As much time as I spend underwater I'm going to be the first person to admit when it comes to keeping koi I'm pretty clueless when it comes to these Japanese jewels but I share a home with quite a few of them. Well when I say 'I share a home' what I mean is a share a home with a crazy South African who loves his koi and we have three ponds full of them in the garden.
I guess it's a bit easier to understand the relationship people have with their furry pets but there's a whole world out there of people who are passionate about koi. So much so, some of the most prized fish change hands for tens of thousands of dollars.
Although koi are most prized in Japan they're thought to have originated in China and have now become part of Japanese culture and represent love and friendship. Koi are even passed from one generation to another which is understandable when you think the oldest recorded adut koi lived for 266 years.
Which brings me back to Friday Feelgood Fishes. Despite a series of pumps and filters which provide a 24 hour soundtrack in our garden the water's often quite murky so I've never had success at filming my fishy friends. However, over the last couple of months James has been battling to manage the ponds in the face of a crippling drought as there's been no rain to fill the ponds and topping up from the municipal supply has been banned so James has had to get creative.
One thing that's largely unaffected by the drought are the natural springs that can be found in and around Cape Town. The most famous, tapped at the South African Breweries site and open to the public, provides a never ending flow of drinking water, fresh from the ground. There are others less well known springs where the water is just as sweet and the result........now the ponds are filled with crystal clear spring water. He's achieved the best water visibility I've ever seen and the best opportunity for some underwater filming. I have to say a big thank you to @osm0sis who posted Colour Blast yesterday and inspired me to set up my underwater kit to investigate the secret world at the bottom of the garden. Enjoy!
https://vimeo.com/249813265
Footage filmed in my back garden, Cape Town, South Africa
Music Credit: 9 Lives Music - Destinations and Departures - River Ripples - 2017