Sounds pretty dramatic,  but when you are in a country where anything and everything can take a precious life in a second, extra care and precaution should be taken – but that’s for later.

Up early for a change 🤣. Got the picnic ready, but kinda skipped breakfast, my favourite meal of the day.  Before long we headed out the door to grab the early ferry to Manly via the rail network.

With warnings of 40⁰C+ and the national park shut because of fire risks,  we had a change of original plan and headed back to Manly for snorkeling and a swim.

The main beach was closed due to strong currents and rip tides, though it was still packed with people paddling and surfers taking advantage of the rough sea conditions.

Although the sea wasn’t as clear as on previous days, an array of different fish, up to a foot in length could be seen swimming around us.

Benny to the rescue

The last few days of endless hikes and swims had taken its toll, especially with not having breakfast to fuel me the last few meters on my own.

So after about 30mins of proactive snorkeling around the rocks we headed across the bay to the other side.  About an 80m swim.  3/4 of the way across both thighs simultaneously started to cramp. Trying to lift my arms up the rolled up sleeves on the rash vest felt heavy and tight, almost restrained. Stopping whilst already struggling I pulled off my mask, in serious trouble, shouted for Benny to help who was a few meters in front.  Luckily he heard the call and returned to assist.  By this time panic was starting to set in. We were still about 50m from shore whilst explaining to Benny about the legs and arms and already starting to swallow water. Benny helped assist me by pushing me back to shallower ground. This seemed like an eternity as pure fatigue had set in whilst also trying to call for others to help – but no one heard.  Benny swam whilst continuously pushing me closer to shore.  Each push helped psychologically and have the strength for another one or 2 strokes. Luckily, the mask Benny wore had a cut-off valve so he was able to keep his head under water to see through the poor visability and push when needed. Eventually when it was shallow, the strong tides and increasing height and strength of the waves brought new obstacles. Drained, and devoid of energy we collapsed on the shoreline. Taking a couple of minutes to gather strength, it was time to head back to base camp for well needed water and food. This was a very lucky escape as more than once during this gruelling ordeal I thought it was game over.  Luckily Benny never gave up and we live to fight another day.  The girls and everyone else on the beach were oblivious to the situation, which only adds to the feeling of how quickly mother nature can take you, especially when you are not fully prepared both mentally and physically.  Cheers Benny, that was a very close call.

20 minutes later the lifeguards came in on their jet skis to usher everyone back to the shoreline or out of the water as a bull shark had been spotted in the vicinity. Signs quickly went you all along both Shelly and Manly beaches.

On the way back we stopped to chat to some lifeguards at Manly Beach before heading off in search of another beach to have our picnic, as there was no shade locally and the temperature was now soaring past 40⁰C.

Off on another adventure via a bus and an uber, eventually landing at Dee Why Beach. Though we stopped off at the Angel Tree of course.

After a good fill in the shade,  it was time for a swim.  If you fall off a seahorse you should get straight back on it. 

This time with the Sea getting rougher and the temperature still up in the 40s it was off to the rock pool. These were often made in the 1950s so people could practice swimming without the elements of nature and the local inhabitants of the seas 🦈 interrupting them.  Some are small but most are 50m in length like this one.

There was lifeguard training going on all around us but no sign of the shark this far north. That’s not to say the lifeguards aren’t being very proactive, they are everywhere.

Sunset at the Opera

After returning back to the flat, we decided that a bit later we would head out to see the sunset over the Opera House, grabbing a pizza on the way.

A walk, a bus and another walk through the beautiful botanical gardens found us perfectly placed across the harbour for the show.  Our walk was made slightly longer as we had to bypass the promenade whilst they did an evening outdoor showing of Hamlet on the huge screen by the harbour wall.

We headed back home through the park and we’re greeted by the flying fox bats.