For those who are daring and adventurous, South Africa is a perfect place to experience extreme sports. Here, visitors can shark cage dive, bungee jump, parasail, and skydive. Having skydived in America, I decided to try something new - surfing!

Surfing. At the beach in Muizenburg near Cape Town, I met with Gary Kleynhans, owner of Gary’s Surf School. I suited up, grabbed a board, and headed to the beach for a quick lesson on surfing basics.

Though I wasn’t scared to surf, the shark-infested waters below made me nervous. Gary explained that shark attacks are rare and the trick is to always be aware of your surroundings. On the lookout for circling shark fins, I waded into waist-deep water. Although the first couple of tries were unsuccessful, I took a deep breath, focused on the board...and what do you know? I was surfing! What an exhilarating experience!

Bungee Jumping. Standing at the base of Orlando Towers, I squinted up to see Jenny standing 33 stories above me. While in Soweto, she decided to take her first ever bungee jump. After a 5-second countdown, she dove into a free fall lasting 3.5 seconds.

Her first words back on solid ground were, “Awesome!” I don’t think I could have summoned the guts she did.

Cricket. Though not an extreme sport, cricket is widely popular throughout South Africa and more than 120 countries worldwide. It surprised me to learn cricket was the sport of choice in the U.S. during the 1800s. After the Civil War, baseball became widespread and cricket lost its popularity.

I slapped on some cricket pads and got a lesson from two professional players on how to bat and bowl (or throw) the ball. The batter’s swing is more like that of a golf club that a baseball bat. Even though I have never played before, I knocked the ball on the first try!

Keep on movin’: Head to Table Mountain.

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