Valentine’s Day got off to an early start for us on Mafia Island. The manager of Nungwi Diving was waiting in his truck at 5:30am while we stumbled out of our tents in the dark and grabbed our things for the day. At least we had gotten some sleep that night. During our first night on Mafia, an intense thunderstorm tested our tents with torrential rain while thunder boomed and lightning lit up the world outside. We had avoided the rain for the majority of the trip (Jon and I that is, Steph had endured months of the rainy season in other African countries), but the rainy season was beginning on the coast, just in time for our week on the beach.

It was our third day on the island and our second day of diving with Nungwi divers, a company we picked for their small size and willingness to provide free transport to the Marine Park. The Marine Park and the island’s dive shops were located on the opposite side of the island from Afro Beach Camp, where our tents were pitched for the week. The distance was a downside, but the price was right and we were closer to the whale shark action by staying at Afro.

We couldn’t find any other company to take us out so early and we were determined to do 3 dives a day to cut down on Marine Park entrance fees. We also wanted to take the 15th off so we could enjoy a good meal out and indulge in a few drinks on Valentine’s Day.

It only made sense that Valentine’s Day would be a group activity. When Jon and I started dating it was made clear to him pretty quickly that when it came to our lives travelling, there would be three people in this relationship. Luckily, his and Steph’s laid back personalities matched and we all benefited when we realized that I could happily lag behind snapping pics while Jon and Steph would lead the way exchanging thoughts on the Vancouver Canucks and American politics. Once while in Diani, a beach boy called me over and suggested that I spend time with him and leave Jon and Steph, who were a fair bit ahead of me, to enjoy their romantic beach time without me tagging along as a third wheel.

We had been the only clients on our first dive day, but today another diver joined us for the morning dives. We dove the Kinasi Pass and Bindini North. The water was 29 degrees and the visibility was good enough to feel like we were in an aquarium. Our dive boat was a simple fishing boat, which I preferred over bigger vessels for sea sickness reasons.

We dropped the other diver off at Mango Beach Resort and took advantage of their hammocks while completing our surface interval. On our way back from diving Coral Gardens, we began discussing our schedule for the rest of the week. We wanted two more days of diving, but the back and forth from camp to dive shop to marine park was getting to be a bit much. Our divemaster came up with a great proposition. He would pick us up with all of our things on the morning of the 16th, we’d do our dives for the day, then we could pitch our tents in the yard of the dive shop where they park their boats and hose down the gear. That way we could wake up and do one last morning of diving without having to pay the Marine Park fee twice. The shop had a bathroom and shower, so we were in!

We arrived back at Afro and were pretty tired after a long day, but we hadn’t even made it to our tents when the owner came running up to us telling us to get into his boat, whale sharks had been spotted off the beach! For the past three days, we had watched multiple whale shark tours go out and return disappointed. One woman, also staying at Afro, had already been out twice for hours and had not seen them. We went straight to the boat and by the time we had put on our fins, two whale sharks were spotted. We jumped in and swam alongside them for 20 minutes before we were all completely exhausted from trying to keep up while also dodging jellyfish. It was a way better experience than the one I had had in the Philippines where fishermen fed the sharks and dozens of tourists jumped in the water at once, completely surrounding the sharks. There, they even needed a sign that said “Don’t put your children on the whale sharks”. This was a far more peaceful experience for us and the sharks who were free to swim away when they pleased.

By the time we got back, we were wiped. The staff invited us to a Valentine’s Day party happening somewhere on the island, but the cost to join (transport, entrance and dinner) was crazy, and we didn’t really know any of them that well, so we took a pass. We couldn’t have dinner at the Afro restaurant since they were all taking the night off, so we walked into town to a little restaurant we had eaten at the day prior. We had been impressed by the pride they took in the plating presentation of their beans greens and rice which was usually something just slapped onto a plate. They warned us that they were busy (there were two other tables) and it would take maybe 20 minutes. We were fine with that and ordered beers for the wait, but it turned out they didn’t have a liquor license yet. Almost 2 hours, countless Yahtzee games, and a number of apologetic visits from the owner later, we found ourselves rolling the dice to see who would get to eat first since dishes tended to come out one at a time in these parts. Steph and I were having flashbacks to our restaurant experience on Neil Island during our first trip together in India. When the food finally arrived, we inhaled it since, by that point, both Jon and Steph were desperate for a washroom, which the restaurant did not have. We hailed two motorbikes to bring us straight back to Afro.

Once our supper had settled we were still hoping to find a drink. We headed down the beach, but there was no one around and every accommodation appeared to be abandoned. We walked in desperation to find a place to buy a beer, but it seemed hopeless. We could hear music from the party we’d been invited to, but couldn’t find it.

We headed back to Afro defeated, but when we got back, one of the employees stumbled sleepily into the bar area. Perhaps he had heard us. Unfortunately, he did not speak English, but he managed to call someone who did. Soon the beer fridge was unlocked and 3 cold Kilimanjaros were handed over to us. It was not quite midnight and we had managed to achieve our goal of enjoying beers for Valentine’s Day.

It was not the Valentine’s Day we had planned, but we would take a day of diving and a swim with a Whale Shark over chocolate and roses any day.

Contributor: Marieke