Smorgasboarder_23_Feb_2016-s

Photo Mike Findlay
Photo Mike Findlay
Surfer Alex Moore, local photographer
Monkeys are up at the first crack of light and their antics and curiosity
amuse until their sunset bedtime. Jumping and sailing through the canopy,
wrestling, fighting, ‘monk-ing’ each other, and of course observing every
movement that we make. They wait for the opportune time to sneak down
and pilfer whatever food is left on a table or out in the open. They’re an
endless source of entertainment and I laughed at their antics for weeks
on end.
I knew that monkeys were social creatures but I never imagined that I’d see
them play with other species. One morning, I wandered down for the early
morning wave check. I’d just arrived when a deer and her fawn came tearing
out onto the beach. I looked behind them wondering what was chasing
them (I won’t deny that thoughts of the Javanese tiger crossed my mind),
but I quickly realised that they were sprinting through the sand and across
the jagged reef in absolute delight. They were agile and mesmerizing. They
chased and bounded as though they were running on solid, even ground.
Half an hour and a quick swim later, they returned to the sandy part of the
beach. It was then that I realised that I wasn’t the only one enraptured
by the deer’s activities. A group of young monkeys, observing all from the
treetops, couldn’t resist the urge to play any longer. In a matter of seconds,
they cascaded down to join the young deer and the game was on! I sat
transfixed for the next 20 minutes, awed by the play of fawn and monkeys,
until finally overcome with exhaustion, the young deer ambled away with his
mother and the monkeys disappeared into the jungle. I realised then that I
hadn’t looked up once to watch the waves.
SUMMER 2016 | SMORGASBOARDER 83