Zanzibar - My Miraculous Escapes

My Miraculous Escapes

by Benito De Souza - Zanzibar

UP to about fifteen years ago, skin-diving and goggle-fishing were little known to the inhabitants of Zanzibar, and the sport was occasionally indulged in by a few of the skin-divers from the neighboring territories, or tourists who happened to pay short visits to the picturesque, romantic and exotic Isle of Cloves, Zanzibar.

I was just a youngster when I first had a glimpse of this new and fascinating sport, and, being a fairly good swimmer, I pleaded with my father to let me have a try at goggle-fishing after I had seen two Englishmen dive underwater and come up with a fish at the end of their spear gun. I had followed them just about 200 yards outside our water front at the Band Stand next to our St, Joseph's Convent school where most of us would go swimming in the afternoons. I was just lost for words and totally amazed.

Reluctant though he was for fear that it might be dangerous for a lad of my age (I was about 12 at the time), but ever ready to grasp the opportunities for manly sports for his children, he allowed me to purchase the necessary equipment, but laid one firm condition that I should not go beyond a safe debt.

Great was my joy when I received my father’s consent, and greater still my happiness when, on my very first goggle-fishing expedition, scarcely ten yards beyond where my dad was swimming, I harpooned a five-pound coli-coli, a horse mackerel and a couple more small fish.

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My un-dying and passionate love for the sport was born with this thrilling success!

Fortunately, at this stage, there came into Zanzibar two intrepid English harpoonists’ the John Cameron couple, and I was lucky enough to be numbered among their friends. Under their coaching and guidance, I learnt as much as their own technique and knowledge could impart to me, and, within a few months, my, what I might call, probationary period in shallow waters was over, and I was deemed fit to enter deeper waters and “seek pastures new”.

I cannot forget to say that John Cameron's son, Tuan thought me water-skiing which was a sport I greatly enjoyed ending up teaching my other friends to do the same.

Now, after fifteen years’ experience of skin-diving and goggle-fishing which brought before my eyes the hitherto unknown wonders of the undersea kingdom, during which I had varied trials and errors in depths ranging from 40 to 80 feet, and the opportunities to learn a great deal of the habits of the denizens of the sea, I am in a position to award goggle-fishing the topmost rank in sports. Nothing could ever induce me to give up this sport for any other, be it water-skiing, hockey, soccer, table-tennis & tennis - all of which I participate in at appropriate times and seasons, and which constitute my other forms of recreation.

I feel very happy indeed that I took up this sport in all earnestness for it not only helped me to be a strong swimmer and to hold my breath long enough to go down as far as 80 feet without aqualungs, but also enabled me to save a drowning lad and retrieve the dead bodies of three men, one of which was lying 58 feet down in the sea, and had defied all efforts by several other skin-divers and swimmers. (The Accounts of these feats appeared in the Kenya Daily, “Mombasa Times” and in the “Zodiac” of London). I was also delighted to help the Zanzibar Port authorities in retrieving their lost moorings and anchors of considerable value.

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During this period, I was privileged to meet many a foreign skin diver or someone commercially connected with skin-diving. 

First and foremost I must mention Said Kharusi who turned out to be a good keen diver. Said Kharusi was a long standing close friend of our family and he was always ready to venture into the deep chasing the big game. Besides diving, Said Kharusi was a great hunter who thought me to kill gazzels, we called dig dig, hunting in the night with a spot light on your forehead. With the .22 rifle, he was a crack shot and I was privilleged to learn this sport. Also among the very best local divers were Arvind & Macran Patel. We as a diving team have many exciting stories to share besides diving in Bagamayo & Pemba Island. 

During my earlier days of diving, I must not forget to mention keen divers Fr. Alwyn Furtado, Wellington & Luis Almeida, Christopher Hurley, Bulu Martins, Cajitan, Billy and Dr. Earlich Menezes. Dr. Menezes kindly treated me to my first Mercury outboard engine for my boat Tutti Frutti my dream boat which brings back happy memories after all these years.

Mr. J. Wayne and family, the American millionaires, who with a troupe of actors were travelling around the world in their schooner “Via Vida” taking under-water photographs; a group of American researchers belonging to a scientific institute whose name unfortunately I cannot at the moment remember; the Italian group of goggler’s comprising of Corrado Pirzio, Dott. Ing Frederico de Minerbi, Senorita Nicolatta Riccio and their friends; Jeff Viner and Willie Wilson of the Cable & Wireless Ltd of England; Sr. Joao A. Cotta of Portugal; Tom Spencer, Bob Mason and Tom Boyette of the U.S.A. working for Project Mercury in Zanzibar; several officers and men of the visiting ships of the Royal Navy; and many others from different parts of the world. It gave me great pleasure to render them what assistance I could as an honorary guide in their researches and sport.  

I have during the last seven or eight years trained many a young man in goggle-fishing also known as spear fishing, and, with more and more enthusiasts joining the ranks of the gogglers’ fraternity, Zanzibar can well look forward to having a formidable team of skin-divers to help put the Island on the map as a Gogglers’ Paradise, being, undoubtedly, the finest sport in all East Africa for the lovers of the sport.

About three years ago, I was prevailed upon to organize a goggle fishing competition which proved a huge success, no less than 30 skin-divers taking part in the same. And two of the biggest fish bagged (rock cod) weighing 130 and 100 pounds respectively. The winners were Tom Spencer, Administrative Manager of the American Project Mercury Tracking Station at Zanzibar, and a 16-year old Zanzibar school boy, Billy Ahuja.

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Many would-be skin-divers and those interested in goggle fishing bombard me with various questions, the most prominent being, “don’t you think it is a dangerous sport?” Well, as this question has been answered by various authorities and goggle-fishing experts like Hans Hass, I limit myself to telling them what these experts say, adding that in every manly sport there is a certain element of danger, and one has to be wary and cautious when participating in this sport as in any other.

“Are there good ‘hunting grounds’ in Zanzibar?”, is the first question which no visiting goggler fails to ask. Not for nothing have I said earlier, “Zanzibar is a Gogglers’ Paradise”. And so indeed it is for nature has been very prolific in catering for the tastes of every kind of goggler, and the Island abounds in reefs where one can have a glorious time either in harpooning fish or in admiring or photographing the submerged landscape of exquisite beauty.

Among the coral rocks and gardens which cannot fail to make the beholder gape at nature’s beauty with awe and admiration and believe that he is in the world of fantasy, may be seen graceful gorgonians, gorgeous fans, plumes and sea feathers, colorful strong coral, intriguing brain coral, artistic star coral, dangerous stinging coral and several other varieties.

Those interested in sea-shells will not be disappointed with the wealth of shells awaiting there for the intrepid and industrious collector to pick up, such as globular, three banded, wrinkled and owen’s swallow cowries, not to mention many other species of lesser importance and value.

Finally, for those who would care to shoot fish for the family pot or are bent upon (hope there are not many with such a propensity) bloody slaughter of the marine inhabitants, the reefs abound in species of fish – some, mild in nature, others, pugnacious in temperament, and all of varying sizes, weights, hues and colours. 

For the gourmet with a harpoon gun there should be no difficulty to make his choice from among the mild and danger-free horse maceral, rock cod, king fish, Red Snapper and parrot fish; for those with an adventurous spirit and bellicose temperament and who are never happy except when they face danger and successfully overcome it, there is the much-feared shark, the dangerous Manta Ray and the Razor-toothed Barracuda.

Much has been said and written about the vicious temper of the barracuda and of its propensity to attack anyone within reach. I have, so to say, wallowed amongst them, and shot dozens of them varying in weight from 30 to 50 pounds apiece, and, though they all gave me a vicious look, enough to frighten away any man of average courage, not one ever approached me with a hungry desire to wrench a juicy piece of flesh off me. Can it be that its wickedness is exaggerated by the writers or that I have been exceptionally lucky?

The following are some of the sports which cannot fail to satisfy the most ha goggler, be he a harpoonist, photographer, naturalist, researcher or just an admirer of nature; Ras Nungwe  and Maziwe in the North; Mnemba and Kiwengwa in the the North East; Pacoo, Boribo and Tambare in the West; Kizimkazi and Makunduchi in the South; and Ariadne in the South West. Anyone who has time to do so should also visit the sister Island of Pemba where there are excellent reefs where fish abound.

“Did you ever have a real alarming experience”, is another question which many ask me. It would be sheer bravado to deny that I was ever frightened. In fact, I once had such a terrible experience with a Manta ray that I decided never again to engage myself in battle with this monstrous beast.

I was about 25 feet deep down waiting or a red snapper which I had sighted when I saw something like a muddy loud hovering above my head. Looking up I saw a giant ray directly over me. 

Unfortunately, I did not have my powerful Cressi Churnia spring gun with me at the time and I was only armed with a Champion gun, so I felt that even if I shot and scored a “bull’s eye”, it would have no effect and the monster would escape; but the thought that the Champion gun had never failed me in the past urged me to go ahead, and the temptation not to let the beast go unscathed proved too strong, and I, almost automatically, pulled the trigger and let him have it.

What happened next beggar’s description. The monster shot off faster than any Olympic 100-yard sprinter could ever have done at the sound of a pistol. In the twinkling of an eye, so to say, it had vanished from sight, and I found myself being hurtled ruthlessly towards the bottom of the sea with the gun held firmly in my hand but with no liberty to do aught but allow myself to be dragged mercilessly down, down, down …. Away from the surface.

I imagine I must have been at least 60 feet down when, in utter desperation, I thought of abandoning the gun and the quarry. As luck would have it, I found that the “towing” had stopped making me wonder whether the monster had managed to escape, and I began my ascent to the surface. This was no easy matter as I had been under water far too long and almost exhausted. However, I did manage to draw myself up and take a deep breath and dispel the fear in my boatman that I was drowned or lost. “Never did I see a man stay so long under water; you must be a ‘fish-man’”, was his comment.

And, as I began to pull in the line, I felt a sudden tautness in it and the gun almost jerked out of my hands. The monster was at it again, but, fortunately, this time it decided to travel almost along the surface of the water, and I was thrilled to get, what I might call, a real joy ride! Keeping my head above water, I held the gun tenaciously in my hands and allowed the beast to do what it took a fancy to do, but took the precaution to warn the boatman to keep within sight of me.

It went in large circles round the boat, sometimes, at lightning speed and, sometimes, leisurely. After it had done this about half a dozen times, during which it must have covered no less than three to four miles, it appeared to show signs of fatigue, and I grasped this opportunity, when I was within easy reach of the boat, to seek safety in the boat. The boatman and I then took over the role, hitherto indulged in by the ray, of pulling the brute towards the boat. It proved a tough job, the monster’s frantic efforts to free itself being strenuous and mighty. I then put another spear into it and tied both the lines to the boat. The task of towing him along was now easy and we landed safely with our prize at the Ras Nungwe beach. The monster weighed 180 pounds.

“Have you ever had a real serious encounter with sharks?”, is yet another question which never fails to crop up, Yes, I did have rather a terrifying experience with a shark one day. I had harpooned about 3 rock cods, stringed them together and was preparing to shoot another, when I saw a shark approaching me. Before I could say, “Jack Robinson”, it flashed passed me like a dart, and, then circling round me twice, it stood motionless looking at me viciously, obviously weighing whether I would prove to be too strong an adversary or whether it should attack me.

Even though I had read that sharks do not attack humans so very easily, (especially Zanzibar being a coral reef with plenty of fish around), I could not ignore the possibility of an attack, and, to be frank, I felt, for the first time in my life, a real freight; and something, may be what is known as the sixth sense, set my mind planning a discreet withdrawal from the scene of danger.

I knew there was a great cave at the bottom, not far from me, and taking a deep breath, I made straight for it only to find, seconds later, the shark almost beside me; one might have thought it was my pet following me as faithfully as does my terrier Rex.

The evil intentions of the shark were now quite apparent, and I was wondering as to how I could extricate myself from the danger zone, when I saw a fairly large octopus creeping along the coral in my direction. No sooner seen than done, I took my diving knife, plunged the sharp blade into its vitals and, as luck would have it, managed to kill it. The black ink it threw out obviously frightened, or was resented by the shark which turned around and disappeared giving me just time to rise to the surface for the much-needed fresh air. At the same time I abandoned the few fish I had strung together in a panic mode.

Hardly had I taken a deep breath and muttered a silent prayer for help, when the monster was, once again, seen gliding gingerly towards me. I was now in despair, and, hardly knowing what I was doing, I flung the octopus with the knife embedded in it in the direction of the shark, and much to my relief and satisfaction, the shark did exactly what I had hoped it would do: it swallowed the free but lethal gift I had thrown to it without further thought, and, after what looked like an agonizing and spasmodic somersault by the shark, it rushed towards me with lightning speed giving me no chance either to swim away from its path or take any safety measure. The next thing I saw was blood oozing out from my thigh; and, believe it or not, it then circled round me once again and did the disappearing act, never to return to its intended prey – poor me.

I guess it found in the octopus and the sharp knife not only a delicious dish but also a sure ticket to its doom! Up to this date I have not been able to ascertain whether it had attempted to bite my leg off or whether it had struck me with its fin; even the medico who treated me and put three stitches on my thigh was unable to confirm whether it was the first or the second; all that remains to remind me of my first and, I hope, the last dangerous encounter with a shark in is a scar on my thigh which is fast disappearing.

In previous encounter with sharks, if a shark was circling around the area more than twice, I would immediately abandon the reef and move to another. Though I knew sharks are afraid of humans as much as we are afraid of sharks, I avoided taking any chances.

I have had a long spell of goggling which I have enjoyed to my heart’s content, but I have one regret that I never took up under-water photography, which, had I so done at the time of my diving years, would have given me enough material to embellish the pages of any book to be entitled, “Treasures of the Sea”, and which, I have not the least doubt, would result in the land of my birth and the home of my childhood being given a glamorous name

                          Zanzibar A Gogglers’ Paradise.

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In 1997 I planned to release a Guide book titled 'Scuba Diving in Zanzibar' and made the trip with a professional Diving Instructor Ian Mosely. Our project involved Ian taking still photographs and myself taking video.

My guide to Scuba diving in Zanzibar would provide full details of all various reefs and types of fish from viewing big Manta rays, Hammer Headed sharks, Barracuda and all Coral reef fish.

Unfortunately my project failed as to my surprise many of the coral reefs were destroyed by use of dynamite to kill fish.

Furthermore my underwater camera was not good enough, not being digital our project was abandoned though we enjoyed 14 days of scuba diving in most of the reefs and I have many video clips for general viewing and not as a marketable product.

I had made a full study of all the coral reefs around our Island of Zanzibar from North to South and East to West where the secret of big game spear-fishing was to be at the right reef at the right time and right incoming tide depending on what type of fish you were after. Channel diving was special and I always worked with the Tide book following the incoming tides. 

For general guideline I enclose the tides marking the various reefs in Zanzibar.

GUIDELINE TO SPEARFISHING –

VISITING THE BEST REEFS AT THE RIGHT TIME.

The big secret of spearfishing is to go to the right reefs around Zanzibar at the right Tide and Time where you catch the incoming Tide. This is mainly when deep diving in channels following the big game like Barracuda, Lynx (Karambisi), King Fish and the odd grey sharks.

Channel diving involves being at the reef with the incoming tide before sunset and the secret is just dive down, restrict movement whilst holding your breath underwater around 35-40 below the surface and the big game moving in shoals will come right in front of you and you pick the one you wish. (Benny always went for the biggest).

To enable me to plan my dives every month, I used the TIDE TABLE copy below for quick viewing.

Normal reef diving for Grouper, Red Snapper, Parrot fish and other reef fish is no problem but again the best time is during the incoming tide.

My diving dream came to an end in 1964 when I left Zanzibar for the UK and later took up Scuba diving and under water photography. You will see some video clips on my website in due course.

P.S. The secret of deep diving and holding your breath underwater for long period of time will be disclosed on this web page to assist others still fortunate to be spear-fishing on our tropical island Zanzibar and across the Caribbean.

Now as a Scuba diver, we avoid touching or damaging coral and the dream for spear fishing has long gone. 

SHELL COLLECTING:

Do check out my Shell collecting web page and view part of my shell collection. Again the secret of collecting rare valuable shells is revealed. Another hobby I enjoyed mainly assisting my mum who was a great shell collector.