What are the chances of seeing a velociraptor in your back garden?
I’ll understand if you collapse with laughter, slap your thigh in mirth-induced mania or shake your head in concern.
The chances are nil, or maybe even less than that.
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But did you think it possible we’d have a coelacanth swimming in the sea, a stone’s throw from our south coast towns?
The odds, some joked, were about the same as seeing one of those ancient dinosaurs in the yard.
Some divers spotted a super rare coelacanth off Pumula last week, with one of the divers obtaining some video footage, which can be seen on our website.
It was an incredibly exciting moment as this ancient creature gave them a bit of show, being in no hurry to swim off.
It wasn’t that long ago that this less-than-spectacularly-beautiful fish was considered extinct.
They’ve previously been seen in the Sodwana Bay and Port Elizabeth areas, but never here.
With the threat the oceans face from plastic pollution and explorative gas and oil drilling, this sighting is a positive.
Perhaps it may cause the right people in the right places to sit up and take notice of the beautiful eco-system we have – one that needs to be assiduously cared for.
While mining can have a place – and some would argue it’s vital to help sustain mankind – it cannot be undertaken at the cost of our fragile environment.
The coelacanth needs to be protected too. Is it perhaps possible for more ocean areas to be set aside as marine reserves?
It could boost the tourism appeal as divers from around the world look to spot this famously rare creature of the deep.
In the meantime, it’s time to enjoy the fact that such a fish would find it’s way to the South Coast.
It’s nothing short of marvelous.
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