographs of the old ships and ropes. As with many of my photographic series, I love to take photographs of decaying and weathered objects. The marine world or oceanfront walkways provide ample reason to bend down and take a closer look!
But we could not spend the whole day taking photographs of things outside of the marine world aquarium or the so-called bottom of the ocean...
Ready to Go to the Bottom of the Ocean
We booked ourselves a one-way ticket to the bottom of the ocean...
Okay, not really. We took our tickets and we began to make our way to the bottom of the ocean. This was my first time here, as my fiance have been here before. So I did not really know what to expect, even though most of these places are somewhat similar.
But the uShaka Marine World has some nice touches that really make you feel like you are going to the bottom of the ocean.
At first, you need to make your way through the walkway that ends at the bottom of a broken ship.
Here you enter the aquarium and you are greeted with the sign:
This is then where you begin to descend into the bottom of the ship towards the bottom of the ocean. You are first greeted with the massive skull of a whale, and it really just puts into perspective how big these creatures are. Again, I am not fond of these places, but in moments like this when you are confronted with in this case the skull of these ocean monsters, you cannot help but feel small in the face of these giants. It is a beautiful moment, one you cannot get when you are not confronted with their size and beauty. Not everyone will get the opportunity to confront their size in the wild, and here we are afforded to this privileged moment.
But we are also greeted by our guide, the lonely ocean suit man who presumably died at the bottom of the ocean tangled in his own nets. Jokes aside, the inside decor is strangely anti-human in some sense. We are confronted with decaying shipwrecks, old material no longer usable, devoid of humans. But the ocean life took over, showing us just how our creations can become a home for these animals.
I particularly like the old diving suit, as it reminds me of scary stories we used to watch when we were children!
At the bottom of the ocean, we are confronted with destruction and life. The beautiful contradiction and contraries. Human things, like the above toilets and washing basin, are contrasted with the fish and animals below.
At each instance, we are reminded by life and death, not just us but the animals themselves. I particularly like the photograph below-right in which the fish is swimming through a kitchen setup. The philosophical musings I can write about just that image. In short, it is beautiful how human life is illustrated as fleeting and brief, may it be a warning to us all!
Here is also a short video of one of the sharks that swam past us:
And I could not help myself to capture a moment of the girl, the model, the fiance, who suddenly turned into a mermaid (of kind) and swam away...
The (Controversial) Dolphin Show: Education or Smoke Screen?
When my fiance wanted to go to the dolphin show, which was included with the ticket and which promised to be a moment of education, I felt a bit odd. We are always confronted with stories like those of Sea World which is imbued with controversies, and visiting a show with dolphins in them reminds me of these places.
I am not sure how these animals are treated, and I am not sure if uShaka Marine World is part of any of these controversies, but any show with animals requires them to be trained and one can merely speculate on what goes on behind closed doors.
This is all speculation from my side, and there is nothing to indicate that something bad is going on. The show, after all, is labelled as education and they put on various shows with the aim to teach especially the uneducated about sea life.
Do not pollute, Do not harm, and all of these "do nots" are given in song and dance with big stuffed animals (people in costumes) to us an unusual performance.
These performances purport to help educate everyone. After their performance, we are greeted by the MC for the show.
The MC is extremely friendly, engaging, and passionate. One can only hope that this is sincere and coming from the heart. She engages with the public but also the "feeders" who are the trainers of individual dolphins. As I understand it, the dolphins bond with certain trainers, and these people then dictate to them what to do; jump and play with a rubber ball and so on.
These dolphins are rescued animals, and like so many of these places, they are dolphins that cannot be released back into the wild for many reasons. They are then used, as in this case, to educate the general public, and to raise awareness. Some of these dolphins are more than 30 years old and have been part of the show from the start.
One can just hope that the message comes across to the many people who visit this show, but it is always such a contrast with fast food chains selling their food in plastic just outside of this swimming pool; we all know the plastic and ocean situation...
We can only hope...
Postscriptum, or So Our Adventure Ends
And with the closing of the dolphin show, our adventure ended. I felt a bit strange, with all of these thoughts going through my mind. We humans are a bit strange, aren't we?
Alas, the Marine World really again reminded us of the beauty of ocean life, and how we should do everything in our power to save it from our own interventions.
I also hope that you enjoyed this virtual tour with me. If you ever find yourself in Durban, South Africa, don't hesitate to visit this place, even if only to marvel at life from up close and exploit the strange situation we are in. We all should be reminded of the incredible world we live in.
For now, happy travels, and stay safe.
All of the photographs (and video) in this post are my own, taken with my iPhone or my Nikon D3200. The musings are also my own, albeit inspired by our strange human-ness and the beauty of the world/nature.