Mozambique

I got one of the biggest frights of my life! I recently went to Mozambique. Its Sunday... about 5:30 am, it was overcast, and the sea was rough and unforgiving.

It was my last chance to go spear fishing before the drive home. I navigated my way into the surf and over the rocky point, at the same time, trying to avoid getting totally broken on the rocks which were being exposed when the water receded.

The water visibility was up to shit, only about 1.3m. I swam out about 700m in the hope of getting better vis, but I was shit out of luck, as it was as bad as the vis along the shore line. I went down to about 15m to see if I could find any game fish, I found nothing but disappointment and frustration.

I started my assent, muscles burning, and lungs stinging for air. As I was nearing the surface, I glanced down only to see a shark swimming straight for me! It was about 70cm wide pectoral fins splayed out telling me it’s pissed off with me being there! In one motion, I pointed my spear gun in its direction and I broke the surface, took a breath of air and I immediately plunged my head back under the water to try see where the shark was, but it had vanished into the murky water! I promptly made a quick exit plan and headed to the relative safety of the bay whilst regularly looking out for the shark! That was the longest swim of my life!

Im not too sure about this one...

Priorities'.

Part of a dead jelly fish.

Yet another dead jelly.

The local market.

A typical run down building in Mozambique.

A soccer game where most of the players had no shoes.

Dairy farm

Piles of cow shit greeted you around every corner, just begging for the moment you step on them! Your nasal cavity is assaulted with all sorts of unpleasant smells and odours alike. One of the more frustrating parts to the entire exercise is knowing there is copious amounts of bovine excrement caked to the bottom of each one of your tripod legs.

It had been so long since I had last trotted around a dairy farm that I had almost forgotten what to expect...

The fly and tong

I see you!

The old barn

A soft dappled light penetrates through one of the once grand, now dirty windows, lighting up the dust in the air. It was quite a sight due to the intensely dark and over powering shadows in the background.

I was the skeleton of a decommissioned power station. Such a great sight, such size, it is hard to believe that the place was just left standing there. Walking through the old housing where the generators once stood, now, all that is lift is the concrete bases and the steel supports which are too thick to cut with simple means. The rest of it has been stripped and sold off as scrap. The coal shoots’ are still there only due to their in-accessible location, approximately 5 stories up in the roof.

Nature slowly reclaiming....

Coal shoots are above...

One of the coal shoots.

As I walked through the old chambers, there are still signs lift behind, which offer a glimpse back in time to an era long past, to the days of the apartheid.

Health hazard warnings are throughout the buildings.

Inside the base of one of the chimneys.

A chimney maintenance hatch.

Rush and Rivets.

One of the structural supports.

Coal distribution warehouse

Part of the power station...

The Fire

I was on my way home at 1:30am from shooting a wedding. I took the off-ramp and I noticed smoke coming from the business park on my right. Being a firefighter and just loving fire I raced off in the direction from where the smoke was coming.

The timing couldn't have been better if I had planned it! There I was with my camera, 3 really great lenses, and this fire which had just started. Only the local security guards were runnung around madly! The Next few photos are from that most awesome evening!

What I really appreciate about this photo is the glass melting in the frames. Particularly the top left and the center left rows.

Just before the front section of the warehouse collapsed.

As the corrugated iron structure started to collapse in onto itself, a joint in a water pipe gave way, resulting in a shower that saved one of three trucks parked in an ally just bellow where I was standing. The two other trucks melted and a fourth truck inside the warehouse was completely destroyed.

The intense heat was enough to make the corrugated iron warehouse glow.

To the rescue...