Gordon S. Brace was born in Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia) in 1954. He received schooling in both Rhodesia (North and South), spent a year in England, and then two years in South Africa. Finally, he completed his high school certificate in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe). Following this, he was set to enroll in university to pursue a six-year dental science diploma. However, beyond his formal education, Gordon was fortunate to gain another form of learning in the African bush. At a very young age, he met and was mentored by an old white hunter and his superb indigenous tracker. Both individuals honed his skills in the ways of the African wilderness and nurtured Gordon's passion for the wildlife there. There was a time during his upbringing when Gordon spent an entire school term in the bush with these wilderness experts instead of attending school.At the age of six, Gordon was introduced to the wonders of the tropical underwater world along the Kenyan coast and soon after that, the Seychelles and Mozambique islands. Gordon's mother encouraged his travels from the age of five to wherever her budget could afford. By the time Gordon left school, he had already extensively traveled across Africa and Western Europe. The prospect of spending six years at university and another three to four years establishing a practice in a profession he wasn't truly interested in didn't sit well with him. The allure of the whole world and stories of tropical islands with magical coral reefs, along with exciting wild places, beckoned him instead.He packed his backpack, left the university behind, and headed for the warm waters of Durban on the eastern coastline of South Africa. There, he dived for lobsters, briefly joined a lifeguard club, then boarded an ocean liner for Europe, where his adventurous life truly began. Gordon has since traveled to more than 60 countries worldwide, mostly avoiding winters and chasing summers. He obtained his scuba diving certification while wreck diving in the North Sea but primarily sought out tropical reefs, from the Caribbean and Hawaii to the Red Sea, the Great Barrier Reef of Australia, the Maldives, Florida, and most of the Indian Ocean coastline and its numerous islands.Gordon engaged in both recreational and professional diving. His mother later bought a fishing boat in Cape Town, South Africa, where she became perhaps the only commercial fisherwoman in the country at that time. Gordon joined her for a while, fishing and diving for abalone, gaining valuable experience handling an ocean-going motorboat. During this period, Gordon also had the opportunity to work with dolphins for a short time.Gordon introduced Elisabeth, his young 19-year-old Danish-born wife, to Africa. She fell in love with the wild places there and was a perfect companion for Gordon's lifestyle. The two of them would soon establish their own safari business, organizing trips through all the Southern African countries for both photo and adventure safaris. When their daughter Che arrived, she practically grew up in a 4X4 Land Cruiser alongside a tent personally designed and equipped to serve as a bush home. Che would often run around naked and barefoot as a toddler, displaying total fearlessness amidst the surrounding wildlife.Subsequently, Gordon and Elisabeth purchased a 37ft ocean-going catamaran named Zulani (after a Zulu legend of a man known as the 'wise wanderer'). This yacht became the only catamaran to achieve line honors in the infamous Vasgo da Gama yacht race. The sailboat led to numerous adventures, including a three-month sailing trip exploring the Mozambique channel and islands. Additionally, it was among the first yachts to sail up the Zambezi River (a potential adventure story for another time).Later, Gordon managed and operated several hunting ranches, becoming deeply involved in African wildlife conservation and land preservation. This commitment eventually led Gordon and Elisabeth to purchase a ranch themselves in the Limpopo province of South Africa, which they also named Zulani. This land, once used for harmful agriculture and cattle farming, was then restored to the wildlife that originally inhabited it. Over time, not only reintroduced wild game like giraffe and zebra roamed the land but also various creatures, including insects like dung beetles, diverse birdlife, reptiles, and several predator species from hyenas to leopards, which returned in healthy numbers. Their efforts also helped save the topsoil, allowing the indigenous flora to recover.Gordon currently manages his game ranch in South Africa and organizes photo safaris, hunting expeditions, fishing trips, and dive safaris in all the neighboring countries. He continues to explore wild places and seeks out tropical dive spots worldwide.Read more about this authorRead less about this author