Kosi2Cape was an epic undertaking - a 2 000km cycling journey from Kosi Bay in KwaZulu-Natal to Cape Point, carried out by two passionate men wanting to raise awareness and funds for the conservation of marine turtles and penguins. Hein Myers and Jomi Krobb recently completed this journey, and there is now time for you to contribute to their mission – help the Kosi2Cape guys reach their R350 000 target, all of which will be donated directly to the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB) and the Two Oceans Aquarium’s turtle rescue, rehab and release work.

Without much fanfare, Hein and Jomi set off from Kosi Bay on a 2 000km adventure! Photo courtesy of @die_dirk.

We had the chance to chat to Jomi about the adventures that he and Hein had on their long journey to the Cape.

Hi Jomi. What inspired you and Hein to do this? What kept you going when things got tough?

Hein and I initially wanted to do a trip down the coast of SA, we thought about doing it on mopeds, then decided to raise awareness for a charity and finally decided on cycling down the coast.

It turned out to be very tough on certain days, especially around the Wild Coast, but what kept us going was the fact that we were cycling for a good cause, egging each other on constantly towards the end goal of Cape Point and the daily goal of 100km.

Photo courtesy of @Kosi2Cape.

We initially chose marine conservation because both of us work in the field as safari guides, where topics such as lion, rhino and elephant conservation are always the centre of attention. Of course this is great and only natural because of our jobs as guides but we felt there was a gap in marine conservation awareness amongst our network and circle of conservation-minded friends and colleagues. 

Choosing turtles and penguins was a no-brainer - all Southern African species are on the IUCN red data list and they are iconic enough to drive a fundraising campaign such as this. They also provide a good platform to raise awareness around a host of other related issues such as ocean pollution and habitat degradation. SANCCOB and the Two Oceans Aquarium were the two organisations that were most responsive to our idea and the only two we could find in SA that were doing something in turtle and penguin conservation we could get behind. I’d heard of both through friends.

On World Penguin Awareness Day, Jomi and Hein reached Cape Agulhas, the southern tip of Africa. Photo courtesy of @jomi_k.

Did you encounter any surprises on your journey?

We encountered several surprises on our journey. Hein and I definitely have a new respect for wind and it feels like we had a lot more headwinds on our journey than tailwinds. The toughest days were the ones where we had strong headwinds, something we did not really anticipate well. We were also pleasantly surprised by how accommodating and hospitable almost all people were to our cause and adventure. We frequently got put up for free and even fed dinners!

Photo courtesy of @Kosi2Cape.

Was there any stretch in particular that you found challenging? What got you through that?

A major challenge we faced was that there are no roads for large stints of the SA coastline. We wanted to stick as close to the coast as possible so on occasion we found ourselves on virtually untraversible two-tracks, carrying our bikes over rocks and through rivers, wild camping in reserves (where we probably shouldn’t have) and occasionally having to go inland because there were literally no other options. 

Photo courtesy of @Kosi2Cape.

What did you think when you visited SANCCOB and the Two Oceans Aquarium at the end?

Visiting both SANCCOB and Two Oceans Aquarium, Hein and I realised we had definitely made the right choice because the work done at each is clearly benefitting the species in a positive way. We could finally see the rehabilitation process in action. We’re both truly proud to say that we could help support these two organisations. On top of that we got even more of an insight into the problems these animals face.

Senior Aquarist Kevin Spiby introduces Hein and Jomi to Moya, one of the Two Oceans Aquarium's rehab turtles. Photo by Ingrid Sinclair/Two Oceans Aquarium.

What's your next adventure?

Hein is currently back in White River deciding on his next move. He will almost certainly continue his guiding career, potentially in the Kruger Park and is also interested in going into anti-poaching. 

I’ve just moved to Rwanda, where I’ll be managing a gorilla trekking lodge for Wilderness Safaris as well as working on their reforestation program in the hope of expanding Volcanoes National Park and creating valuable habitat for the endangered mountain gorilla.

Thank you Jomi and Hein - you have done something incredible for South African wildlife. Your efforts will be reflected in the conservation work being carried out in the Two Oceans Aquarium's turtle rehabilitation-and-release clinic and at SANCCOB.

If you would like to make a donation to the Kosi2Cape effort you can still do so here - a little bit goes a very long way to helping the conservation of South Africa's precious marine turtles and endangered penguins.

Photo courtesy of @Kosi2Cape.