CITY OF CAPE TOWN

BeachesA diversity of coastal treasures

CITY OF CAPE TOWN BEACHES

Published by the City of Cape TownFirst edition 2009

More information available from:Environmental Resource Management Department7th Floor44 Wale StreetCape TownTel: 021 487 2284

www.capetown.gov.za/environment

ISBN 978-0-9802784-3-9

This handbook is printed on SAPPI Triple Green paper,an environmentally-friendly paper stock made from chlorine-free sugar cane fibre to support sustainable afforestation in South Africa.

Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy ofinformation in this book at the time of publication andto correctly acknowledge photographs. The City of CapeTown accepts no responsibility for, and will not be liablefor, any errors or omissions contained herein.

CITY OF CAPE TOWN

BeachesA diversity of coastal treasures

1 CAPE TOWN’S TWO COASTS 2 Upwelling 3 Tides 4 Rocky shores6 Sandy beaches8 Estuaries 10 Blue Flag 11 Shark-spotting programme12 Whale-watching14 Threats to the coastal zone18 Harvesting marine resources20 Sustainable seafood

– Consumer’s Seafood Species List 22 Early days on the Cape coast

27 WEST COAST 28 Silwerstroomstrand29 Van Riebeeckstrand

– Duynefontein30 Melkbosstrand 32 Blaauwberg Conservation Area

– Eerstesteen– Derdesteen– Kreeftebaai– Kelpbaai– Haakgat– Holbaai

34 Bloubergstrand – Big Bay– Small Bay– Bokkombaai

35 Table View 35 Dolphin Beach 36 Rietvlei Wetland Reserve 38 Sunset Beach 38 Milnerton

– Milnerton Beach– Milnerton Lagoon Beach

41 CITY SEABOARD 42 Granger Bay 43 Mouille Point 44 Three Anchor Bay 45 Sea Point

– Rocklands– Graaff’s Pool– Milton Beach– Brokenbath Beach– Sunset Beach– Queen’s Beach– Saunders’ Rocks

49 Bantry Bay49 Clifton

– 1st Beach– 2nd Beach– 3rd Beach– 4th Beach

52 Maiden’s Cove 52 Camps Bay

– Glen Beach55 Bakoven

57 ATLANTIC PENINSULA58 Oudekraal

– Cosy Bay– Koeëlbaai

60 Llandudno63 Sandy Bay64 Hout Bay 68 Noordhoek 69 Kommetjie

– Die Kom– Long Beach

71 Soetwater 72 Witsands 73 Misty Cliffs 74 Scarborough

Contents

Penguins sunning themselves at Boulders Beach

77 CAPE POINT78 Olifantsbos79 Gifkommetjie80 Platboom81 Cape of Good Hope 82 Cape Point

– Dias Beach83 Rooikrans84 Buffels Bay 85 Bordjiesrif 86 Black Rocks

89 FALSE BAY PENINSULA 90 Smitswinkel Bay 91 Miller’s Point 93 Fisherman’s Beach 93 Frank’s Bay 93 Windmill Beach 94 Boulders Beach 96 Seaforth 97 Simon’s Town 98 Long Beach 98 Mackerel Beach 98 Shelley Beach 99 Glencairn100 Fish Hoek

– Clovelly 102 Kalk Bay 104 Dalebrook 105 Danger Beach 106 St James Beach 107 Bailey’s Cottage

109 CAPE FLATS COAST110 Muizenberg

– Surfer’s Corner– Rocky Beach– Muizenberg Beach– Muizenberg Pavilion– Zandvlei– East Beach– Sunrise Beach

113 Zonwabe and Cemetery Beach 115 Strandfontein

– Blue Waters116 Mnandi 117 Wolfgat Nature Reserve118 Monwabisi 119 Macassar Beach

121 KOGELBERG COAST122 Strand

– Melkbaai– Mostertsbaai

124 Harmony Park 124 Harbour Island 124 Hendon Park125 Gordon’s Bay

– Main Beach– Sunset Beach– Bikini Beach

127 Steenbras River Mouth129 Kogel Bay

– Kogel Bay Resort– Klippies Bay– Spark’s Bay– Dappat se Gat

Contents

Noordhoek beach

Its mild Mediterranean climate allows residentsand visitors to enjoy the beautiful coastline allyear round. While winter brings cold and wetweather, there is always a break in the rain longenough for a brisk walk on the beach, and surferslove the large swells generated by winter’s north-westerly winds.

In spring and summer, warm and sunny weatherreturns, but is accompanied by the prevailingsoutheasterly wind – popularly known as the ‘Capedoctor’, as it blows the city’s air pollution away.The southeaster flattens the swell, but whips upwhite horses further out to sea, and may givebeach-goers a sandblasting if they do not find asheltered spot. Fortunately, many of the beachesalong the Atlantic Seaboard lie in the lee of TableMountain, and are well-protected from the wind.Clifton, in particular, is recognised as a fail-safeoption when the southeaster blows and dis-courages people from the city’s other beaches.

It is also the southeaster that is responsible forthe marked difference in sea temperature betweenFalse Bay and the coastal waters west of CapePoint. Indeed, the West Coast and Atlantic Sea-board are often referred to simply as ‘the coldside’, and only the hardy can withstand more thana quick dip in the sea without a wetsuit.

The southeaster, which reaches galeforce attimes, pushes and pulls the surface layer of sea-water along with it. In False Bay, this has theeffect of piling warm water up along the coast,so summer water temperatures generally staywithin the 16-22°C range. West of Cape Point,the southeaster pushes surface water in anortherly direction, but it is deflected offshoredue to the earth’s rotation to the east. Coldwater from the dark depths of the ocean risesup to replace it in a process known as upwelling,so sea temperatures typically hover in the 10-15°C range.

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Cape Town’s two coasts

Cape Town’s beautiful coastline extends for 307 km along theWest Coast, around the Cape Peninsula, and beyond FalseBay to the Kogelberg coast in the east. The combination ofthe warm Agulhas current that sweeps down the east coast,and the cold Benguela current that flows up the west coast,results in an incredibly rich and varied marine flora and fauna.

Upwelling

Upwelling makes for chilly swimming, but alsoensures that the West Coast is South Africa’smost productive marine environment. Freshlyupwelled water is a clear, turquoise colour becauseit contains no phytoplankton – i.e. microscopicplant life that needs light for photosynthesis.However, the upwelled water is rich in nutrients,especially nitrates formed as a by-product of thedecomposition of organic matter, which constantlysinks down to the seafloor. The nitrates act as afertiliser for phytoplankton, which soon formdense ‘blooms’ that are grazed by zooplankton.Both plant and animal plankton are consumedby pelagic fish, such as anchovy and pilchard,which are in turn food for larger fish, such ashake, as well as seabirds, seals and dolphins.

The abundance of fish supports South Africa’spurse seine and trawl fisheries, while the region’sdense kelp beds – also dependent on nutrient-rich water – provide habitat for West Coast rocklobster and abalone.

Upwelling conditions favour phytoplanktonblooms made up of diatoms. These large cellsoften grow in chains, or have spiky shapes to slowtheir sinking rate, and the turbulence generatedby upwelling helps them to remain in the sunlitsurface waters. Between upwelling events, the

sea becomes calmer and warmer, and these con-ditions are more suitable for phytoplanktonblooms dominated by dinoflagellates – i.e. proto-zoa that can maintain their position in the waterby beating their flagella. As the dinoflagellateblooms are concentrated by winds and currents,they become so dense that they discolour thewater various shades of red, orange, brown orpurple, depending on the pigments within the cells.

Some of the species making up these so-called ‘red tides’ are toxic, and can be fatal tohuman consumers of filter-feeding shellfish, suchas mussels, clams and oysters, which accumulatethe toxins in their tissues. Red tides can alsosuffocate fish by clogging their gills, and typicallyalso result in low-oxygen conditions, as bacterialdecomposition of decaying phytoplankton bloomsuses up much of the oxygen in the water. Marineanimals move into shallow water to escape theoxygen-depleted water, resulting in mass fishstrandings and rock lobster ‘walk-outs’.

Plankton bloom

Coldnutrient-richwater

Warm surface watermoves offshore

South-eastwind

U p w e l l i ng

Dark deep water

Sun-litsurfacewater

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The upwelling process

Rock lobster ‘walk-out’ on the West Coast

Tides

The daily fluctuations in sea level, known as tides,are caused by the gravitational force of both thesun and moon on the earth’s oceans (see figurebelow). The moon has the greater influence, as itis much closer to the earth than the sun, so thetides are said to follow a lunar cycle.

The moon’s gravity pulls a ‘bulge’ of watertowards it, causing high tides on the side of theearth closest to the moon. On the opposite side,the water bulges out due to centrifugal force asthe earth and moon spin around one another.Since the earth rotates, each point will ex-perience two high tides per day – one due togravitational pull, and the other due tocentrifugal force. As the water bulges out inthese areas, it is drawn away from others,causing low tides there.

The moon takes 28 days to orbit the earth,moving a little further round the earth each day.High tides therefore occur about 50 minuteslater each day, or 25 minutes later each tide.

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1 7 14 21 28

Sun

Earth

Moon

Full moon Last quarter New moon

Low tide

High tide

First quarter

High

Low

Dai

ly r

ange

High neap

Low neap

High spring

Low spring

Days

Full moon

Spring Neap Spring Neap Spring

Spring tides are extra-high and extra-low tidesthat occur every two weeks throughout the year,a few days after new and full moon. At thesetimes, the sun, moon and earth are in line withone another, and their combined gravitationalpull creates an extra-large ‘bulge’ at high tide.A greater area of shoreline is exposed at springlow tides, which in South Africa occur at about10:00 and 22:00.

Between the spring tides are neap tides, whenthe difference between high and low tides is notas marked. Neap tides occur during the first andlast quarters of the moon, when the moon is atright angles to the sun, and their gravitationalpulls cancel each other out.

The tidal range – the distance between the low-water and high-water marks – varies enormouslyfrom one part of the world to another, but inSouth Africa it is usually 1,2–2,5 metres. Thearea of shore between the high-water and low-water marks is known as the intertidal zone.

Rocky shores

Rocky shores range from headlands withvertical rock faces and steep cliffs, to widewave-cut rock platforms. They may evenconsist of a jumble of different-sizedboulders or a ‘pebble beach’ of smoothstones. At some places, rocky shores

extend for many kilometres along thecoast, while in others they occur as outcrops

separated by river mouths or sandy beaches.Animals and plants that live within the inter-

tidal zone of rocky shores must be adapted tosurvive the harsh and variable conditions asso-ciated with high and low tides. Twice per daythey are submerged in cold water, and subjectedto battering waves when the tide rises, only tobe exposed to desiccating winds and the blazingsun when the tide recedes. The distribution ofspecies on rocky shores is largely determined bytheir ability to withstand these physical stresses.Those found low on the shore, where they areonly exposed for a short time at low tide, are notadapted to survive conditions higher up, whereonly the hardiest species occur.

Cape Town’s rocky shores have five distinct

zones, each with its characteristic plant andanimal species.• The infratidal zone at the lowest level is

dominated by beds of seaweed – including kelp – which are home to sea urchins, red- bait, starfish and mussels.

• The cochlear zone higher up the shore is named for its dense band of pear limpets,Scutellastra (formerly Patella) cochlear.

• The lower balanoid zone has thick beds of fleshy, mostly red algae, as well as limpets,mussels, whelks and anemones.

• The upper balanoid zone is dominated by barnacles, limpets and winkles, while the sea lettuce Ulva is one of the few seaweeds able to survive here.

• The littorina zone on the uppermost reaches of the shore is too exposed for most organisms,but the tiny air-breathing snail Littorina is abundant. The common shore crab shelters under rocks, while the hardy purple laver Porphyra is the only seaweed able to tolerate the severe desiccation of this zone.

Many of the animals found on rocky shores aremobile, so they are able to avoid unfavourableconditions to some extent. Species at risk of

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Speckled klipfish (Clinus venustus)

Split-fan kelp (Laminaria pallida )

False plum anenom

e (Pseudactinia flagellifera)

Sandy anenome (Aulactinia reynaudi)

Cape urchin (Tarechinus angulosus)

overheating or dehydration retreat into rock poolsor shaded gullies, while those unable to toleratestrong wave action migrate up the shore at hightide, or take shelter in narrow rock crevices. How-ever, many rocky shore species, such as barnaclesand mussels, are sedentary, having permanentlyfixed themselves to the rock at the time ofsettlement. These animals have special adapta-tions to survive in the harsh intertidal environ-ment. For example, some have protective shellsthat are shaped to limit heat uptake or waterloss, and can resist wave action, while many arephysiologically adapted to tolerate desiccation orhigh temperatures.

Seaweeds are the primary producers of therocky shore food web, although only a fewherbivores are capable of feeding on adult plants.Instead, their sporelings, together with diatoms,are scraped from the rock by grazers, such aslimpets, sea urchins and periwinkles. Seaweedbroken down into small particles by wave actionalso provides food for filter-feeders, such assponges, barnacles, mussels, oysters, red-bait and tubeworms. These are in turn food for carnivores, such as starfish, anemones, octopus,fish and birds.

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Children discovering life on the rocky shores

Granular starfish (Austrofromia schultzei)

Rock pool

Sandy beaches

Sandy beaches are extremely dynamic systems,constantly reshaped by wind, waves and currents.They can be divided into three zones:

• The surf zone, where waves break• The beach, which includes the intertidal and

backshore zones• The dunes, made up of small, recently formed

foredunes and large, established backdunes.

In the sea, waves and currents continually movesediment along the shore, as well as onshoreand offshore, whereas on land, windblows sand up and along the beach.Sand trapped by plants growingnear the driftline forms moundscalled hummocks, which initiatethe development of foredunes.

Sandy beach systemstherefore consist of a marinewave-driven ecosystem and aterrestrial wind-driven ecosystem thattogether make up the littoral active zone – thearea in which sand exchange occurs.

Although sand exchange is an ongoing process,it does vary throughout the year. During stormyweather, rough seas erode sand from the beachand foredunes, but the sand is deposited as an

offshore sandbar. When calm conditions return,gentle waves carry the sand back to replenish thebeach. In this way, the beach undergoes seasonalcycles of erosion and accretion, although majorstorm events can cause long-term changes.

Structures in the littoral active zone, such asbreakwaters and buildings, impede this naturalprocess of sand exchange, and may result inerosion or sand inundation problems. Likewise,destroying the foredunes through development ormining removes the reservoir that supplies sandto the beach during periods of erosion. The sameapplies to artificial sand stabilisation with vege-

tation. Along the coast of Cape Town,efforts are now being made to

remove the alien acacias Rooikransand Port Jackson, which wereintroduced to stabilise the driftingsands of the Cape Flats, but soonspread and became invasive, witha wide range of negative impacts.

Indigenous dune vegetation,however, should be protected, as it

helps stabilise dunes while also providinghabitat for beach fauna. Access to beachesthrough dune areas is often controlled in orderto prevent damage to dune vegetation.

No rooted plants or attached seaweeds cansurvive the harsh environment of the intertidalzone, but phytoplankton and tiny particles of

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Three-spot crab (Ovalipes trimaculatus)

Smooth plough shell(Bullia rhodostoma)

White-fronted plover (Charadrius marginatus)Suurvy or Sour fig (Carpobrotus acinaciformis)

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detritus in the surf zone provide a source of foodfor zooplankton and larger filter-feeders, such assand mussels. Some animals, such as ploughshells and sand hoppers, burrow beneath thesurface, and then emerge to feed on strandedcarrion at low tide. Zooplankton, filter-feedersand scavengers are in turn preyed upon by fishand birds.

Living between the sand grains in moist areasare tiny diatoms, fungi, bacteria, protozoa, wormsand crustaceans that make up a complex inter-stitial food web. This plays an important role insandy beach ecology by breaking down organicmatter and recycling nutrients.

Swift Tern (Sterna bergii)

Sea pumpkin (Arctotheca populifolia)

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Estuaries

Estuaries – where rivers meet the sea – representa transition zone between the freshwater andmarine environments. Their salinities fluctuate ona daily and seasonal basis according to the stateof the tide and the strength of river flow. Whilemany estuaries are permanently open to the sea,others are closed by sandbars during periods oflow rainfall, when river flow is too weak to scouraway sand accumulating at the mouth.

Animals and plants living in estuaries areadapted to survive these variable conditions.However, evaporation from closed estuaries mayresult in exceptionally saline conditions, whilehigh freshwater input during floods causes adramatic reduction in salinity. Extremes ofsalinity that are beyond the tolerance range ofestuarine plants and animals have been knownto cause mass mortalities.

Because rivers carry nutrients and organicallyrich silt from the catchment area, estuaries areextremely productive systems. Primary producersinclude phytoplankton in the water column, dia-toms and filamentous algae on bottom sediments,aquatic plants, salt marshes and reeds, as wellas mangroves in subtropical and tropical areas.Despite the variety of plant types, there are few

true herbivores in estuaries. Instead, the detritusof these plants is the basis of the food web in estuaries.

Mobile species such as zooplankton andmullet (harder) are able to migrate to areas richin detritus to feed, but mud prawns, bloodworms,mussels and other benthic invertebrates relylargely on tidal currents to make food availableto them. Surface deposit feeders, such as crabsand snails, forage on the exposed intertidal mud-flats for material deposited during the precedinghigh tide. Some fish feed on the benthic inverte-brates, while others eat zooplankton, or prey onfish smaller than themselves.

Many fish species do not reside in estuariespermanently, but use them as nursery areas. Theadult fish spawn offshore, and the young enterthe calm, food-rich estuaries to develop untilmature enough to breed, at which time theymigrate back to the sea. Estuaries are alsoimportant feeding grounds for a variety of birds,which occupy different trophic levels within thefood web. These include the following:

• Plant-eaters, such as red-knobbed coot, which feed on waterweeds

• Invertebrate-feeders, such as greenshank,sanderlings and curlew sandpipers. These birds are waders, and occupy various niches by having different bill and leg lengths that determine their depth and method of foraging.Many waders migrate to South African estuaries during our summer, and then return to their Arctic breeding grounds at the onset of winter.

• Fish-eaters, such as kingfishers, cormorants,terns, fish eagles, pelicans and herons.

Most of Cape Town’s estuaries are surroundedby intense development, which has a variety ofnegative impacts. For example, buildings situatedtoo close to the water’s edge may be at risk offlooding when the estuary is closed, leading to

Malachite kingfisher (Alcedo cristata)

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artificial breaching of the mouth in response topressure from property owners. Stormwaterrunoff and industrial and sewage effluent mayresult in elevated nutrient levels, leading toexcessive growth of nuisance weeds or algae, aswell as pollution in the form of toxic chemicals,heavy metals and faecal bacteria.

Activities and development in the catchmentarea also affect estuaries. Runoff from gardensand farmlands may be polluted by nutrient-richfertilisers and toxic pesticides, while overgrazing

and planting of crops too close to river banks mayresult in erosion, increasing the silt load reachingestuaries. Large quantities of silt not only smotheranimals, but also inhibit plant growth by reducinglight penetration in the water column. Togetherwith water abstraction, impoundment, commercialafforestation and alien plant invasion in thecatchment area – all of which dampen peakflows and reduce the scouring effect of floods –siltation may result in gradual shallowing of theestuary, or closure of the mouth.

Zandvlei Estuary Nature Reserve on the False Bay coast

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Blue Flag

A number of Cape Town’s beaches have beenawarded Blue Flag status in recognition of theirstandard of excellence.

The Blue Flag is a voluntary eco-label managedby the Foundation for Environmental Education,an NGO based in Europe. It is awarded annuallyto beaches and marinas that meet a specific setof criteria, encompassing:

• water quality;• safety and services;• environmental management; and• environmental education and information.

The Blue Flag has become a symbol of qualitythat can be used for tourism promotion, whilealso guaranteeing high standards of beachmanagement for local inhabitants. Beaches canlose their Blue Flag status if they fail to complywith the strict requirements.

South Africa was the first country outsideEurope to receive Blue Flag accreditation for itsbeaches. The programme started in Europe in1987 to encourage beaches to comply with theEuropean Union (EU) Bathing Water Directive.Today, there are more than 3 200 sites in at least 35 countries.

In South Africa, the Blue Flag programme ismanaged by the Wildlife and Environment Societyof South Africa (WESSA) in partnership with theDepartment of Water and Environmental Affairs(DWEA) and participating coastal authoritiesunder the Coastcare initiative, through whichSouth Africa’s policy for sustainable coastaldevelopment is implemented. The City of CapeTown subscribes to this policy, which promotessocio-economic development; non-consumptiveresource use; integrated management; institu-tional development; and education, awarenessand information. Managing beaches accordingto Blue Flag criteria facilitates compliance tothese and other policy and legal requirementsrelated to the coastal zone.

Up-to-date information about Blue Flagbeaches can be found at www.blueflag.org.

Clifton 4th Beach

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Shark-spotting programme

The shark-spotting programme at some of CapeTown’s beaches developed in response to aspate of shark bite incidents beginning in 2004.Initially, shark-spotting was done on an ad hocbasis when organisers of surfing competitions atMuizenberg asked individuals working as carguards to keep watch from the mountain over-looking the beach, and warn them of any sharksvisible in the area. This developed into a morepermanent arrangement when a local surfingpersonality raised funds to employ two ‘sharkspotters’, install an alarm that could be triggeredremotely by the spotter on the mountain, andimplement a system of warning flags. At aboutthe same time, spotters for the trek-net fishersat Fish Hoek began informing the local lawenforcement officers if they saw a shark.

These two community-driven initiatives havesince been absorbed into a formal shark-spottingprogramme co-ordinated by the City of Cape Town,and expanded to other beaches. The warningflag system has been standardised as follows:

• A green flag means visibility for the spotters is good, and no sharks have been seen.

• A black flag means visibility for the spotters is poor, but no sharks have been seen.

• A red flag means a shark has been seen recently, but is no longer visible to the spotters.

• A white flag with a black shark, along with aloud siren, means a shark has been sighted, and bathers should leave the water immediately.

• No flag means spotters are not on duty.

The programme improves beach safety throughboth shark warnings and emergency assistance inthe event of a shark incident. It also contributesto research on shark ecology and behaviour,raises public awareness about shark-relatedissues, and provides employment opportunitiesand skills development for shark spotters.

The reason for the increase in shark incidentsin recent years is uncertain. The white shark wasafforded legal protection in 1991, but it is unlikelythe population could have increased to an extentthat would account for the sharp rise in sharkencounters. The growth of the shark cage divingindustry is also considered an improbable causeas long as operators adhere to permit conditions.

False Bay is known to host a high number oflarge white sharks, which can be attributed to theavailability of food in the form of Cape fur sealson Seal Island. However, the seal population atSeal Island has remained relatively stable duringthe last 50 years, so it is not thought to be acausative factor in attracting more sharks toFalse Bay.

Research has shown that white sharks remainclose to Seal Island from autumn until spring(March/April to September/October). This corre-sponds with the time the seal pups spendprolonged periods in the water, learning to catchtheir own prey. The pups are weaned in August/September, and then disperse, after which thesharks leave the vicinity of the island and movecloser inshore, swimming parallel to the coastline.It is therefore in the summer months (October–March) that sharks are most likely to be seen offbeaches in False Bay.

Furthermore, the number of people participatingin water sports, such as surfing, surfskiing andkitesurfing, has grown remarkably during the pastfew decades. Since these beach users ventureinto deeper water further offshore, their chancesof encountering a shark are higher than a batherin the shallow areas of the surf zone.

White shark (Carcharodon carcharias)

Breaching Lobtailing Sailing Spyhopping

Whale-watching

Cape Town’s coastline offers some of the world’sbest whale-watching spots. The whales mostcommonly seen from shore are southern rightwhales, which visit our waters between June andNovember each year. Most are females, which givebirth in sheltered bays, and then nurse their calfuntil it is ready to embark on the long migrationback to the Southern Ocean feeding grounds.

Humpback whales migrate up the west andeast coasts of Southern Africa in June/July eachyear to their breeding grounds off the coast ofGabon and Mozambique. They return to theirSouthern Ocean feeding grounds along the sameroute in about September. These whales tend tooccur further offshore than southern rights, butare sometimes seen on the west coast.

Bryde’s whales occur off the Southern Africancoast all year round, but are seen less oftenbecause they usually remain offshore. Schools ofdolphins are also frequently seen, particularlyHeaviside’s, common, bottlenose and duskydolphins.

South African legislation prohibits people fromcoming within 300 metres of whales, unless theyhave a permit to do so. However, there are a smallnumber of permit holders for licensed boat-basedwhale watching in the Cape Town area.

Behaviour commonly observed while whale-watching includes:

Breaching – The function of this behaviour, inwhich the whale leaps almost clear of the waterand falls back with a large splash, is not known.It may be a means of communication with otherwhales, a way of dislodging dead skin and whalelice, or even just a form of play.

Lobtailing – Whales are often seen lifting thetail out of the water and repeatedly slapping itdown on the surface. This may be some type ofsocial communication, expressing alarm,annoyance or threat.

Sailing – Sometimes the whales spend longperiods doing vertical ‘headstands’ with the tailheld out of the water. One theory is that thewhale is using its tail as a sail, while another isthat the tail is being used either to absorb heatthrough solar radiation, or lose heat throughevaporative cooling.

Spyhopping – This behaviour, in which thehead is lifted vertically out of the water, maysimply allow the whale to have a look at itssurroundings.

Playing with kelp – Whales can sometimes beseen at the edge of a kelp bed, rubbing themselvesagainst the fronds. Perhaps this allows them toscratch off irritating dead skin and whale lice.

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Common whale-watching behaviours

Southern right whale (Balaena glacialis)

PAGE 13Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae)

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Threats to the coastal zone

Overexploitation of marine resources is a majorthreat to coastal biodiversity. Worst affected areabalone (perlemoen), which are severely threatenedby poaching, and linefish species, many of whichare overfished. However, offshore species, such ashake, kingklip and the deep-water rock lobster,are also considered overexploited.

Intertidal organisms are typically harvested asseafood delicacies or as bait in South Africa, butfor some rural communities they are an importantfood source. Along the Wild Coast, for example,mussels, oysters and limpets are a vital source of protein, and intense harvesting pressure has severely affected rocky shore biodiversity.Co-management systems and educationprogrammes have been implemented in an effort to regulate such overexploitation.

Abalone (Haliotis midae)

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Habitat destruction is primarily caused bydevelopment. Dune systems are often flattenedfor roads, parking areas or buildings, whichdisrupt sand supply to the adjacent beach.Estuaries are affected by housing and marinadevelopments, and structures such as bridges,weirs and causeways, as well as dams and activities in the catchment that change river flow and silt loads.

Mining is another form of development thatcauses habitat destruction in the coastal zone,through both dune mining for sand, mineralsand diamonds, and marine mining for oil, gasand diamonds. Fishing may also destroy marinehabitat when trawl gear scrapes along the sea bottom.

Illegal use of off-road vehicles on beachesand dunes may have severe impacts, not only bycrushing plants that help stabilise windblownsand, but also by killing coastal animals, anddisrupting their feeding and breeding. Evenseemingly harmless activities, like walking on the sensitive vegetation of dune systems or inthe intertidal zone of rocky shores, may causehabitat destruction.

Illegal sand mining, Macassar dunes

An exposed nest of the African black oyster catcher

Habitat destruction caused by development

Pollution in the coastal zone mainly arises fromthe direct discharge of effluents through pipelines,from runoff via rivers and stormwater drains, andfrom shipping activities. For example, raw sewageis piped out to sea in some areas, while manyfish-processing factories discharge fish wasteback into the sea. Runoff may be contaminatedwith a range of pollutants, including sewage,agricultural fertilisers and pesticides, industrialchemicals and litter. Shipping activities increasethe risk of oil spills, while shipboard wastedumped overboard as well as lost fishing gearpose a threat to marine life.

Sewage pollution is a health hazard, as itcontains bacteria, viruses and other pathogens.Mussels and oysters accumulate these micro-scopic organisms as they filter-feed, renderingthem unsafe for human consumption. In addition,the high nutrient levels associated with sewageand other kinds of organic pollution promote the

growth of nuisance algae and weeds, while thedecomposition process may deplete oxygen con-centrations in poorly flushed estuaries, lagoonsand bays, resulting in fish kills in severe cases.

Heavy metals such as zinc, copper, lead, tin,mercury and cadmium contaminate the coastalzone via industrial and vehicle emissions, pesti-cides, and harbour-based maintenance activities,such as painting, scraping and grit-blasting.Heavy metals are accumulated up the food chain, and are toxic to plants, animals andhumans, resulting in behavioural and physiological abnormalities.

Oil spills can have devastating impacts onmarine life, particularly seabirds, and also haveserious economic effects through lost fishing andtourism opportunities. Litter is not only unsightly,but may kill or injure animals that becomeentangled in it or mistake it for food, resulting insuffocation or starvation.

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Beach clean-up Penguins released after an oil spill

Debris washed up on the beach Oil tanker ablaze

Invasive alien species threaten the biodiversityof the coastal zone by outcompeting indigenousspecies, and altering natural processes, such assand transport, flow regimes and nutrient cycling.For example, the alien acacias Port Jackson andRooikrans have invaded the Cape coast’s fynbosvegetation, and now form bland monocultures.Acacias are nitrogen-fixing plants that increasesoil nitrate levels, thereby excluding indigenousplants that are adapted to the area’s nutrient-poor soils. Port Jackson and Rooikrans wereoriginally introduced for sand stabilisation, andtheir effect has been to inhibit the natural sandexchange between beaches and dunes, resultingin long-term changes in beach profiles. Densestands of acacias also block access to parts ofthe coast, heighten the risk and intensity of fire,and – since they take up more water than naturalvegetation – cause less water to reach estuaries.

Marine invaders of Cape Town’s coast includethe Mediterranean mussel, which has displacedindigenous mussels and limpets from large areasof rocky shore, and the European green crab, whichis a voracious predator with potentially devas-tating consequences for benthic food webs if itspreads and multiplies. In addition, some speciesof phytoplankton that have caused harmful algalblooms are thought to have been introduced.

Climate change is expected to impact thecoastal zone by increasing the frequency andintensity of extreme weather conditions such asstorms and by accelerating sea level rise. Sealevel rise is caused by global warming, whichresults in thermal expansion of the oceans andmelting of glaciers and ice sheets. Erosion onbeaches and in estuaries will increase, whilerivers and aquifers will be vulnerable tosaltwater intrusion. All these effects will altercoastal habitats, while changes in air and seatemperatures, currents and primary productivitywill cause shifts in the distribution of species.Strategies and management interventions arebeing put in place to mitigate the predictednegative impacts of climate change on infra-structure in the coastal zone. Although struc-tures may need to be built in the coastal zone toprotect adjacent land and low-lying areas fromstorm damage and flooding, other approaches,including a natural systems-based approach, arealso being used. One such approach is theestablishment of a Coastal Protection Zone.

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Mediterranean mussel (Mytilus galloprovincialis)

Storm waves flood the Sea Point promenade

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Harvesting marine resources

In order to protect South Africa’s marine resourcesfrom overexploitation, a variety of managementmeasures have been implemented to ensuresustainable harvesting.

Firstly, it is illegal to harvest marine livingresources without a valid permit from Marineand Coastal Management (MCM), which thensubjects permit holders to various regulationsand permit conditions. Recreational fishers arealso prohibited from selling their catch as ameasure to discourage overexploitation.

South African fisheries are managed by eitherinput (effort) control – i.e. limiting the numberof participants – or by output (quota) control –i.e. limiting the catch. The total applied effort isthe maximum number of fishing vessels orpeople permitted to participate in a fishery,while the Total Allowable Catch (TAC) is themaximum quantity of a particular species thatmay be harvested in a fishery for a given year.TACs are determined through stock assessmentsby MCM scientists, using the reported catchstatistics together with research surveys and lifehistory information on the species. They applyonly to commercial fisheries, and are split intoquotas, which are portions of the TAC allocatedto different fishing companies.

Bag limits are restrictions on the number of aparticular species that may be landed by anindividual per day. They usually apply only toanglers, spearfishers and shellfish collectors inthe recreational fisheries, although some applyin the commercial linefishery too. Species on the‘prohibited list’ may not be landed.

Minimum size limits are set according to thesize at which a marine species is known to besexually mature. They allow organisms a chanceto breed before being caught, ensuring regener-ation of the population.

Gear restrictions regulate the type of fishinggear used for harvesting marine resources. Theiraim is usually to prevent the catching of under-sized organisms, and to minimise by-catch ordamage to habitat.

Closed seasons are periods in which no fishingor harvesting is allowed. They are normally timedto coincide with vulnerable stages in theorganism’s lifecycle, such as during spawning –i.e. when fish come together to breed – or whenjuvenile fish are abundant.

Closed areas are marine protected areas (MPAs)of some kind – e.g. marine reserves, nationalparks or single-species sanctuaries – whereharvesting is not allowed. They are managed toprotect ecosystems in their natural state, maintainbiodiversity, conserve spawning stocks, andsupplement catches in adjacent areas.

MPAs along Cape Town’s coast are as follows:

Table Bay closed area No rock lobster may be caught between MelkbosPoint (beacon MB1) and Die Josie near Chapman’sPeak (beacon MB2), extending 12 nautical milesseawards from the high-water mark.

A bundle of linefish, which form the mainstay oftraditional fishery in South Africa

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Table Mountain National Park MPA No fishing or other harvesting is allowed in thefollowing restricted zones:

• Karbonkelberg, between Oudekraal and the Sentinel at Hout Bay, extending 3,3 nautical miles offshore at the widest point.

• Cape of Good Hope, between the fence at Scarborough, and Hoek van Bobbejaan,extending approximately one nautical mile seawards.

• Paulsberg, between Venus Pool and Smits-winkel Point, extending approximately one nautical mile seawards.

• Castle Rock, between beacon VB2 at Partridge Point, and VB1 at Miller’s Point, extending approximately one nautical mile seawards.

• Boulders, between Oatlands and the eastern end of Simon’s Town harbour.

• St James, between the tidal pool at Kalk Bay,and the tidal pool at St James.

Helderberg MPANo fishing is allowed between the mouth of theEerste River, and the mouth of the Lourens Riverin False Bay, extending 500 m seawards fromthe high-water mark.

Strand closed areaOnly shore angling (and no other type of fishing)is allowed between the mouth of the LourensRiver, and the eastern breakwater of the harbourat Gordon’s Bay, extending 500 m seawards.

Table Mountain National Park Marine Protected Area

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Sustainable seafood

The World Wide Fund for Nature’s (WWF) SouthernAfrican Sustainable Seafood Initiative (SASSI) hascompiled a ‘Consumer’s Seafood Species List’ tohelp seafood-lovers make environmentally friendlychoices when shopping or dining out, accordingto the conservation status of popular fish species(see box alongside).

Species have been grouped into different colourcategories, each of which has a different meaning:

GREENThese species occur as relatively healthy andwell-managed populations that can sustaincurrent fishing pressure. Some green species arenot targeted by any particular fishery, but aremanaged as a sustainable by-catch. These speciesare recommended as the most sustainable choicesavailable.

ORANGEThese species may be legally sold by registered

commercial fishers and retailers. However, anincreased demand for these species could com-promise a sustainable supply, due to one or moreof the following reasons:• The species may presently be rare because it

is overfished.• The fishery that catches them may damage

the environment through the method used and/or high by-catch.

• The biology of the species makes it vulnerable to overfishing, or it may not have been adequately studied, but is suspected not to be able to sustain heavy fishing pressure based on information for related species.

• Consumers are encouraged to consider the implications of these choices.

REDThese species are illegal to buy or sell in SouthAfrica according to the Marine Living ResourcesAct (Act 18 of 1998). Some of these ‘no sale’species are very important recreational species thatcannot withstand commercial fishing pressure.

Fish species are ‘colour coded’ in SASSI’s Consumer Seafood Species List

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Adapted from SASSI’s Consumer’s Seafood pocket guide.

FishMS Sending an SMS containing the name of the fish for sale to 079 499 8795 will elicit an immediate response about the SASSI listing.For more information, visit the SASSI website: www.wwf.org.za/sassi/

CONSUMER’S SEAFOOD SPECIES LIST

GREEN LIST – BEST CHOICEAnchovy Angelfish (Atlantic pomfret)Bluefish (bluenose)Blueskin (trawl soldier)Blue hottentot Butterfish Chub mackerel (makriel)Dorado (dolphinfish;

mahi-mahi)GurnardHake (stockfish)Harder (mullet) – not

from estuariesHorse mackerel (maasbanker) Hottentot Jacopever John Dory Monkfish Mussels Octopus Oysters Panga Queen mackerel

(Natal snoek)Sand soldier (red tjor-tjor)Santer (soldier)Sardine (Pilchard)Snoek South coast rock lobsterSquid (calamari; tjokka)Steentjie Stumpnose, white Tuna – not bluefin;

pole caught is betterWest coast rock lobster

(west coast crayfish)White stumpnoseYellowtail

ORANGE LIST - CAUTIONAbalone – not farmedBluefin tunaCarpenter (silverfish; silver)Dageraad Elf (shad) – no sale in KZNEnglishman Geelbek (Cape salmon)King mackerel (couta; cuda)King soldierbream Kingklip Kob (kabeljou; dusky,silver,

squaretail kobs)Langoustines – local trawled Marlins Poenskop

(black musselcracker)Prawns – local trawledRed steenbras

(copper steenbras)Red stumpnose (Miss Lucy)Rockcods – all except potato

and brindle bassRoman (red roman)Scotsman Sharks – all except those

on Red listSkates and rays SlingersSnappers – all except

river snapper Sole – localSwordfish

RED LIST – NO SALEBaardman

(belman; tasselfish)Banded galjoen Blacktail (dassie; kolstert)Brindle bass Bronze bream Cape stumpnoseEast coast rock lobsterGaljoen Garrick (leervis)John Brown (Janbruin)KingfishesKnife jaw, Cape and Natal

(cuckoo bass; kraaibek)Large-spot pompano

(moony; wave garrick)Natal stumpnose

(yellow bream)Natal wrasse Potato bass Ragged tooth shark River bream (perch)River snapper (rock salmon)SawfishesSeventy-four Southern pompano Spotted grunter (tiger)Spotted gulley shark Springer (ten pounder)Stonebream Striped cat shark

(Pyjama shark)West coast steenbrasWhite musselcracker

(busher; cracker)White steenbras

(pignose grunter)Zebra (wildeperd)

Early days on the Cape coast

Indigenous peopleFossil remains and simple stone tools indicatethat human ancestors lived in South Africa as farback as the Early Stone Age (2 000–125 millenniaago). During the Middle Stone Age (125–20millennia ago), humans living in caves along thecoast supplemented their opportunistic diet withshellfish, seals and seabirds. Late Stone Agepeople (20–2 millennia ago) moved with theseasons as they followed migrating game, whichthey hunted with increasingly sophisticatedstone tools. Extensive shell middens reveal thatthey spent part of the year at the coast, livingoff its bountiful resources.

About 2 millennia ago, people began makinguse of domesticated animals and plants intro-duced from areas to the north of South Africa. Inthe east, livestock were herded and crops grown

near permanent settlements, but in the drierwestern region, nomadic pastoralists had toconstantly move their livestock in search ofgrazing land.

The first European seafarers and settlersencountered two groups of people along theCape coast – the herders or Khoikhoi, whom theycalled Hottentots (now considered a derogatoryterm), and the hunter-gatherers or San, who cameto be known as Bushmen. Today, these groupsare collectively referred to as the KhoiSan. ‘Strand-lopers’ (beach-walkers) were KhoiSan people,who harvested and hunted coastal resources.

The first European settlers at the Cape barteredwith the local Khoikhoi, but soon displaced themfrom their grazing land, and in some casesviolently robbed them of their cattle. Diseaseand famine also decimated the Khoikhoi bands,so they were forced to find employment aslabourers in the growing settlement.

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‘Strandlopers’ depended on the coast for their food resources

Elsewhere, KhoiSan were absorbed or extermi-nated over time by Bantus – including the Xhosaand Zulu – who were migrating southward.

European explorers and settlersThe first European to set foot on South Africansoil was Bartolomeu Dias, a Portuguesenobleman and explorer. King João (John) II ofPortugal, inspired by his late uncle, Prince Henrythe Navigator, was determined to find a searoute to India to bypass the trade monopoliesheld by Arab middlemen on the overland routes.Initially, he sent the explorer Diago Cão on twovoyages to chart the west coast of Africa. Cãosailed as far south as Cape Cross in Namibiabefore turning back, but paved the way for Dias,who left Lisbon in August 1487. After passingCape Cross, Dias continued down the coast, butwith the northern Cederberg in sight he sailedout to sea to avoid tacking into a strongsoutherly wind. When he eventually turned east-ward, he sailed round the southern tip of Africawithout realising it. Unable to see land, he steerednorth, and came to the Gouritz River mouth,where large waves prevented him from landing.Soon afterwards, he sailed into a large shelteredbay, where he came ashore and took on waterfrom a freshwater spring. It happened to be thefestival day of Saint Blaize in his homeland, sohe named the bay Aguada de São Bras – thewatering place of Saint Blaize. The bay was laterrenamed Mossel Bay by the Dutch.

Dias continued sailing east as far as the GreatFish River, when his disgruntled crew forced himto turn back, since it was clear that they had nowdiscovered a sea route round the southern tip ofAfrica as instructed. He rounded the Cape Penin-sula on his return voyage in May 1488, andnamed it Cabo das Tormentas – the Cape ofStorms. On arrival in Portugal, the delighted KingJohn renamed it Cabo da Boa Esperança – the

Cape of Good Hope – in recognition of its poten-tial to unlock prosperous trading with the East.

Nearly a decade later, on 8 July 1497, Vascoda Gama sailed from Lisbon with his fleet offour ships. Bartolomeu Dias acted as pilot for thefirst sea leg to the Canary Islands, and advisedthe fleet to sail far out into the Atlantic to avoidthe doldrums of the Gulf of Guinea. They thensailed the oceanic southwesterly winds backtowards the African continent, landing at St HelenaBay on 7 November. On 22 November, afterbeing beaten back by strong winds, they finallymanaged to round the Cape of Good Hope. DaGama wrote in his journal: ”To the south of thisCape of Good Hope, and close to it, a vast bay,six leagues broad at its mouth, enters about sixleagues into the land.” This bay was later namedValsbaai (False Bay) by Dutch sailors, who mistookit for Table Bay after rounding Cape Hangklip onreturn voyages from the east.

Da Gama landed at Mossel Bay, and then sailedup the east coast. At Christmas, they named thecoast they were passing Natal in honour of thebirth of Christ. They finally reached Calicut in Indiaon 20 May 1498, successfully opening up thesea route for the spice trade. They now held amonopoly over this route according to the Treatyof Tordesillas, which had been agreed betweenPortugal and Spain in 1494 after ChristopherColumbus discovered the ‘New World’ in 1492.Land to the west of a demarcation line in theAtlantic Ocean had been designated as Spanishterritory, while land to the east was Portuguese.

The Spanish therefore set out to find a west-ward sea route to Asia, so that they too couldbypass the middlemen in the spice trade. In August1519, Ferdinand Magellan set out from Sevillewith a fleet of five ships and 270 men. Theyrounded the South American continent by sailingthrough what is now known as the Straits ofMagellan, and reached the Philippines – the first

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Europeans to do so – on 16 March 1521. Thefollowing month, Magellan was killed during abattle with an indigenous faction. The fleet hadby now been seriously reduced through mutiny,attack, disease and other hardships, and the tworemaining ships continued sailing westward inan effort to return to Spain. Ultimately, only theVictoria, commanded by Juan Sebastián deElcano, made it back safely, after rounding theCape of Good Hope in May 1522. It arrived inSpain with only 18 men on board, almost threeyears after the fleet’s departure. Its homecomingmarked the first circumnavigation of the globe –although this had not been Magellan’s originalintention.

Despite a number of attempts to repeat thisfeat, it was not successfully achieved until theEnglishman Sir Francis Drake followed much thesame route, but also explored the west coast ofthe Americas at the behest of Queen Elizabeth I.He passed the Cape of Good Hope on the return

leg in 1580, and later wrote: “This Cape is a moststately thing, and the fairest Cape we saw in thewhole circumference of the earth.”

Towards the end of the 16th century, Dutchmerchants started sending fleets to the east tobreak Portugal’s monopoly on the spice trade,and in 1602, the Dutch government formed acartel called the Dutch East India Company – orVereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie (VOC). Seatraffic round the southern tip of Africa increasedsignificantly, but the voyage was long, and manysailors died of scurvy because it was impossible tomaintain a supply of fresh fruit and vegetables onboard. In 1652, Jan van Riebeeck was there-fore sent to the Cape to establish a refreshmentstation to provide fresh food and water forpassing ships. The small settlement establishedat the foot of Table Mountain – which KhoiSanpeople knew as Hoerikwaggo, or ‘the mountainin the sea’ – grew to become the city of CapeTown.

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Early encounters in the Cape between Khoikhoi herders and European seafarers were seldom as amicable asthis illustration suggests

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An early map illustrating a distorted representation of Africa

Portuguese sailors, in Southern Africa, raise a cross to mark their arrival

West Coast map

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West Coast

Strong southeasters in spring andsummer make the West Coast a windsports wonderland. The wind alsodrives the upwelling of cold, clear waterfrom the depths of the sea, making forchilly swimming. Light onshore winds bring acloak of fog, but there are also plenty of calm, sunny daysproviding perfect beach weather. The West Coast is bestexplored by turning off the R27 at Marine Drive, which followsthe coast from Dolphin Beach to Duynefontein.

View from the Blaauwberg Conservation Area

SILWERSTROOMSTRAND is a coastalresort used mainly by residents of nearby Atlantisand Mamre. The resort lies at the southern edgeof an immense bay bordered by Bokpunt in thenorth, and Springfontein se Punt in the south.Within this bay, a smaller rocky point calledWintersteen provides added protection from theswell for safe swimming in the sea, and there isalso a tidal pool for those wanting a warmer dipwithout the waves. There are picnic sites andbraai areas for day visitors, while holidaymakerscan stay at the bungalows orcaravan park. A slipway isavailable for boat-launching, andthe shore angling is good too,particularly for hottentot duringJanuary and February.

Silwerstroomstrand is ideal forlong walks on the beach, whichextends as an unbroken stretch ofsand for some 3 km. The northernhalf of the beach is backed by avast dunefield, oriented diagonallyto the shore as it reflects the

direction of sand blown off the beach by theprevailing southerly winds. Part of the dunefieldis a bare sheet of migrating sand, while the restis covered with strandveld vegetation. Due to itsconservation worthiness, this is the southern limitof a potential core area identified for the CapeWest Coast Biosphere Reserve. The habitat heresupports a rich diversity of birds, so it is apopular stop on the West Coast birding route.

To the south, a short walk over the rocky pointof Wintersteen leads to the little shell-strewn coveof Skulpbaai, while the much larger Matroosbaai

lies beyond Springfontein sePunt. The reef offshore marksthe watery grave of the

Reygersdal, a Dutch East IndiaCompany ship that was wrecked

in 1747 after a disastrous journeyfrom Holland. During the voyage,

which lasted 41/2 months, 125 mendied of scurvy. After reachingRobben Island, a strong south-easter parted the anchor rope,

and drove the ship ashore here.

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Silwerstroomstrand

Kelp gull (Larus dominicanus)

Only 24 of the remaining crew reached the shoresafely, while 93 men drowned.

Silwerstroomstrand is named after the ‘silverstream’ to the north of the resort. The streamrises from a spring at the edge of the Atlantisdunefield, which supplies water to the townfrom its underground aquifer.

VAN RIEBEECKSTRAND is a long, sandybeach between the southern border of theKoeberg Nuclear Power Station, and the mouthof the Kleine Zoute River. It is backed by thesuburbs of Duynefontein and Van Riebeeckstrand,and is primarily visited by local residents forwalking, swimming, surfing and fishing, althoughit also draws the kitesurfing set when other sitesare blown out. There are numerous access pointsalong its 2 km stretch, but the main beachfrontcar park is reached from a loop road helpfullynamed Strand, which leads off Charles HoffeAvenue. At the Duynefontein beach end, thepath to the beach called ‘Die Bad Pad’ (the bathpath) winds through a bushy wetland area thatsupports diverse bird life, as do the estuarine reedbeds of the Kleine Zoute River at the beach’ssouthern limit. Further upstream, the Ou Skipresort on the banks of the river – also knownsimply as the Sout River – has a caravan parkand chalet accommodation for holidaymakers.

Water sport enthusiasts should note that thearea in front of the Koeberg Nuclear Power Stationis a ‘no go’ security zone that extends 2 km off-shore, and more than 3 km along the coast. Onland, however, the public is welcome to visitKoeberg’s private nature reserve, which encom-passes 2 200 hectares of strandveld habitat.There is a mountain-biking route on thereserve’s rolling gravel roads, as well as twohiking trails. The Grysbok Trail to the south of thepower station has a 5,7 km and a 2,5 km option,while the Dikkop Trail to the north offers 9,5 km,19,3 km and 22,3 km alternatives. Both theDikkop Trail and the mountain-biking route takein two large ponds, where well-constructed hidesallow for some surreptitious bird-watching. Visitingthe reserve is particularly rewarding when thespring daisies are in bloom, but at any time ofyear it is possible to see animals such as spring-bok, blesbok, zebra and ostrich.

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Cape Flats dune strandveld

The Kleine Zoute River enters the sea at Van Riebeeckstrand

MELKBOSSTRAND was traditionally mostpopular with farmers from the Swartland whospent their summer holidays here, celebratingthe new year with ‘boeresport’ games, such astug of war on Tweede Nuwejaar (2 January).Today, with the rapid development that has takenplace on the West Coast, the beach is used allyear round by residents of the surroundingsuburbs and the nearby Atlantic Beach GolfEstate, while kitesurfers from further afield comehere to take advantage of the strong south-easters in spring and summer.

The beach, simply known as ‘Main Beach’, isbacked by green lawns that are perfect for sand-

free picnics, and there are a few cafés and restau-rants dotted along the adjacent Beach Road.A rocky outcrop called Slabbert se Klippe – a popular fishing spot – demarcates Main Beachfrom Kapteinsbaai to the north, which gives wayto Van Riebeeckstrand. This means that it ispossible to walk along the beach all the wayfrom the rocky point known as Melkbos Point inthe south, to the border of the Koeberg NuclearPower Station – a distance of some 4 km.

The waves at Melkbosstrand are relatively tame,so this is one of the few places along Cape Town’sWest Coast where it is easy to get through thesurf safely. For this reason, there is a slipway forlaunching skiboats on the northern edge of Melk-bos Point, and the National Sea Rescue Institute’s(NSRI) Station 18 rescue base has been estab-lished here. Surfskiers and seakayakers alsolaunch at Melkbosstrand for long paddles alongthe coast, but there is enough of a wave also tokeep the surfers happy, at spots known as BeachRoad and Captains.

The local angling club hosts an annual GaljoenDerby in early September, and hottentot, kob andwhite steenbras are also caught along this stretchof coast. Crayfish may only be targeted north of

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Melkbos = Milkwoods The white milkwood Sideroxylon inerme is a slow-growing tree that was heavily exploited in thepast, as its hard, fine-grained wood was used forbuilding bridges, boats and mills. Today, thespecies is fairly common along the Cape coast,and often occurs as dense groves. Nevertheless, itis protected in terms of the National Forest Act of1998, and may not be cut, disturbed, damaged ordestroyed without a licence from the Departmentof Water Affairs & Forestry. In exposed areas, thetree canopy often displays obvious ‘pruning’ fromthe prevailing wind.

Main Beach, Melkbosstrand

the beacon on Melkbos Point – to the south, theentire West Coast and Atlantic seaboard to DieJosie at Hout Bay is a rock lobster reserve,extending 12 nautical miles out to sea.

Melkbosstrand also has the distinction of beingthe landing point for South Africa’s underseacommunications cables. The SAT-1 co-axialtelephone cable laid in 1968 between Melkbos-strand and Portugal was replaced in 1993 withSAT-2, a fibre-optic cable that terminates at theislands of Madeira and Tenerife. The SA-Far East(SAFE) cable runs from Melkbosstrand toMauritius, India and Malaysia, while another cable

to the United Kingdom – with branches to atleast 10 African west coast countries – is due tobe completed before the 2010 FIFA World Cup™.

In the early 1800s, Melkbosstrand was knownas Losperd’s Bay, but the original farm here wasnamed De Melkbosch in honour of the area’smilkwood trees (see box alongside). An out-building of the farm, called the Damhuis after adam that has long since been filled in and builtover, can still be seen on Beach Road. By 1924,this building – originally used as a fish store –together with a post office, shop and a fewholiday homes, made up the tiny settlement ofMelkboschstrand, as it was then known, but inthat year, the Cape Lands Development Companyput 600 plots up for sale. From these smallbeginnings the town developed slowly, until theconstruction of the West Coast Road (R27) andKoeberg Nuclear Power Station during the 1970striggered a growth spurt. Over the last decade,Melkbosstrand’s development has again accel-erated, as the sky-rocketing property marketcloser to the city centre has encouraged house-hunters to buy in outlying areas offering wide-open spaces and cheaper prices.

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Atlantic Beach Golf Estate

Sunset stroll

BLAAUWBERG CONSERVATION AREAencompasses the coastal strip from the outskirtsof Melkbosstrand, to Big Bay at Blouberg, andextends inland to include Blaauwberg Hill, sonamed because of its blue appearance whenviewed from approaching ships. The area has beengranted formal conservation status as a localauthority nature reserve because it includes threethreatened vegetation types – West Coast renos-terveld, sandplain fynbos and dune thicket – aswell as the transitional ecotones between them.

Apart from its biodiversity value, the area hasgreat cultural and historical significance.

The land around Blaauwberg Hill was the siteof the 1806 Battle of Blaauwberg, whichmarked the end of Dutch rule at the Cape (seebox below). The area also contains World War IIrelics, as well as shell middens left by KhoiSan‘strandlopers’ from precolonial days.

The nature reserve office and environmentaleducation centre are situated in the controlled-access recreation area known as Eerstesteen.The area offers designated braai sites and picnicspots. Portable braai equipment is not allowed.Although there are some playground apparatusesfor children, there is little shelter from the windand sun. Wooden boardwalks lead over the lowdunes to the beach, which is popular for longwalks in either direction. This is an exposed stretchof coastline, and the surf is usually too rough forsafe swimming.

An entrance fee is charged during the summermonths for Eerstesteen, which is considered the‘southern gateway’ to the Blaauwberg Conser-vation Area (BCA). Continuing northwards alongMarine Drive (M14), there are a number of freeaccess points to the shoreline, all marked by agravel parking area.

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Battle of BlaauwbergThe Battle of Blaauwberg was waged on the plainsbelow Blaauwberg Hill and the slopes of neigh-bouring Kleinberg in January 1806. It was foughtbetween the Dutch, who ruled the Cape at thetime, and the British, whose troops landed fromwarships anchored off Losperd’s Bay – now calledMelkbosstrand. The British beat the Dutch, whichsubsequently established British rule in SouthAfrica for the second time.

The battle ended with the signing of the provi-sional Articles of Capitulation on 10 January undera milkwood tree in the area now known as Wood-stock. The ‘Treaty Tree’ still stands today, and in1967 was designated a National Monument (nowa Provincial Heritage Site).

Spring floral display on BCA’s lowlands

Derdesteen is a popular surf spot, whichworks best in glassy conditions. Next along isKreeftebaai, where the beach is separated fromthe sea by a rocky section of shoreline. The rockcrevices and kelp beds here are undoubtedly goodcrayfish habitat, but the entire West Coast southof Melkbos Point falls within the rock lobsterclosed area, where these crustaceans may notbe caught. However, rock-and-surf fishing is

allowed, and hottentot, galjoen, kob and evenwhite steenbras can be hooked in these waters.

Kelpbaai is obviously named for its kelp beds,and Haakgat (hook hole) for its fishing potential,although this area is also used by surfers andkitesurfers. The last beach before Melkbosstrandis Holbaai (hollow bay), but whether it wasnamed by anglers for its fishing hollows, or bysurfers for its hollow barrel waves, is uncertain.

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Demarcated paths are used to protect the sensitive dune vegetation

Suurvy (Carpobrotus acinaciformis)

BLOUBERGSTRAND has two main beachareas – Big Bay and Small Bay – as well as littleBokkombaai, tucked between two rocky sectionsof shoreline. Big Bay is the northernmost beach,and, as its name implies, is a large, sweepingbay, ringed by dazzling white sand. The shallowsoffer safe swimming conditions, with volunteerlifesavers from the local club on duty duringpeak periods, while the waves and wind are adrawcard for water sport enthusiasts, includingbodyboarders, kitesurfers and jetskiers. Surfersoften prefer two spots just north of the bay,called Kamer van 17, after a rocky outcrop atthe bay’s entrance, and Horse Trails, close to theracehorse trainer Terence Millard’s former estate.The seemingly endless stretch of sandy beachhere is perfect for long walks with the dogs, andat spring low tide, people can often be seendoing the ‘white mussel shuffle’ in the shallows,using their feet to feel for the buried bivalves. Aswith all marine resource use, a permit for shell-fish collecting is required from Marine andCoastal Management (MCM), and bag limitsand minimum size limits apply.

Bloubergstrand is famous for its views of TableMountain, and Robben Island lies directly offshore.

Big Bay is normally the end point for intrepid openwater swimmers who tackle the approximately 7 km swim from the island through bitterly coldwaters. The record time for this test of enduranceis about 11/2 hours.

Big Bay used to be backed by expansive lawns,dotted with braai sites, but these have recentlybeen replaced by new developments offering amix of residential, retail and commercial property.

Small Bay is right next to Big Bay, separatedfrom it by a sandy spit that is partly submergedat high tide. This beach is particularly safe forchildren, because a row of large rocks across themouth of the bay acts as a natural breakwater,reducing the power of the waves. There are anumber of parking areas accessed from the mazeof streets behind the bay, and a range of restau-rants close by, including Ons Huisie (‘our littlehouse’) in a whitewashed, thatched building thatwas once a fisherman’s cottage. Built in 1816, ithas operated as a restaurant specialising in tradi-tional Cape cuisine since the 1970s.

Beyond Small Bay there is a rocky section ofcoast known as Kreefgat (‘crayfish hole’), butnowadays its inhabitants are off limits becausethe area falls within a rock lobster reserve. A

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Popular kitesurfing on Bloubergstrand

wide pathway following the shoreline is verypopular with runners, who can pound the pave-ment all the way from Small Bay to DolphinBeach and back.

Bokkombaai, named after the dried, saltedharders (mullet) that are traditional West Coastseafood, is a sandy strip strewn with the shellsof black mussels. The rock pools here – andcontinuing along the last stretch of the Blouberg-strand coastline – provide good paddling pondsfor toddlers, and hours of exploration for inquisitive kids.

TABLE VIEW, so named for its spectacularviews of Table Mountain’s iconic profile, and itseasily accessible, straight coastline, is a favouritestretch for long walks on the beach. Runnersand pram pushers opt for the paved pathwaysthat connect all the car parks between Blou-bergstrand and Dolphin Beach, while cyclistshave a dedicated lane along Marine Drive (M14).During summer, stalls selling arts and crafts areset up alongside the car parks in peak periods.

The beach is steeply sloped, and drops offquickly into deeper water, so it has a powerfulshorebreak and dumping waves that reduce itssuitability for swimming. It is popular for sun-bathing though, and for watching the aerobaticsof kitesurfers and jetskiers who ply these waters.Surfers congregate at a spot towards the northernend of the beach.

DOLPHIN BEACH is a continuation of TableView, and is found south of the traffic circle onMarine Drive (M14). Here, the paved pathwayalong the beachfront meanders between mani-cured lawns on one side, and a low dune ridge onthe other. There is a dune rehabilitation programmein place along this entire stretch of coast, sobeachgoers should stay off the dunes, and usethe boardwalks and formal access points toreach the beach.

A tourist information centre is located alongsidethe main beachfront car park, and there are avariety of restaurants and fast-food outlets in thevicinity. The ponds and reed beds of the wetlandarea near the Dolphin Beach Hotel – after whichthe beach was named – offer good bird-watchingopportunities, with parking available off thehotel’s access road.

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Dolphins of the West CoastThe dolphins most likely to be seen close inshorealong Cape Town’s west coast are dusky dolphins.These are very acrobatic dolphins, often observedsomersaulting or corkscrewing through the air, orriding the bow waves of boats. They are dark incolour on the back, and white on the belly, withbands of grey on the sides. Although they aresometimes seen in False Bay, they mainly occuralong the west coast of Southern Africa, as farnorth as Angola.

Heaviside’s dolphins appear to be confined tothe cold waters of the West Coast’s Benguelacurrent, so they are sometimes called Bengueladolphins. They are relatively shy animals, and notas boisterous as dusky dolphins, although they doalso bowride in front of boats. The front half ofthe body is mostly grey, and the back half is dark,with distinctive white blazes on the flanks belowthe dorsal fin.

Bottlenose and common dolphins are more likelyto be seen east of Cape Point, or in deeper waters.

Table View beach

RIETVLEI WETLAND RESERVE extendsdown to the coastline between Dolphin Beachand Sunset Beach. The beach can be accessedfrom a gravel car park alongside the R27, butoffers no other facilities. However, the main partof the reserve has a range of facilities, includingample parking, toilets, picnic and braai sites,walking trails and a boat-launching site.

The 560 hectare reserve was declared in 1982to protect the wetlands of Rietvlei and theMilnerton lagoon, which comprise the floodplainand estuary of the Diep River. The river forms anatural ecological corridor that links the reserveto the Blaauwberg Conservation Area furthernorth. Rietvlei’s wetlands consist of a number ofshallow pans that normally dry out in summer,and a permanent lake known as Flamingo Vlei.During the 1970s, this body of water was dredgedto a depth of nine metres to provide infill for theconstruction of the container berths at Table Bayharbour. The northern lobe is now used for avariety of water sports – including power-boating,

water-skiing, dinghy-sailing, windsurfing, as wellas freshwater angling – while the southern lobeis a bird sanctuary area. Rietvlei supports aremarkable diversity of birds, with more than190 species having been recorded here. Of thesespecies, 102 are water birds, many of themmigrant waders that visit these waters in springand summer. A large birdhide allows theirbehaviour to be observed undetected.

Entrance to the reserve is at the Milnerton

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Rietvlei Wetland Reserve

Cape river frog (Amieta fuscigula)

Aquatic Club in Sandpiper Road, accessed fromPentz Drive off Blaauwberg Road (M14). A smallentrance fee is charged for the reserve, and anadditional launching fee and rod tariff is levied(anglers must also be in possession of a fresh-water angling permit from CapeNature). Theeducation centre here offers outdoor and environ-mental education for school groups by priorarrangement. The seabird rehabilitation centrerun by SANCCOB (Southern African Foundationfor the Conservation of Coastal Birds) is alsoworth a visit, as it allows for close viewing ofpenguins and other seabirds. The centre is open tothe public all week, with a nominal fee chargedas a contribution towards operational costs.

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FlamingosThe two species of flamingo that occur in Africa – the greater and lesser flamingo – can sometimes be seenat Rietvlei, although they do not breed here. The greater flamingo is the larger and paler of the two, withpink only on the wings. The bill is pink, but has a black tip. The much smaller lesser flamingo has redderplumage overall, and its dark red bill appears black from afar.

Both species are found in large flocks at shallow freshwater lakes, saline pans and estuaries, often occurringtogether, but exploiting different food sources. They both use their specially adapted curved bill for filterfeeding, holding it upside down and pumping water with the tongue through its hair-like lamellae to trapfood particles. The greater flamingo has coarse lamellae, and eats small aquatic invertebrates that it disturbsfrom the sediment by treading its feet, leaving wheel-shaped depressions in the mud. Its long legs and neckenable it to feed in deeper water than the lesser flamingo, which sweeps its head from side to side near thewater surface to trap diatoms and other algae in its very fine lamellae. Carotenoid pigments in their dietaccount for the characteristic pink colour of flamingos, so healthy, well-fed individuals are pinker – andmore likely to attract a mate – than their malnourished neighbours.

SANCCOB’s rehabilitation centre

Lesser flamingos (Phoenicopterus minor)

SUNSET BEACH takes its name from thesuburb that was developed here fairly recently.Previously, it was considered the upper end ofMilnerton Beach, and visited only by people takinglengthy walks along the beach. Today, there area number of access points from the suburb, withfive beachfront parking areas. As its name implies,the beach offers spectacular views of the sunsetting over the sea.

MILNERTON lies at one end of an uninter-rupted stretch of sandy shore that extends allthe way to Bloubergstrand, some 10 km to thenorth. There are two main beaches here – Milner-ton Beach, accessed from Woodbridge Island,and Milnerton Lagoon Beach at the mouth ofthe Diep River.

Milnerton Beach is popular for long walksas well as water sports, particularly surfing, kite-surfing and surfskiing. The surf and backwash isoften too strong for safe swimming, but volunteerlifesavers from the Milnerton Surf Lifesaving Clubkeep watch over a demarcated area in front oftheir clubhouse on weekends and public holidays.Towering over the beachfront car park is theMilnerton lighthouse, an all-white cylindricalcement structure housing an 800 000 candle-power revolving light. It was commissioned in1960 to provide a warning beacon for seatraffic, because the coastline between Milnertonand Mouille Point had claimed more ships – atleast 150 – than any other area in South Africa.The remains of one of these, the cargo shipWinton, can still be seen in the surf zone to thenorth of the beach after running aground herein July 1934. The ship was due to stop over inCape Town en route from Australia to Britain with6 000 tons of wheat in the hold, but the captainmistook the lights on top of some tall telegraphmasts for those on the breakwater of Table Bay

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View of Table Mountain from Sunset Beach

Milnerton lighthouse

harbour, bringing the voyage to an abrupt end.Milnerton Beach is backed by a golf course to

the north of the car park, and by the WoodbridgeIsland housing estate to the south. The estatesurrounds Zonnekus – the seaside mansion builtfor Sir David Graaff in 1929 – and is named afterthe old wooden bridge over Milnerton Lagoon.The bridge was built in 1899 to provide militaryaccess to the ‘island’ during the Anglo-Boer War.Today, a modern cement bridge carries vehicularand pedestrian traffic over the lagoon, but thewooden bridge – now sealed off as it is struc-turally unsound – still stands. The Milnerton CanoeClub is situated at the seaward end of the bridge,and hosts time trials on the lagoon every Wed-nesday night during the autumn and wintermonths. In spring and summer, many of thepaddlers swop their canoes for surfskis, and takepart in the weekly ‘downwind dash’ on the seafrom Milnerton Beach to Big Bay.

The lagoon forms part of the estuary of theDiep River, which rises some 65 km away in thePerdeberg and Riebeeck Kasteel mountains, andempties into the sea at Milnerton LagoonBeach. The beach is accessed from Lagoon GateDrive, and there are public parking and ablutionfacilities alongside the office complex here. Surfersknow this spot as Dumps, and it is also used for

paddle and wind sports. Children sometimes playin the shallow, gently flowing waters at the mouthof the lagoon, although this is a potential healthrisk. Ongoing water quality monitoring has shownthat concentrations of faecal bacteria sometimesexceed standards for safe recreational contact.The Potsdam Wastewater Works, which dischargestreated effluent into the Diep River, has recentlybeen upgraded, and heavily polluted stormwaterrunoff into the river system is also beingaddressed. Fortunately, runoff is minimal insummer, so water quality just inside the mouthgenerally meets standards during this period.

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Palm trees line the Milnerton Lagoon

City Seaboard map

V&A Waterfront PAGE 41

City Seaboard

This stretch of coastline provides a convenientoutdoor escape for people living in the city bowland neighbouring areas, and also attractsresidents of outlying suburbs, as its beaches arethe most sheltered in Cape Town. Although thesea is too cold for more than a quick dip, thebeaches face the setting sun, making for longerdays as well as spectacular sunsets.

PORT OF CALLThe Victoria and Alfred (V&A) Waterfront and surrounding Table Bay harbour form an integral part of CapeTown’s coastline. Apart from being vital to the shipping and fishing industries, they provide a unique oppor-tunity to get up close and personal with marine life. Seabirds such as terns, gulls and cormorants havebecome habituated to people, and hang about in the hope of scrounging scraps of food. Cape fur seals canbe seen wallowing in the harbour waters, basking in the sun on the landing near the Clock Tower, or taking abreather on tyres lining the quayside. An underwater view of their agile aquabatics is on display at the world-class Two Oceans Aquarium, where adrenalin junkies can even dive with sharks in the predator tank. Nearby,the Maritime Museum showcases the maritime history of Table Bay, and houses the largest collection ofmodel ships in South Africa.

The V&A Waterfront has been developed around the Victoria and Alfred Basins, named after QueenVictoria and her second son. In September 1860 – to much pomp and ceremony – the young Prince Alfredtipped the first load of stone into Table Bay for the construction of the harbour breakwater. Ten years later,the Alfred Basin was opened, followed by the Victoria Basin in 1920.

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GRANGER BAY is the closest stretch of coast-line to the city centre, apart from the Table Bayharbour and its V&A Waterfront (see box below).However, few people come here to visit the beach,which is a narrow strip of shell and kelp-strewnsand bordered by a rocky shore. Instead, they areattracted to the area by the trendy restaurantsand bars that have sprung up along Beach Roadin recent years.

In addition, development around the GrangerBay harbour has transformed this previously over-looked coastal asset. The harbour was originallybuilt in the 1960s as part of the Louis Botha NavalAcademy, where naval cadets were trained forthe merchant navy. It was later taken over by theCape Technikon, which runs a maritime trainingfacility and a hotel school in the harbour precinct.

More recently, an upmarket hotel, apartment blockand office complex have been added, and asmall boat marina constructed by deepening theharbour basin, and extending the breakwater.

Granger Bay is named after Captain RobertGranger, a merchant, shipping agent and ship-owner who lived in a small house overlookingthe beach, where whalers once landed their catch.One stormy night in February 1857, CaptainGranger saw a small schooner capsize out at sea,and immediately went to the rescue in a smalldinghy, putting himself in grave danger. He savedfive people, while the rest were rescued by aboat from town. Captain Granger was given anaward for his bravery, and some years later, hewas honoured in perpetuity when the nameGranger Bay appeared on maps of the Cape.

V&A Waterfront in Table Bay

MOUILLE POINT marks the start of thePromenade that traces the coastline through SeaPoint to the edge of Bantry Bay. This means itoffers a good work-out for walkers and runners,as well as a gentle seaside stroll for the lessenergetic. Although there is no beach, and therocky shore below the sea wall is inaccessible,the area is a popular family destination becauseof the putt-putt (mini-golf) course that operatesall week. Nearby is the hedge-lined labyrinthknown as Serendipity Maze, but it opens duringpeak periods only.

Another special experience is a visit to theGreen Point lighthouse (see box alongside).Despite its warning beacon, this stretch of coastis notorious as a ship graveyard, with scores ofvessels having been wrecked here over the years.The most tragic case is the Athens, a Royal Mailsteamer that was driven onto the rocks in May1865 in what became known as the Great Galeof Table Bay. This was in the days before theharbour breakwater was built, so vessels lying atanchor in Table Bay were pounded by heavy seas,and 17 sailships were cast ashore. The captainof the Athens tried to steam out to sea, but wavescrashed through the engine room skylight, andextinguished the boiler fires, leaving the little shipat the mercy of the elements. She ran agroundclose inshore, but the many people who rushedto the site with ropes, lights and lifebuoys wereunable to reach the ship, and all 29 on boardperished. The rusty hulk of the ship’s boiler canstill be seen in the sea towards Granger Bay.

Some years later, when the Thermopylae ranaground in perfectly calm conditions in 1899,local residents put to sea in small boats storedin the sheds at Three Anchor Bay, and directedthe ship’s lifeboats to safety. All passengers andcrew were rescued. In July 1966, the groundingof the SA Seafarer prompted an environmental‘scare’, as she was carrying a potentially hazardouscargo of tetra-ethyl lead. All on board were saved

and her cargo salvaged without incident.Although little remains of these and other ship-

wrecks close inshore, the sites are occasionallyvisited by recreational divers when conditionsallow, while the Thermopylae has also lent itsname to a surf spot here. Another surf spot, justeast of the lighthouse, is known as Off the Walldue to its proximity to the sea wall.

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THE GREEN POINT LIGHTHOUSEThe Green Point lighthouse, commissioned in1824, was the first formal lighthouse to be builton the South African coast. Until then, fires orlamps had been lit to warn ships of navigationhazards. The lighthouse has undergone numerouschanges over the years – apart from electrifi-cation and improvements to the optics, the towerwas raised and also changed colour several timesto help it stand out against the surroundingbuildings. Today, it is painted with diagonal redand white stripes. A diaphone-type foghorn wasinstalled in 1926, despite opposition from localresidents, who feared it would disturb their sleep.This was replaced by an electrically operatednautophone in 1986. The revolving lighthousebeam has a range of 25 nautical miles, and anintensity of 850 000 CD (candle power), with oneflash every 10 seconds.

The lighthouse is sometimes mistakenlyreferred to as the Mouille Point lighthouse.However, this was the name of another smallerlighthouse nearby. Built in 1842 on the northernarm of Granger Bay, it remained in use until1908, when the new beacon on the breakwaterof the Table Bay harbour rendered it obsolete. Thelighthouse was later demolished, but itsfoundation base can still be seen in the GrangerBay harbour precinct.

However, surfers must contend with pollutedwaters in these parts. Ongoing monitoring hasrevealed that the coastal waters here exceedwater quality guidelines for safe recreational use.

The name Mouille Point originates from theprotective mole built to shelter ships, and providesafe anchorage long before the Table Bay harbour

breakwater existed. Construction began in 1743,with wagonloads of stone dumped into the sea,but strong waves and currents constantly brokedown the barrier, and in 1746 the project wasabandoned. The Dutch word for mole at that timewas moeilje, but the spelling was later corruptedby the French, who – after their arrival in theCape in 1791 – upgraded the Dutch defencesthat had been built near the mole. They referredto the site as the Mouille Battery, and the entirecoastal strip eventually took on the name.

THREE ANCHOR BAY is a small, shelteredcove between Mouille Point and Sea Point. It hasa sandy beach and a slipway, used mainly byrecreational boat owners. It is also the main put-in point for surfskiers and seakayakers, some ofwhom store their gear in the boatsheds beneaththe Promenade. Just across the road there is aseakayaking shop that offers guided trips – noprevious paddling experience is necessary, becausethe sea is often glassy calm here. It is a particu-larly rewarding paddle at the end of the day, with thesun dipping towards the horizon on one side, andspectacular views of Signal Hill and Lion’s Headon the other (see box on page 45). Penguins, sealsand dolphins are often seen, as well as sunfish.

Pollution problems here mean that the waterquality is unsuitable for swimming. However,long-distance swimmers occasionally test their

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SUNFISH OR MOONFISH?The strange-looking ocean sunfish Mola molaresembles a fish that has been chopped in half.Its rounded shape has lent it common names insome languages – poisson lune, pez luna andmondfisch – that can be translated as‘moonfish’, but the English name refers to thesunfish’s habit of lying on its side at the seasurface, as if sunbathing.

The body of the fish is flattened from side toside, and the caudal (tail) fin has been replacedby a rounded clavus, which is used for steering.There is a long dorsal fin above, and an anal finbelow, both of which are flapped sideways forpropulsion. Because the angular dorsal finprotrudes above the sea surface, the sunfish issometimes mistaken for a shark. The distin-guishing feature is that a shark’s dorsal finmoves through the water in a straight line, whilethat of the sunfish has a zigzagging, sidewaysmovement.

The ocean sunfish is the world’s largest bonyfish (as opposed to cartilaginous fish, such assharks). It has an average weight of 1 000 kgand length of 1,8 m, although individuals ofdouble this size have been recorded. It feedsmainly on jellyfish, comb jellies, bluebottles andsalps.

Three Anchor Bay

endurance, and attempt to set new records byswimming here from Robben Island. The 10,2 kmswim takes over two hours, but some intrepidswimmers have also undertaken a return tripfrom the beach, spending some six hours in thechilly water!

Three Anchor Bay was originally called Lion’sCove – De Leeuwen Zantbaeikjen – by Jan vanRiebeeck, due to its proximity to what he knewas the Lion Mountain (later Lion’s Head and theLion’s Rump, or Signal Hill). More than a centurylater, when the Dutch colony was facing attackby British invaders in 1795, three massive anchorswith chains attached were fixed across theentrance of the cove to thwart enemy landings.But the British succeeded in landing at Muizen-berg in False Bay, and before long had takenoccupation of the Cape. By 1800, the cove wascommonly known as Three Anchor Bay.

SEA POINT has a number of small beacheslinked by a promenade along the sea wall thatstretches all the way from Mouille Point to BantryBay. The Sea Point Promenade provides a conve-nient exercise circuit for local residents and cityworkers, so from first light to spectacular sunsetit is used by scores of joggers and walkers. Thelawns alongside the Promenade are used forinformal games of football and touch rugby, andthere are playground areas for children, withswings and jungle gyms. Many people also walk

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THE GUN RUN AND SIGNAL HILLThe Sea Point Promenade is a favourite part of the half-marathon route of the annual Gun Run. The cut-offtime for the runners used to coincide with the firing of the noonday gun at the Lion Battery on the slopes ofSignal Hill. The two cannons used for this daily time check are the world’s oldest iron guns still in daily use.The start of the race has recently been shifted to earlier in the day, so as a special arrangement, the Cape FieldArtillery now fire the cannons to start each of the three Gun Run events (21 km, 10 km and 5 km), and alsomark the cut-off at 10:00.

The daily time signal was originally introduced in 1833 to allow ships in Table Bay to set their clocks, butthe cannons were then fired from the Imhoff Battery at the Castle, and were only moved to the Lion Batteryin 1902. However, in 1821, a signalling station was established on top of what was then known as the Lion’sRump. A system of flags and shots fired was used to warn the settlement of approaching ships, hence thename change to Signal Hill.

Ice cream seller on the Promenade

Sea Point municipal pool

their dogs here, but those who fail to clean upafter them are liable to be fined.

Sea Point has a rocky coastline, so the beacheshere are either tiny coves or strips of sand behindthe rocky shore. For those preferring not to ventureinto the sea, where pollution levels have beenknown to exceed those recommended for recre-ational use, there is the municipal pool complexat the Sea Point Pavilion. The complex contains anOlympic-sized pool, two smaller children’s pools,and a springboard diving pool, all filled with

crystal-clear seawater that has been filtered andchlorinated. A small entrance fee is charged.

Closest to Three Anchor Bay, the first beachalong the Promenade is Rocklands, a small coveringed by the sea wall. A sheltered gully betweenthe rocks is a popular paddling spot for children,and there is a playground area on the lawnsnearby. Rocklands takes its name from theoriginal property that stretched from the shoreto the Main Road. In the 1870s, the large houseon the property was turned into the Rocklandsboarding house, which became a well-knownlandmark. Over the years, the rest of the propertywas developed, and the building was eventuallydemolished. In 1955, the studios of the SouthAfrican Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) werebuilt on the site.

Further along the Promenade is Graaff’s Pool,notorious as a men-only nudist spot thatdeveloped an increasingly seedy reputation duringthe 1980s and 1990s. A high, whitewashed wallaround the pool shielded nude bathers from thepublic eye, but also helped hide clandestineactivities. The pool was a well-known gay pick-up spot – dubbed The Wall – where rent boyssolicited their services, and drug dealers pedalledtheir wares. In 2002, the wall was damaged bystorm waves, and rather than repair it, the City

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Rocklands

Council elected to partially demolish it, followingcontinual complaints from local residents about theillicit goings-on at the pool. It was also consideredunconstitutional to reserve part of the coastlinefor one gender, so the men-only signs have comedown, but even today, few women venture downthe long concrete path to the pool.

Graaff’s Pool is named after Sir Jacobus Graaff,who lived in an elegant house opposite it, calledBordeaux. The Graaff family bought the house in1893 from a prominent wine merchant, PieterMarais, who had named it after the French wine-growing region. It was in fact Mr Marais who hadcreated the pool for his wheelchair-bound wife,arranging for a path to be constructed from thefront gate of the house down to a small naturalrock pool, which was enlarged by carting awayany loose stones. In hot weather, Mrs Marais waswheeled down to the pool for a reviving dip. Someyears later, the pool was upgraded with JacobusGraaff’s cooperation, and given his name.

There is a larger, more family-oriented tidal poolat Milton Beach, the next sandy beach after

Rocklands. The beach is separated from the seaby a rocky shelf, so the pool offers the safest andmost accessible swimming spot, although shallowpools and gullies may be fine for a wallow at hightide. There are parking areas and ablution facil-ities close by, as well as drinking fountains thatare popular rest stops for walkers and joggers.

Milton Beach gives way to Brokenbath Beach,closest to the Pavilion and its pool complex. Longbefore the construction of the existing pools, theoriginal Sea Point Baths were situated here. Builtin 1895, the baths were enjoyed by both menand women, but at separate allocated times, untilthey were destroyed by rough seas in 1911 –hence the name of the beach. The baths werenot immediately rebuilt, because constructionwork had already begun on the nearby MiltonPool, which became the fashionable swimmingspot of the time.

Beyond the Pavilion, the Promenade curvesaround the rocky coastline before straighteningout behind Sunset Beach. This long stretch ofsand is fronted by a rocky shore, where the

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The Promenade curves around numerous small beaches

remnants of a tidal pool can be seen. The poolwas built specifically for the use of non-whites inthe days when beaches and other public facilitieswere racially segregated. Some years ago, theretaining walls were broken down because thepool was poorly flushed by the tides, resulting inpersistent water quality problems. Nowadays,most sunbathers use the cold-water showers onthe beach to cool off. Close by, there is a modernablution block in the large parking area accessedoff the Queens Road circle.

On the other side of Beach Road, running thelength of the beach, is the Sea Point ResearchAquarium, a facility of the governmental Marineand Coastal Management Directorate. Long ago,the building housed a public aquarium, but hasnow been extensively renovated and equippedwith state-of-the-art technology for pollution andplankton studies, aquaculture experimentation,and research on the biology of fish and othermarine organisms.

The next beach along is Queen’s Beach,named after the Queen’s Hotel that was builtnearby in 1887. This is the most popular of theSea Point beaches for sunbathing, being quieterand more secluded than those beneath the mainstretch of the Promenade. This last section of BeachRoad is a cul-de-sac, so there is little passingtraffic, and a free parking space is usually easy to

find, as there are two large parking areas. Thebeach tends to be frequented by singles, couplesand small groups of adults, rather than boisterousfamilies. A shallow gully between the rocks pro-vides a safe spot to dunk beneath the waves.

The last of the Sea Point beaches, closest toBantry Bay, is Saunders’ Rocks. The beach hasless space for suntanners, because it is dotted withoutcrops of rock, and is popular with families,probably because it has a small tidal pool. Al-though somewhat overgrown with algae, the poolis set in a magical position between mammothgranite boulders, so it acts as a drawcard forgroups of people, who drape themselves over thesurrounding rock slabs. There are also naturalpools and gullies on the rocky shore here, butpoor water quality compromises their suitabilityfor recreational use.

Saunders’ Rocks were named during the secondhalf of the 1800s. A distinguished citizen of CapeTown called Robert Saunders lived at Rock Cottageon the eastern edge of Bantry Bay. His son, John,who also rose to prominence at a young age, latertook over the house, so it is not known whetherthe rocks are named after the father or son, orboth.

The rocks between Saunders’ Rocks andQueen’s Beach – known as the Sea Point Contact– are of much greater historical significance, and

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ROCK OF AGESThe rocky shore between Queen’s Beach and Saunders’ Rocks is of enormous geological interest. Known asthe Sea Point Contact, it is a record of a great upheaval of the earth’s surface that took place eons ago. TheGeological Society of South Africa has erected a plaque in the Queen’s Beach car park bearing a simpleexplanation of the phenomenon.

About 540 million years ago, molten granite magma rose up through the dark sedimentary formations ofthe Malmesbury Group, which had been deposited at an earlier time. Such was the heat of intrusion that theMalmesbury strata were softened, stretched and dismembered along the contact area, forming a complexzone of mixed rock, called migmatite, over about 150 metres.

By walking along the Promenade from Sunset Beach to Saunders’ Rocks, it is possible to see a transitionfrom the undisturbed dark rocks of the Malmesbury Group, through various mixtures of the two rock typesdisplaying distinct bands and fragments, to the homogenous granite around Saunders’ Rocks.

The ‘father of evolution’, Charles Darwin, came to see this feature in 1836, after being told of it by DrAndrew Smith, the first superintendent of the South African Museum. Darwin spent 18 days at the Capewhen the HMS Beagle docked at Simon’s Town during its five-year circumnavigation of the globe.

were declared a National Monument in 1952(see box). They also provide a convenient entrypoint for the surf spot called Queen’s, best riddenduring a high tide, good swell and southeastwind. Other surf spots in Sea Point are Solly’s –close to the Pavilion – and Rocklands, both ofwhich are best in a southeaster, but can work ina southwester too.

BANTRY BAY, which lies between Clifton andSea Point, was originally known as Botany Bay. In1803, Dr Friedrich Ludwig Liesching – a formersurgeon-major and later the first president of theSouth African Medical Society – established abotanical garden on the lower slopes of Lion’sHead. The garden was mainly used to growmedicinal herbs, but also rare botanical specimens.By 1808, the garden had been abandoned, butthe name Botany Bay was used for the estate untilit was purchased by a man named O’Callaghanin 1882. Being of Irish descent, he renamed itBantry Bay after an inlet on the southwest coastof Ireland. Perhaps he was motivated by theconnotations with Australia’s Botany Bay – a

notorious penal colony where, starting in 1788,thousands of convicts were sent from Britain.

Today, the coastline hugging the bay itself isquite inaccessible, as exclusive apartment blocksline the sea cliffs. However, anglers sometimesfish off the rocks here, casting their lines intothe deep blue waters of the bay.

CLIFTON is the heart of Cape Town’s beachscene, pulsating with the energy of the bronzedand beautiful. It is a place to see and be seen,with itsy-bitsy bikinis, G-strings and designersunglasses the order of the day. While toplesstanning is not frowned upon, total nudity is bestsaved for Sandy Bay. Just offshore, a few yachtslying at anchor in the clear blue waters add tothe exotic flavour.

Clifton’s four dazzlingly white beaches, sepa-rated by outcrops of granite rock, are the mostsheltered in Cape Town. This means that Cliftoncan generally be relied upon for perfect conditionsin summer, even when the wind chases peopleoff other beaches. Temperatures can soar on theback beach, but down near the water’s edge, the

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Bantry Bay

icy sea has a welcome cooling effect. Here, onthe hard, wet sand, more active types work up asweat with beach bats and frisbees, periodicallytaking a refreshing dunk in the shallows. Othersprefer a quick shower to cool off when roastingin the sun gets uncomfortably hot. Vendors plythe beaches selling snacks and drinks, so it ispossible to spend a few hours here withoutwandering far.

Each of the four beaches has its own specialcharacter. 1st Beach, where many of the locals

and old-timers go, is the least crowded, but lacksthe cosy atmosphere of the other beaches, as itis overlooked by exclusive beachfront apartments.2nd Beach is considered the place to go for afew hours in the sun without too much hype,while 3rd Beach is a popular gay-friendly rendez-vous spot. Finally, 4th Beach is usually packedwith trendy people, but is also frequented byfamily groups, being closest to ablution facilitiesand parking areas. For the other beaches, it ispossible to park along Victoria Road, and walkdown steep stairs to the beach – although givenClifton’s popularity, a free space is invariably hardto find. Even at the end of the day, parking is inshort supply, because as the sunseekers depart,another surge of people arrive for sundowners,beach volleyball and other alfresco pastimes.

On weekends and public holidays, the beachesare patrolled during the day by volunteer lifesaversfrom the Clifton Surf Lifesaving Club. The fourduty squads that operate on a rotational basisare named after landmark rocks and reefs in the

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Clifton 4th Beach from above

Clifton 4th Beach

Clifton area, namely Arcadia, Barker, Cherry andDuiker. The club was formed in 1957, and movedto its present clubhouse overlooking 4th Beachin 1986, after a previous building on 1st Beachwas destroyed by storm waves. The club periodi-cally hosts surf lifesaving competitions, and asurfski race is held here on Friday evenings duringthe summer months. Today, the annual GlennMcGregor Memorial Race commemorates a doyenof the sport, who not only initiated these races,but tragically died during one of them. The life-savers also take part in the Clifton Beach Chal-lenge held each December, which pits themagainst Springbok rugby players in tests of skill(touch rugby), speed (flag races), fitness (push-ups and sit-ups) and strength (tug-of-war). TheChallenge was initiated in 1987 as a fundraisingactivity for the Lifesaving Club.

Other sporting events held at Clifton includethe monthly Clifton Cold Water Mile – an openwater swimming event – and the annual CliftonSki Race, which starts at Granger Bay and finishes

on 4th Beach. Formerly called the Sea and SkiRace, this waterski race was initiated in 1958.Non-sporting events are also held at Clifton, suchas the Moonstruck music festival in February.

Clifton lies at the foot of Lion’s Head – indeed,the paws of the imaginary lion, lying along theAtlantic seaboard, would extend into the sea here.For this reason, the large dome of rock lyingoffshore to the north of 1st Beach – popularlyknown as Barker’s Rock – is labelled North Pawon topographical maps, while the less prominentFisherman’s Rock some distance off 4th Beach islabelled South Paw.

Both these features, as well as the CliftonRocks off the headland adjacent to 4th Beach,are colourful dive sites, but can only be visited invery calm conditions, as the surge is often toostrong for safe diving.

In addition, a few partly buried cannonsrepresenting the last remains of the Schuilenberg– wrecked here in June 1756 – can be found inthe surf zone off 2nd Beach.

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Sun worshippers enjoy the beach

MAIDEN’S COVE is a beach resort that isideal for families, as it has two tidal pools, apaddling pool for children, a small beach givingway to a shallow gully, and a number of picnicand braai sites. The venue used to be a controlledaccess beach with an entrance fee, but today, itis freely accessible to all, and has become a verypopular destination at weekends.

In addition, tour guides often pull into the carpark on the access road to allow their clients toadmire and photograph the panoramic view ofthe Twelve Apostles. They no doubt point outthat the buttresses are in fact not named afterany of the apostles – having more descriptivelabels such as Kloof, Porcupine, Spring, Corridorand Kasteel – and there are more than 12 ofthem. Originally called the Gable Mountains(Gevelbergen) by Jan van Riebeeck in the earliestdays of the Dutch occupation of the coast, theywere renamed the Twelve Apostles by Sir RufaneDonkin in 1820, during his two-year term as theBritish Governor of the Cape. In the same year, henamed Port Elizabeth after his young wife, whohad recently died in India, his previous posting.Owing to its scenic value, the area betweenMaiden’s Cove and Glen Beach was declared aNational Monument in 1949, and became a

Provincial Heritage Site under the NationalHeritage Resources Act of 1999.

Most people know Maiden’s Cove for its proxi-mity to La Med – a popular gathering place forpost-suntanning eats and drinks. The field in frontof the restaurant is the target landing site for para-gliders launching from Lion’s Head, providingexhilarating entertainment for patrons in theoutdoor seating area, while more typical spectatorsports – particularly rugby matches – can bewatched on big-screen TVs inside. La Med is partof the Glen Country Club, so it is surrounded bybowling greens and tennis courts, and also hoststhe finish of the Bay to Bay road race held inJanuary.

CAMPS BAY can lay claim to having CapeTown’s most glamorous beach. Its sweeping arc ofbrilliant white sand is skirted by a row of elegantpalm trees, while the beachfront Promenade alongVictoria Road is lined with trendy restaurants andbars, imparting a French Riviera feel. The TwelveApostles provide a spectacular backdrop, whileLion’s Head looms in the wings.

As well as being popular with the bronzed andbeautiful set, this is also a very family-orientedbeach, the great expanse of sand providing plentyof space for children to play. The beach itself isnot the safest for swimming – the steep shore-break makes for powerful waves and a strongbackwash – but there is a spacious tidal pool atthe Bakoven end. The large rock off the tip of thepromontory here is known as Whale Rock, whileat the opposite end of the beach, Fisherman’sRock provides a perfect place to watch the sunset.At low tide, it is possible to walk round the frontof this granite outcrop, or over the back of it atother times, to reach the little cove of GlenBeach – a good surf spot – on the other side.

Camps Bay is not as sheltered as Clifton, andif the southeaster is strong, sunbathers can seekrefuge from windblown sand on the lawns behind

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Maiden’s Cove

the beach, where patches of shade beneath thepalms also offer relief from an overdose of sun.

Parking spaces along the Promenade fill upvery quickly on beach-weather days, but after abit of searching, it is always possible to find a spotup the side streets. During summer, various out-door entertainment events take place at thebeach – including international beach volleyballtournaments – drawing the crowds, and addingto the congestion.

Camps Bay is named after Frederik Ernst vonKamptz, but as far back as 1700, it was part ofa large tract of land below the Twelve Apostles

known as Roodekrantz due to its red soil. In 1729,the land was granted to an ex-soldier, JohanWernich, who became a merchant, using theland to farm vegetables and cattle to supply theCape Town market. He built a farmhouse calledRavensteyn, which was later inherited by hisson, and subsequently his son’s widow, AnnaKoekemoer. In 1778, she married Frederik Ernstvon Kamptz, and although he lived here for only10 years, the area became known as ‘de Baaivan von Kamptz’.

It was still a remote, undeveloped area, though,to the extent that it was used as an isolation

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Camps Bay beach flanked by the Twelve Apostles

Camps Bay’s trendy beachfront promenade

PAGE 54

AHEAD OF ITS TIMEDuring the dark days of apartheid, government-mandated racial segregation was practised at South Africa’sbeaches, as was the case for all public facilities. However, Cape Town’s municipal authorities did not enforcethis at Camps Bay in the 1970s, so people of all races flocked to the beach, and overcrowding becameproblematic. A referendum was held for Camps Bay ratepayers, who voted overwhelmingly for the beach toremain open to all. The Administrator of the Cape initially granted permission for this, but following reports ofunruly behaviour, he stipulated that a fence be installed, bisecting the beach to create a pay-beach on theside with the tidal pool. An entrance fee of R1 was charged, and the beach remained open to all races, butmost people still crowded onto the free side of the beach. After two years, the fence was removed, andnearby Maiden’s Cove was instead made a controlled access beach with improved facilities in order todisperse the crowds.

camp for smallpox patients in 1812. It was onlyin the 1880s that the area became more acces-sible, when Thomas Bain was commissioned tobuild a road from Sea Point using convict labour.The road was completed in 1888, shortly afterQueen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee, so it was namedVictoria Road in her honour.

Even then, the road was a big hit with cyclists– today, it forms the homeward stretch of theArgus Pick n Pay Cycle Tour route. Camps Baybecame a favourite weekend outing for peopleacross all races (see box below). People onlystarted settling here in the 1940s. In 1901, theroad was augmented with a tramway betweenSea Point and Camps Bay, and a year later, an

additional tramline over Kloof Nek became opera-tional. The trams ceased running in February1930, as they were no longer economical. Theold power station that served them, andprovided electricity for the growing village, wassubsequently used as a garage, cinema, churchand theatre. In December 1987, it waspurchased by Pieter Toerien, who transformed itinto the graceful Theatre on the Bay. Anotherhistorical building set back a little from the beach-front is the Rotunda, which was built in 1904for concerts, dances, roller skating, boxing andother social and sporting events. Today, theRotunda forms part of the Bay Hotel, and is usedfor weddings, conferences and other functions.

Beach goers at Camps Bay beach

BAKOVEN is a tiny suburb on the edge ofCamps Bay. Its beach is just a small strip of sandbetween a jumble of giant granite boulders, someof which are reminiscent of Dutch ovens, hencethe suburb’s name. Although small, the beach ishome to the National Sea Rescue Institute’s (NSRI)oldest station, established in 1967 (see boxalongside).

The boulders provide shelter from the windfor sunbathers wanting a quiet spot away fromthe Camps Bay crowds, and also offer a goodvantage point to watch the sunset. The beach isnot the best for swimming though, partly becauseof the limited space and thick kelp, but alsobecause of the sometimes poor water quality.

Behind the beach is a maze of narrow laneswinding between the closely spaced bungalows,creating a cosy village atmosphere. Together withthe bungalows at Clifton and Glen Beach, this isa declared Heritage Area, where development isstrictly controlled and subject to building guide-lines designed to preserve the area’s characterand aesthetics.

NSRI TO THE RESCUEIn the past, NSRI crew members at Bakoven hadno base, and the boat and motors had to becarried down to the beach from an old shed.Today, there is a swish new boathouse on thebeach – rebuilt after storm waves destroyed theprevious one in May 2002 – and the rescuevessel can be quickly launched through achannel between the boulders.

This is just one of the 29 coastal and threeinland stations operated by the NSRI, which hastwo objectives: to save lives on South Africanwaters, and to promote water and boatingsafety. Countrywide, more than 800 highly skilledcrew members provide rescue services – often inextreme weather conditions – on a voluntarybasis, while the organisation’s skippers' manualsand water safety workshops help to educate theboating community and school groups.

The NSRI is a non-profit organisation thatrelies on donations and sponsorships to cover itsannual running costs of R10 million. For furtherinformation, visit www.nsri.org.za.The NSRI emergency number is 082 911.

PAGE 55 NSRI’s boathouse at Bakoven

Atlantic Peninsula map

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Atlantic Peninsula

Further away from the city centre, thebeaches along the Atlantic side of theCape Peninsula are more spread out.Each has its own special character,determined not only by the differentbiophysical features occurring there, butalso by the communities living nearby.These beaches are perfect for therapeuticwalks and serious sunworship, and alsoprovide the playing field for a range of water sports.

Llandudno

OUDEKRAAL and a number of other smallcoves can be found along the undeveloped stretchof coast between Bakoven and Llandudno. Oude-kraal is part of the Table Mountain National Park(TMNP), and access is subject to an entrance fee.Its picnic and braai spots make it a populardestination on summer weekends, even thoughalcohol is strictly prohibited. This can be attri-buted to its picturesque setting, with grey, graniteboulders juxtaposed against the typically clear,greenish waters. The small inlets between theboulders are protected from wave action, andtheir shallow waters warmed by the sun – perfectfor a quick dip, and safe for children – whilepockets of coastal bush provide shade and shelterfrom the wind around the picnic areas. A largeboma can be hired for functions, offering aspecial venue with spectacular views at sunset.For the last few years, a music festival – knownas Jazz on the Rocks – has been held at Oude-kraal over a summer weekend. A little offshore,the flat-topped rocks to the left and right ofOudekraal are aptly named Groot and KleinPannekoek (large and small pancake).

Near Oudekraal – on the Camps Bay side – isthe Twelve Apostles Hotel and Spa, its wallsgleaming white in honour of the ‘white house’

that once stood here (see box alongside). A littlefurther along is Cosy Bay, easily located by theparking areas on either side of the road. There isa picnic table in the parking area on the landwardside of the road, while a signboard on the seawardside proclaims that the cove falls just inside theboundary of the Karbonkelberg sanctuary, whichextends to the Sentinel at the entrance to HoutBay. This is a ‘no take’ zone of the TMNP’s marineprotected area, where the removal of any organismis prohibited.

Closer to Camps Bay is Koeëlbaai and thenKlein Koeëlbaai, so named because of the roundrocks that cover the beaches of both bays. Somesay the name originates from the noise of the rocksrolling over one another in the waves, whichsounded like cannonballs clunking together onthe deck of a ship. Others contend that the name refers only to the round shape of the rocks,which resembled the bullets (koeëls) in muzzle-loading firearms.

Ascending up the slope behind the road aretwo sets of stairways leading to the kramats(shrines), marking the burial site of prominentmembers of the Muslim faith. One is that ofSheikh Nureel Mobeen, believed to have beenbanished to the Cape from the East Indies in 1716.

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Shallow waters at Oudekraal offer safe swimming for children

According to popular legend, he escaped fromRobben Island, and lived the rest of his days onthe mountainside, instructing the local slaves inthe ways of Islam. Apart from the kramats, thereare numerous graves in the area, makingOudekraal an integral part of the Cape Muslimcommunity’s cultural heritage (see box below).

This stretch of coast has also been the finalresting place for a number of ships, most recentlythe scrapyard-bound tanker Antipolis, which ranaground at Oudekraal in July 1977 after it andthe Romelia (see page 61) separated from theirtow during a storm. The superstructure of thetanker was cut away for scrap, but the hull canstill be seen at low tide. Almost three centuriesearlier, in May 1698, the VOC ship Het Huis te

Crayenstein was wrecked nearby on her maidenvoyage to the East. A large rock outcrop on thesouthern side of Koeëlbaai was named Geldkis(money chest), because only 16 of the 19 moneychests on board were saved – one was plunderedand two allegedly slid into the sea. Although thereis no sign of the chests, a few cannons and otherartefacts can still be found in their watery gravebeneath the waves.

These and a number of other underwater sites,namely Justin’s Caves, Coral Gardens and Straw-berry Rock, make the area a divers’ delight. Thekelp forest fringing the shore shelters a diversecommunity of small fish and crustaceans, andcolourful sponges, corals, anemones and seaurchins abound.

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A BRIEF HISTORY OF OUDEKRAAL

Oudekraal gets its name from the original land estatethat extended from the foot of the Twelve Apostles tothe high-water mark, while the bay adjacent to thebeach resort is in fact called Hottentotshuisiebaai.Both names, which can be translated as Old Kraal andHottentot’s Hut Bay respectively, hark back to theKhoikhoi people who once lived here. Soon after Janvan Riebeeck arrived at the Cape in 1652 to establisha provisioning station for the Dutch East IndiaCompany (VOC), he began allocating land below TableMountain to the burghers for farming, which displacedthe clan of semi-nomadic Khoikhoi herders whomoved about the area. To maintain good relationswith the Khoikhoi he allocated them a tract of land tograze their cattle below the Twelve Apostles where theherders no doubt built a kraal and some huts on theland, hence the names reflected on the maps of today.

The land remained wild and remote until 1838 whenit was acquired by Michiel van Breda, and remained inthe family for the next century, although portions weresold off over time. The property changed hands overthe years and in 1992 was bought by a developerwho, despite public protest, demolished the existinghouse, and built a R40 million hotel and conferencecentre. In March 2002, the Oudekraal Hotel changedhands, and was extensively refurbished before beingre-opened as the Twelve Apostles Hotel and Spa.

The remaining Oudekraal Estate escaped develop-ment after a protracted legal battle and a ruling by theCape High Court in October 2007 that the develop-ment rights were invalid. The judgement noted thatthe area is considered sacred ground by the Muslimcommunity, as it contains more than 50 graves and anumber of kramats, the desecration of which wouldamount to criminal conduct. It also has great scenicvalue and conservation importance.

The Twelve Apostles provide a dramatic backdrop to Oudekraal

PAGE 60

LLANDUDNO is undoubtedly one of CapeTown’s most picturesque beaches. Motoristsdriving along Victoria Road on the way to andfrom Hout Bay get just a glimpse of greenishwaves, white surf and grey monolithic rocks. Thosewho take a moment to stop at the lookout siteare able to gaze down on a beautiful white beach,and admire from afar the exclusive suburb’s

architectural showpieces, clinging to the steepslopes. From the water’s edge, the setting is evenmore appealing, with the beach framed by naturalbush, and Judas Peak and Klein Leeukoppie (‘littlelion’s head’) rearing up on either side to form adramatic mountain backdrop.

Few people venture into the water for morethan a quick dip, however, because the sea is

COASTAL DEFENCESThe Llandudno-Hout Bay area has a rich militaryhistory, dating back to the 1780s. At that time, theCape was still a settlement run by the Dutch EastIndia Company. In order to protect the Cape fromBritish occupation, in 1781 the French sent reinforce-ments to assist their Dutch allies. It was recognisedthat Hout Bay could be used as a ‘back door’ toattack Cape Town, so three coastal fortificationswere constructed in the area. A French mercenaryregiment from Pondicherry in India initially built abattery of cannon guns at the western entrance toHout Bay. The ruins of West Fort and an imposingrow of cannons can be seen on the far side of HoutBay harbour, next to Fish on the Rocks.

Another battery – East Fort – was built on theeastern side of the bay, and a third – Klein Gibraltar– located in between the two to defend the beach.The East Fort battery and some of the originalcannon guns can be seen just below Chapman’sPeak Drive. The cannons were last used to repel anenemy on 15 September 1795, when the British shipHMS Echo drew fire from both the East and WestForts. In 1995, to commemorate the 200th

anniversary of this event, the local Heritage Trustinitiated the annual Hout Bay Cannon Race – a 10 kmrun between the two forts.

After the British invaded the Cape towards theend of 1795, the coastal defences at East Fort wereupgraded, and barracks were built to accommodatethe soldiers manning the battery. The ruins of thebarracks can still be seen today above Chapman’sPeak Drive.

During World War II, a concrete observation post,or ‘pillbox’, was built at East Fort, and naval gunswere installed at West Fort and Klein Gibraltar. Inaddition, a radar station was constructed on top ofthe Karbonkelberg above Hout Bay harbour, and agun battery built on the mountain overlookingLlandudno. Since men were needed in active service,both the radar station and the Apostle Battery wereoperated by female recruits from the Signal Corpsand the Women’s Auxiliary Army Service respectively.After the war, the battery was maintained for trainingpurposes, and later used by military personnel asholiday accommodation. In 1993, it was incorpo-rated into the Table Mountain National Park, and iscurrently used mainly for youth camps.

Llandudno beach

usually icy cold in summer – due to wind-generated upwelling of clear, cold bottom water– the currents strong, and the power of thebreakers sometimes intimidating to all but themost confident of surfers and bodyboarders. Thebeach is popular for sunbathing and sundowners,though, with some people opting for the surroun-ding granite boulders, which retain the sun’s heat,and provide a better view of the sun setting overthe sea. In fact, the rocky headland to the left ofthe beach when looking out to sea offers such agood vantage point of the sun’s daily adieu, thatit is known as Sunset Rocks. For many years, therusting wreck of the Romelia could be seen lyingoff the headland, where it ran aground in July1977. Together with the Antipolis, the derelict

tanker was being towed by a small Japanese tugfrom Greece, to scrapyards in the Far East whenit broke free during a storm. Much of the super-structure was later cut away and sold as scrapmetal, but the stern section could still be seenuntil some years ago, when it finally broke upand sank beneath the waves.

The promontory to the right of the beachshelters the adjacent Logies Bay, a small cove. Itwas the resemblance of this promontory and theSunset Rocks headland to the Great and LittleOrmes on either side of Llandudno on the coastof Wales that gave the area its name. Previouslyknown as Kleinkommetjie Bay, it was renamedin 1903 when first marketed for development. Thewife of one of the directors of the development

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Sunset Rocks, to the left ofLlandudno beach

Llandudno lifesavers in training

company had just returned from a holiday over-seas, and had commented on the bay’s similarappearance to the Welsh resort. The first house wasbuilt in 1905, but by 1930, there were still onlytwo permanent residents in the township. Therewas no shortage of weekend visitors, though, someof whom camped in caves among the graniteboulders on the Logies Bay promontory. The largestcave was used in much the same way by KhoiSan‘strandlopers’ in an earlier era, as evidenced by anearby shell midden excavated in 1953.

During the 1930s, a group of regular camperscame across a rustic wood-and-iron building underthe milkwoods behind the beach. It had been builtas a hunting and fishing shack in the early 1900s,but the owner sold it to the group, who christenedit ‘Whizbang Manor’ and used it for many a funweekend. Later, it became known as The Shack,and was made available to off-duty nurses fromGroote Schuur Hospital. In 1972, it was donatedto the newly established Llandudno Surf LifesavingClub, but was demolished a decade later to makeway for a new clubhouse. The lifesavers stillprovide a voluntary service on weekends andpublic holidays during the summer months.

Other than an ablution block, beachgoers willnot find any other facilities here. There are nobeachfront bars, ice cream parlours, corner cafesor any other retail outlet in Llandudno, althoughvendors do roam the beach, selling snacks andcool drinks during busy periods. The beach rarelybecomes overcrowded, largely because the carpark is very small, which necessitates finding aspot in one of the side streets, and possibly havinga long walk down the steep road to the beach.

Sunbathers should leave their dogs at homeduring the summer months, as the locals haveagreed that the beach be kept pooch-free betweenthe hours of 09:00 and 18:00 from 1 Septemberto 30 March. Dog owners are also expected toclean up after their dogs to ensure that thebeach’s clean white sand remains unsullied. Incommon with all beaches, a fresh coat of sand isdeposited on the beach each summer from theoffshore sand bars, after storm waves erode thebeach in winter. In the case of Llandudno, how-ever, there are concerns that the beach is erodingfaster than it is being replenished, because its sandsupply has been disrupted by development andartificial stabilisation of the Hout Bay dunefield.

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SANDY BAY is Cape Town’s unofficial nudistbeach. Sun worshippers of all shapes and sizescome here to work on their all-over tan, but thebeach is particularly popular with the gay com-munity. Its secluded position – 20 minutes’ walkalong a sandy track from the closest car park –ensures that it is out of sight from passers-by.

Directions to the Sandy Bay car park are sign-posted from the road down to Llandudno beach,and it is also possible to get there by clamberingover Sunset Rocks. Another option is to walk acrossthe dunes from Hout Bay. The beach is at theterminal end of a headland bypass dune system,and there are concerns that development andartificial stabilisation of the Hout Bay dunes isinhibiting the wind-driven sand supply. This alsoaffects neighbouring beaches replenished bylongshore sediment transport via currents andwave action.

Sandy Bay has no facilities of any kind, andthere are no buildings in its vicinity – it is acompletely natural area that was saved fromdevelopment, and ultimately protected withinthe Table Mountain National Park. Nestled belowthe nek between Kleinleeukoppie and the Kar-bonkelberg’s Suther Peak, it is relatively shelteredfrom the wind, and offers good surf when

Llandudno waves are unrideable.The fynbos surrounding Sandy Bay has been

heavily invaded by alien vegetation, which is nowbeing cleared. The dense bush, together with theremote location, made the access path unsafe inthe past – nowadays, the situation is muchimproved, but it is still advisable not to walk alonehere. The path is also used by hikers bound for theOude Schip Peninsula beyond the beach. The lowisthmus joining the rocky headland to the main-land disappears beneath the waves at high tide,turning Oude Schip into an island.

The remains of the Harvest Capella – a fishingtrawler that ran aground here in 1986 – can beseen rusting away on the isthmus, while the wreckof the crane barge Boss 400, which in 1994 brokefree from her tow during a storm, lies a littlefurther along the coast at Duiker Point. The pathcontinues round the Karbonkelberg to Hout Bay,but it has been washed away in places, and isconsidered dangerous by even the most experi-enced of hikers.

This stretch of coast has also become some-what of a ‘battleground’ between poachers andpark rangers. It falls within the Karbonkelberg ‘notake’ sanctuary, but its healthy population ofrock lobster presents an easy target for poachers.

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The boardwalk leading down to Sandy Bay beach

HOUT BAY beach is more popular with familiesthan with the young and trendy set of neigh-bouring Llandudno and Sandy Bay. It is safe forswimming, and long enough for a good walk tostretch the legs and give the dogs a run. Walkingfrom one end to another might necessitate gettingthe feet wet though, because halfway along thebeach, the Disa River discharges into the sea.Although at the mouth it is only a trickle insummer – and rarely more than knee-deep inwinter – its lagoon has some deeper pools wherechildren often play. Runoff from the informaltownship upstream and occasional sewage pumpfailures result in poor water quality in the river.Steps are being taken to address these problems,however in the interim, it is advisable to find apaddling pool further down the beach.

Paddlers of a different kind – with surfskis andseakayaks as their toys – come to Hout Bay forits protected waters, embraced by the encirclingmountains. Guarding the bay’s entrance on thewestern side is the Sentinel, also known as theHangberg because its sheer cliffs seem to hangabove the sea. Just out to sea is Dungeons, whichproduces monstrous walls of water braved only bya handful of local surfers and competitors on theinternational big-wave circuit. There are also a

few surf spots within the bay for those seeking atamer – although rather unreliable – ride.

Tucked behind the Sentinel is Hout Bay harbour,serving as a fishing port, yachting marina andtourism hub. Within the harbour precinct is theSouth African sea fisheries museum, which show-cases the development of the local fishing industry.Regular boat trips depart from the adjacent quay-side for Duiker Island, a rocky outcrop named forits roosting cormorants, which have since beendisplaced by hundreds of seals (see box alongside).Dive charters operating from the harbour offer achance to watch the underwater antics of theseinquisitive animals, or explore the other dive sitesbeyond the bay, including Vulcan Rock – a largepinnacle – and various reefs and wrecks. Theoldest remaining wreck in the area is the Oak-burn, a British cargo steamship that struck rocksnear Duiker Point on a foggy night in May 1906,resulting in the death of two Chinese seamen.Three years later, the Maori – on a voyage fromLondon to New Zealand – met the same fate, withthe loss of 31 of her crew of 53. This is the betterpreserved of the two wrecks, having remainedlargely intact. The wrecks lie within the Karbonkel-berg sanctuary of the Table Mountain NationalPark’s marine protected area, extending from the

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The Sentinel at twilight

Sentinel to the Oudekraal area, and for up to3,3 nautical miles offshore at its widest point.No fishing or removal of any marine species isallowed within this ‘no take’ zone.

Deep-sea fishing charters based in Hout Bayharbour present an opportunity to hook a tuna,marlin or swordfish from the blue waters beyondthis zone, while scores of skiboat anglers takepart in the annual Snoek Derby, coinciding with

a lively Seafood Festival. At other times, seafoodis available from a variety of outlets, includingFish on the Rocks and Snoekies Fish Market atthe Sentinel end of the harbour, and – closer tothe beach – Fish Africa and Mariner’s Wharf,touted as Africa’s first harbour-front emporium.

On the other side of the bay, the veranda ofthe Chapman’s Peak Hotel is a popular place forseafood and sundowners. The hotel takes its name

PAGE 65

THE CAPE FUR SEALThe Cape fur seal, Arctocephalus pusillus, is the only seal that breeds in Southern Africa, with breedingcolonies distributed between Algoa Bay (Port Elizabeth) in South Africa and Cape Frio inNorthern Nambia. The seal population now totals some 1,8 million – two thirds ofwhich are in Namibia – having recovered after being decimated by intensiveharvesting. From the 17th century, sealers from America and Europe targeted thespecies for its oil-rich blubber and skins. By the time measures were introduced in1893 to control the slaughter, the seal population had been reduced to about 100 000.

Seals are protected under South African legislation, and no harvesting has takenplace here since 1990. However, the practice has continued in Namibia, where morethan 50 000 cubs and over 5 000 bulls are culled each year on the basis that theseals pose a threat to the fishing industry. The bulls are shot with a small-calibre rifle,after which the skin is used for leather products, the meat turned into animal feed, andthe genitalia exported to the Far East to be sold as aphrodisiacs. The pups are clubbedand then skinned, so that the smooth black pelt can be used for fur products.

Studies in South Africa have shown that while seals do cause financial losses to thefishing industry, these are minor relative to the industry’s total value. Linefishers maylose a significant part of their catch to seals though, and often resort to killing theanimals illegally. Another issue of concern is that seals sometimes pose a threat toseabirds of conservation significance, such as African penguins and gannets –either by displacing them from nest sites, or preying on them.

Hout Bay harbour

from the rocky massif, rising to a height of 592 m,at the eastern entrance to the bay. In fact, the peakwas named after the original name for the bay,in turn named after one John Chapman. Chapmanwas master’s mate of the English sailship Consent– becalmed at the entrance to the bay in July1607 – and was sent ashore in a dinghy at duskto check whether the bay offered safe anchorage.On arrival back from this chancy venture, theship’s pilot recorded Chapman’s favourable fin-dings in his logbook, referring to the bay asChapman’s Chaunce. The name later appeared onEnglish charts of Southern Africa, but was subse-quently superseded by Hout Bay, meaning ‘WoodBay’. This originates from Jan van Riebeeck’sdescription of the valley’s dense forests soon afterhis arrival at the Cape in 1652. He recognisedthe forests as an important source of firewoodand timber, and set about exploiting them. By1710, the valley had been denuded of trees, and

the Company woodcutters were withdrawn.Chapman’s Peak Drive – winding around the

peak’s sheer cliffs to Noordhoek – is undoubtedlyone of the world’s most spectacular scenic roads,as well as a feat of engineering. It took seven yearsto build using convict labour, and was completedin 1922. In January 2000, a wildfire destroyed thevegetation cover that helped stabilise the over-hanging slopes, resulting in extensive rockfalls,and necessitating closure of the road. Afterextensive repair and remedial work, Chapman’sPeak Drive was reopened as a toll road in Decem-ber 2003. However, access to the view sites,picnic spots and trailheads located 4 km beyondthe toll plaza – but some 400 m below the mainview site at the top – is toll-free. Cyclists andrunners are also exempt from toll fees, and thosetaking part in the annual Argus Pick n Pay CycleTour and Two Oceans Marathon enjoy exclusiveuse of the road for one day of the year.

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Snoek fresh off the boat

The view sites along the road provide a goodvantage point for spotting whales between Julyand November, as well as dolphins all year round.Other interesting sights are the East Fort histori-cal ruins (see box on page 60) and the bronzestatue of a leopard, perched on a rock overlookingthe sea at the foot of Chapman’s Peak Drive. Thestatue, installed in 1963, is a memorial to thewild creatures that once roamed the Hout Bayvalley and surrounding mountains – a leopardwas last seen in the area in 1937. A little furtheralong the cliffs, an old jetty jutting out into thesea is a remnant of the brief period when manga-nese was mined on the mountain slopes above.Mining began in 1909, but the ore was found tohave such a low manganese content that opera-tions ceased in 1911. During its short lifespan, acorrugated-iron chute conveyed the ore more than700 m down the mountain to the jetty, where itwas loaded onto boats.

These and other aspects of the area’s historycan be explored at the Hout Bay Museum inAndrews Road. Additional attractions in the areainclude the World of Birds bird park in Valley Road,and the craft market held on the village greennext to Main Road every Sunday.

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The scenic Chapman’s Peak Drive

View over the bay

NOORDHOEK is a quiet, semi-rural suburboccupying land that originally demarcated the‘north corner’ of the farm Slangkop. Over the lastfew decades, it has grown from a communitymade up mostly of artists, hippies and the horsyset, to a haven for city dwellers wanting a tasteof country life.

Noordhoek is best known, however, for itsgloriously long white beach, extending some 4 kmfrom the foot of Chapman’s Peak to Klein Slang-kop at Kommetjie. Although its powerful surf andstrong backwash tend to discourage swimming,this great expanse of sand is perfect for stretchingthe legs and walking the dogs, especially at lowtide. Three quarters of the way along the beach,high on the shore, is the wreck of the Kakapo, abrand new 1 500 ton steamship that ran agroundduring its delivery voyage to New Zealand in May1900, after its captain mistook Chapman’s Peakfor Cape Point. A rusting boiler and other bitsand pieces sometimes buried by drifting sand areall that remains of the wreck. Unfortunately, thefurther reaches of Noordhoek beach are rather

isolated – particularly during the week – so it isadvisable not to walk alone.

The backshore area of the beach is oftencovered by a shallow tidal lagoon, visited by adiversity of seabirds. Behind the beach is a bushy,low-lying arc of undeveloped land that becomeswaterlogged in winter. Known as the NoordhoekWetlands, the area not only supports abundantbird life, but also contains rare lowland fynbos,including the largest remnant of highly threatenedsandplain fynbos on the Cape Peninsula. Due toits conservation significance, some 450 hectaresof this land has now been protected as part ofthe Table Mountain National Park. This relativelyrecent acquisition has effectively created an eco-logical corridor between Chapman’s Peak andSlangkop, linking the northern and southern partsof the national park.

There are a number of popular surf spots alongNoordhoek beach, including The Hoek on theChapman’s Peak end, Dunes – closer to theKakapo – and Sunset further out to sea, only forthe bravest of the big-wave riders. The rocky point

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Noordhoek’s long white stretch of beach

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THE CAPE CLAWLESS OTTERThe Cape clawless otters, Aonyx capensis, are relatively common in coastal habitats, but are rarelyencountered because they are only active between dusk and dawn. They spend the day in holtshollowed out in reeds or dense vegetation, or dug by other species amongst rocks or roots. Asadults, they are generally solitary animals, living in pairs only during the matingseason. However, cubs stay with their mother for some years, so familygroups are sometimes seen.

The otters regularly enter the sea to hunt for food,but appear to use marine habitats only where thereis also a source of freshwater. They feed mainlyon crustaceans, such as crabs and rock lobsters,but being opportunistic predators, they alsoprey on frogs, fish, octopus and abaloneaccording to their availability.

below Chapman’s Peak, known as Ratelklip(‘honey badger stone’), offers a grandstand viewof surfers riding the perfect barrels of The Hoek,and is also a good angling site.

Noordhoek has two main commercial centres– the Red Herring Trading Centre and NoordhoekFarm Village – where a variety of shops andrestaurants can be found. A number of stables inthe area offer horse rides along the beach, butthese should be booked in advance.

KOMMETJIE is a coastal suburb clusteredaround the foot of the Slangkop mountain. Itsname is the Afrikaans term for a small basin orbowl, alluding to the circular shape of the inlet onthe rocky headland. It is thought that this naturaltidal pool was once used as a fish trap by KhoiSan‘strandlopers’. During the last century, it wasreinforced with concrete to form a safe swimmingpool, but was subsequently demolished, as itwas not well flushed by the tides.

Dog walking is popular along Noordhoek beach

This stretch of Kommetjie’s coastline is knownas Die Kom, and although water quality prob-lems discourage people from swimming here,there are some popular surf spots off the point.These can be accessed from a number ofparking areas off Lighthouse Road, which leadsto the Slangkop lighthouse. Standing over 30 m(100 ft) high, this is the tallest lighthouse on theSouth African coast. It was built close to therocks where the Clan Munroe was wrecked in1905. The lighthouse premises are open to thepublic between 10:00 and 15:00 from Octoberto April, but a small fee is charged to climb thetower. In strong northwesterly winds, this is agood place to spot pelagic seabirds, such aswhitechinned petrels, sooty shearwaters and Capegannets – and even albatrosses, skuas and giantpetrels when the wind reaches gale force. TheKommetjie coastline is also used as a roost bycommon terns and sandwich terns – bothpalearctic migrants – during summer, Antarcticterns in winter, and swift terns throughout theyear. In addition, it is possible to see all four typesof cormorant here – the bank, white-breasted,

Cape and crowned varieties. Moreover, theKommetjie coastline is one of the few places onthe Cape Peninsula where otters are regularlyseen (see box on previous page).

On the northern side of Die Kom – at the endof Beach Road – there is a boat-launching area.This is a hive of activity when snoek are available

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Kelp washed up on Kommetjie beach

The Slangkop lighthouse

in these waters, as well as on weekends duringthe recreational crayfish season, because thedense kelp beds fringing Kommetjie’s rocky shoresare home to abundant rock lobster.

Following the roads round the coast from DieKom in a northeasterly direction leads to BenningDrive. This provides a number of access points tothe headland’s boulder-strewn shore, whichabruptly gives way to a sandy beach skirting apicturesque bay. This is Long Beach, a favouritehaunt of surfers and bodyboarders, hence thename of the main parking area – Surf Way. Itcan also be reached from Kirsten Avenue off themain Kommetjie Road (M65).

The beach is relatively sheltered from the windwhen southeasters batter the False Bay coast,and is a popular place for a brisk walk with thedogs. Further round the bay, a small stream, theBokramspruit, empties into the sea, so this partof the beach is more correctly known as BokramBeach. The beach can also be accessed at the farside of the bay from a parking area on WirelessRoad, so named because a radio station waslocated here until 1960. In fact, the radio stationwas originally built next to the lighthouse, but waslater moved here because manganese depositsin the Slangkop mountain caused interferencewith the signal. The original radio station was alsothe reason why the lighthouse was completed in1914, but only became operational in 1919, afterthe end of World War I. The light would haveilluminated this important military facility, renderingit vulnerable to attack.

The Wireless Road parking area offers theclosest access to Klein Slangkop Point at the edgeof the bay. By rounding the point along the beach,and wading across the outlet stream from Wilde-voëlvlei, it is possible to walk about 4 km alongNoordhoek beach, passing the wreck of theKakapo (see page 68), to the foot of Chapman’sPeak. More energetic hikers can consider signingup for the Silvermine section of the Hoerikwaggo

Trail, which begins at Slangkop lighthouse. Afterwalking through the milkwood groves, and alongthe Kommetjie and Noordhoek beaches, hikersascend the steep paths up Chapman’s Peak andNoordhoek Peak to overnight at Silvermine tentedcamp, before walking down the Vlakkenberg toend the trail at Constantia Nek.

For those wanting a night under canvas with-out the strenuous walk, there is a camping andcaravan resort on Wireless Road. Named ImhoffPark, it should not be confused with Imhoff Farmon the Kommetjie Road (M65), a historic home-stead that has been converted to a commercialcentre offering shops, restaurants, a snake parkand farmyard experience, and even camel rides.This area was previously known as Imhoff’s Gift,because in 1743 Baron Gustav Wilhelm vanImhoff – the Commissioner Extraordinaire to theDutch East India Company – granted the land tothe widow Christina Rousseau to support herefforts in supplying vegetables to the company’sships in Simon’s Town.

SOETWATER, sometimes translated toSweetwater on tourism maps, is a coastal resortoccupying a narrow strip of land between thesea and Slangkop, towering overhead. During theapartheid era, the resort was reserved for use bycoloureds only, but today it is open to all, subjectto an entrance fee. Visitor numbers are controlledto avoid overcrowding, however, as the resort is apopular destination for get-togethers on summerweekends. Braai pits and picnic tables are avail-able, and camping and caravan sites can be hiredby those wanting a longer stay. The ParmalatEnviro Centre, which offers environmental educa-tion, life-skills training and adventure camps forchildren, is located within the resort. The Soet-water area is considered ecologically sensitive,so management plans are being implemented toprotect its rich biodiversity.

Much of the shoreline here is rocky, but there

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are a few sandy bays, and two large artificial tidalpools offer safe swimming. Dense kelp beds linethe shore, so crayfish divers as well as hoop-netfishers operating from small dinghies, can oftenbe seen in their vicinity during the rock lobsterseason. Boat-launching is not permitted fromSoetwater, but launching ramps are available atKommetjie and Witsands.

Those who have had their fill of sand and seamay prefer to do the easy walk up to the top ofSlangkop to see an abandoned World War IIradar station, and enjoy the breathtaking bird’seye views over Kommetjie. The 5 km return routestarts at a boom on Slangkop Road, and follows

a sandy jeep track through the fynbos to the nowderelict buildings that made up Cobra Camp. Thecamp’s name and the hill on which it stands(Slangkop = snake head) hint of past experi-ences with snakes, but the reptiles are rarelyencountered.

WITSANDS, so named for its long stretch ofwhite sand, is often overlooked by motorists navi-gating the route to and from Cape Point, but it iswell worth pulling over to watch the kitesurfersin action on a windy day. From the sea-cliff roadit is a steep walk down one of a number of sandytracks to the beach. Another option is to drive

THE WEST COAST ROCK LOBSTERThe West Coast rock lobster, Jasus lalandii – commonly known as crayfish or ‘kreef’ – occurs in rockyhabitats, from shallow waters down to depths of 80 m. Its distribution range extends from Walvis Bay inNamibia, to East London in South Africa, but – as its name suggests – highest concentrations were histori-cally found on the West Coast. Since the 1990s, however, there has been a marked southward shift in itsdistribution, resulting in a significant increase in rock lobster abundance east of Cape Hangklip. It is not yetclear whether this is in response to climate change, or part of a natural, long-term cycle.

The rock lobster is an economically important resource, as much of the commercial catch is exported. Inan effort to prevent overexploitation, both the commercial and recreational fisheries are subject to a varietyof regulations, which include catch limits, minimum size limits, closed seasons, closed areas, and gearrestrictions. In the commercial fishery, rock lobster are mainly caught using baited hoop nets from smalldinghies or winch-hauled traps from larger boats, and there is an annual Total Allowable Catch (TAC)for designated zones and areas. In the recreational fishery,there is a daily bag limit rather than a TAC, and rocklobster may only be caught by diving without scubagear, or by using a hoop net or baited line. Recreationalfishers require a permit, may not sell their catch, and aresubject to stricter closed seasons and fishing periods. In bothfisheries, lobsters ‘in berry' (carrying eggs) may not be landed,and must be returned to the sea immediately.

The Soetwater resort

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down to the car park serving a boat-launchingramp on the adjacent promontory, which isaccessed from a road just outside the entrancegates to Soetwater Resort. At the tip of thepromontory, on a rocky headland known as ‘DieEiland’ (the island), is a crayfish processingfactory (see box alongside). Its communicationtowers provide a handy landmark for skiboatskippers out at sea. Surfers know the ‘crayfishfactory’ as a big-wave surf spot, while Witsandsprovides a tamer ride. Swimming is best limited tocalm days, as powerful waves and rip currentsmay catch bathers unawares.

The beach is backed by rolling dunes thatconstitute a seasonal wetland area, as the dunehollows hold ponds of water during winter.Incredibly, the dunes were used as a municipallandfill site until the early 1980s. Today, channelssometimes break through the dunes after heavyrains, carrying exposed waste into the sea, andlittering the beach. The beach is regularly cleanedby a Coastcare team, and moves are also afootto designate a Witsands-Soetwater ConservationArea with formal protected area status.

MISTY CLIFFS is marked by a scattering ofhouses clinging to the mountain slope on eitherside of the Witsands-Scarborough road. Thename’s origins will be more obvious on somedays than others, when a ghostly white shroudof sea mist settles over the village. Sometimesthe effect is of driving into a dense fog, only toemerge into bright sunshine on the other side.

The entire section of road between Witsandsand Scarborough is a particularly scenic route,

squeezed between dramatically steep cliffs andthe sea – frequently turbulent, and at times anexquisite turquoise hue. Being elevated, it alsooffers good whale-watching opportunities bet-ween July and November, when southern rightwhales often wallow just offshore.

Much of the shore here is rocky, with longsections of boulder beach, and access is limitedwithin the confines of the village, as there are fewplaces to park. On the outskirts of Scarborough,however, just before the road deviates away fromthe shore, is a narrow strip of beach ideal for ex-ploring rock pools. Black oystercatchers (see box)can usually be seen in the intertidal zone.

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THE AFRICAN BLACK OYSTERCATCHER The African black oystercatcher, Haematopusmoquini, only occurs on the coasts of South Africaand Namibia, its population totalling some 5 000birds. Despite its name, it feeds mainly onmussels and limpets rather than oysters, and canoften be seen foraging in the intertidal zone atlow tide. At high tide, when the intertidal zone issubmerged, it tends to gather in groups as apredator avoidance strategy, on the basis thatmany eyes are better at keeping watch.

These birds mate for life, and are territorial,remaining on the same stretch of coastline formost of their life. Once old enough to fly, many ofthe Western Cape’s immature birds migrate tonursery areas on the Namibian coast, where theyremain for two to three years, until they havereached sexual maturity. They then return to thearea where they were born, and must establish aterritory of their own before they can settle downand breed. Unfortunately, the breeding seasonoccurs during summer, so birds on the nest arevulnerable to disturbance by people and theirdogs, while the well-camouflaged eggs andchicks are often crushed accidentally – a primemotivation behind banning vehicles from beaches.

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SCARBOROUGH, named after Britain’s firstseaside resort, is a ‘conservation village’, wherebuilding guidelines have been designed to protectsensitive biodiversity and preserve the area’s ruralcharacter. This is fitting, given that the villageabuts the Cape of Good Hope section of the TableMountain National Park. Herds of antelope cansometimes be seen grazing beyond the reservefence – less welcome neighbours are maraudingtroops of baboons, which often enter homes insearch of food. Many of the houses here areholiday homes to which their city-dwellingowners escape on weekends.

The beach, curving gently round a small bay,looks especially inviting on a hot summer’s day,particularly when the sea seems crystal-clear. Butthis tropical appearance belies the bitterly coldwater at such times, and it is often only thewetsuit-clad surfers, bodyboarders and crayfishdivers who will venture in. Furthermore, ripcurrents together with a strong shorebreakcreated by the steep beach slope ensure that thisis not a popular swimming beach. However, the

mouth of the Schuster’s River at the southernend of the beach offers a favourite paddlingspot for children.

Wading across the mouth, and walking roundthe headland allows for a short stroll to thenature reserve fence. From here, it is possible towalk down a gravel road along the fenceline toa grassy picnic site, cross a small bridge over theSchuster’s River, and then amble back to thebeach along a wooden boardwalk through themilkwood-covered dunes.

For more energetic hikers, there is a route upand over the mountain ridge behind Scarboroughthat leads to trails through the fynbos to eitherthe Platberg – the flat-topped mountain loomingover the village – or Kleinplaas Dam on Red Hill.Permits for these trails must be purchased atMickey’s Mousetrap, situated in a small nookbehind the row of postboxes alongside theCamel Rock restaurant. The restaurant takes itsname from the rock formation – weathered overeons into the shape of a camel – on the otherside of the road.

Scarborough beach

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Aerial view of Scarborough

Chacma baboon (Papio ursinus)

Cape Point map

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Cape Point

Most people simply refer to this areaas Cape Point, but it is morecorrectly known as the Cape of GoodHope section of the Table MountainNational Park (TMNP). The original reserve,established in 1939, was incorporated into theTMNP in 1998. The pristine, rugged coastline is dotted with small secluded beaches.

Booi se Skerm

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OLIFANTSBOS, on the west coast of thePeninsula, is accessed from the first turn-off fromthe main road between the reserve entrance andthe Oliftantsbos Point itself. The area takes itsname from the original farm property calledOlifantsbosch, meaning ‘elephant bush’. Whilesome maintain that an elephant’s skull and boneswere discovered here long ago, others believethat the name refers to a stand of low, humpedmilkwood trees, which resembles a herd ofelephants from afar.

The beautiful little bay here is backed by anarc of sand, piled with rotting kelp that is alivewith ‘beach fleas’ (see box alongside). A smallstream flows across the beach into the sea, attimes forming a shallow lagoon that attracts avariety of birds. The stream rises on the plateauinland, and tumbles down the valley known as‘Die Kloof’, before flowing through a wetland areabehind the beach. Here, the abundant bird life isgenerally heard before it is seen, as a chorus ofbirdsong wells up from the reeds.

Directions to two hiking trails are signpostedfrom the Olifantsbos parking area. The 3-hourSirkelsvlei Trail takes in the reserve’s largest fresh-

water body, which is sustained by seepage fromthe surrounding areas, and also passes the ruinsof a World War II submarine observation post.The Thomas T Tucker Shipwreck Trail offers either a2,5-hour circular route, or a more direct 1,5-hourwalk along the beach and back. The Thomas TTucker was an American liberty ship, named aftera physician and politician who served as UnitedStates Treasurer from 1801 to 1828. In November1942, the ship was on her maiden voyage fromNew Orleans to Suez, where she was to deliverweapons to World War II allies fighting Rommel’sAfrika Korps. Hugging the coast one foggy nightto avoid detection by a German submarinepatrolling the area, she ran aground at OlifantsbosPoint. It was later revealed that the compass wasout by 37°, and the captain thought he was offRobben Island! Some way further south is thewreck of the Nolloth, a Dutch coaster that in1966 struck a submerged object, believed to beAlbatross Rock. This reef is known to have claimedan additional eight vessels between 1786 and1917, making it the Cape’s most notorious off-shore hazard.

The two hiking trails head south or inland of

Overnight accommodation available at Olifantsbos

Olifantsbos, the coastal strip to the north of near-by Menskoppunt, being a sanctuary area closedto the public. Furthermore, the entire coast fromthe reserve fence at Scarborough, to Hoek vanBobbejaan near Gifkommetjie is a ‘no take’marine protected area, so angling, crayfish divingand spear-fishing is prohibited here. Olifantsbos isan increasingly popular surf spot, though, whichworks best in a good west or southwest swell.

Overnight accommodation is available here forthose wanting to immerse themselves in thereserve’s delights. The old farmhouse has beentransformed into the upmarket Olifantsbos Cot-tage, a self-catering facility in a secluded positionaway from the comings and goings of day visitors.For many years, the farmhouse served as theSkaife Environmental Education Centre, namedafter Dr SH ‘Stacey’ Skaife, a naturalist, authorand broadcaster, whose lobbying in the 1930swas instrumental in the reserve’s establishment.

GIFKOMMETJIE is accessed from the circulardrive branching off the main thoroughfare to CapePoint. Its name, which means a small poison bowlor basin in Afrikaans, refers to a poisonous speciesof plant found in the vicinity.

A path leading from the parking area on thecoastal cliff, known as Groot Blouberg, leads toa lookout platform, offering views to the north ofa beautiful bay below. This is as far as many visitorsventure, but the path continues southward, anddescends the steep slope to the boulder beach ofBloubergstrand far below, promising a long slogback up. Once at the bottom, though, it is possibleto walk all the way along the coastline to Plat-boom – and even onwards, over the Cape of GoodHope, to the main car park 10 km away at CapePoint – so seasoned hikers leave a car at each end.

There is also a three-hour circular walk from theGifkommetjie car park to the headland in thenorth, known as Hoek van Bobbejaan. The trailwinds through fynbos along the ridge, and thendescends to the coast, returning along the baseof the cliffs through coastal thicket made up of

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BEACH FLEASBeach fleas are so named for their erratic leaping behaviour, although they are more correctly known as sandhoppers. Unlike fleas, which are blood-sucking insects, these are harmless crustaceans called amphipods thatscavenge on kelp and other seaweed washed up on the shore. They play a vital role in sandy beach ecologyby breaking down detritus into small fragments that can be ingested by filter feeders or decomposed bybacteria, allowing the nutrients released to be recycled through the ecosystem. They are also an importantfood source for shore birds, particularly sanderlings, which are adept at picking them up one by one.

Sand hoppers are most active at night to avoid being desiccated by the sun. During the day, they shelterbeneath beach wrack, or burrow into moist sand. At night, they emerge to hop down the beach in search offood. Their daily migrations between the intertidal zone and the upper shore areguided by an internal body clock that uses the movements of thesun and moon as a compass for their particular beach.Experiments have shown that moving sand hoppers to a beachon the opposite side of the Cape Peninsula will disorientate them,causing them to hop in the wrong direction.

The sand hopper found on the Cape Peninsula’s beaches is calledTalorchestia capensis. The scientific name is derived from terms for ankle orheel (Tal), dancing (orchest) and ‘of the Cape’ (capensis).

Beautiful bays

milkwood trees, Hottentot’s cherry and ironwood.Just north of Hoek van Bobbejaan is the wreckof the Phyllisia, a trawler that stuck fast on therocks one night in May 1968.

Hoek van Bobbejaan also marks the northernlimit of the marine protected area ‘no take’ zone,although the exact boundary coordinates fallabout 1,5 km north of the point. The coastlinebelow Gifkommetjie is a popular shore anglingarea, as the gullies between the rocky shelvesare prime habitat for galjoen and hottentot.

PLATBOOM can be translated to ‘flat tree’,and is believed to refer to the wind-pruned milk-woods here. The access road passes the Dias Cross,which not only commemorates the first Europeansea voyage round the Cape by Bartolomeu Diasin 1488, but also serves as a navigation beaconfor vessels at sea. The intersection of an align-ment of the Dias and Da Gama crosses with aline taken from another beacon in Simon’s Townpinpoints the location of Whittle Rock, an under-water pinnacle in False Bay that rises to withinthree metres of the surface.

The parking area overlooks a sandy beach thatgives way to the rocky shoreline skirting PlatboomPoint. Stretching northward behind this point isa bare, unvegetated dunefield formed by beachsand blown alongshore. The edges and terminalend of this dazzling ribbon of sand has beencolonised by dune fynbos, containing plants suchas blombos, waxberry and pelargoniums.

A little to the south of the parking area, asandy cove marks a break in the rocky shoreline.Beyond this beach, there is a coastal path thatintersects the road leading to the Cape of GoodHope within 400 m. Many hikers walk theapproximately 4 km from Gifkommetjie to Plat-boom, and continue on to the main car park atPlatboom Point.

Given that Cape Point is the windiest place inSouth Africa, it is not surprising that Platboom is

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CORMORANT COASTAll four species of cormorant that occur in SouthAfrica can be seen within the Cape of GoodHope reserve, and two of them – the white-breasted and Cape cormorant – breed here.Cormorant breeding colonies are typicallyestablished at inaccessible sites, such as islandsand steep cliffs, as a predator avoidance strategy.Along the coast, the birds can often be seenperched on a rock, with wings outstretched.This is because they dive underwater to catchtheir prey, but since their feathers are not water-proof, they must hold their wings out to dry. Inthe air, Cape cormorants can be recognised bytheir tendency to fly in long lines or V-shapedformations, hence their Afrikaans name‘trekduiker’.The four species can be identified as follows:• White-breasted cormorant (Phalacrocorax

lucidus): The largest of the four, with a distinctive white chest

• Cape cormorant (P. capensis): The gape of the bill is bright orange, the eye is blue, and the tail relatively short.

• Crowned cormorant (P. coronatus): There is an obvious tuft of upright feathers at the base of the bill, which has a pale yellow gape; the eye is red, and the tail relatively long.

• Bank cormorant (P. neglectus): The eye and bill are dark, there is a small crest on the head,and sometimes a patch of white on the rump.

Cormorant populations may be dramaticallyaffected by food shortages caused by thefluctuating abundance of pelagic fish, for whichthey compete with the fishing industry. Massmortalities result from oil spills and outbreaksof diseases, such as avian cholera, and adverseweather conditions can affect chick survival rates.Kelp gulls and white pelicans prey on chicks,while seals sometimes attack adult birds, anddisplace them from breeding sites. The birds arealso very vulnerable to disturbance by humans.

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a popular boardsailing and kitesurfing spot, butit is best left to experienced wind junkies, as thisis a very exposed site. Surfers also come here whenthere is a good westerly groundswell running.

CAPE OF GOOD HOPE is the true southern-most point of the Cape Peninsula, rather than thetip of Cape Point, as many people assume. Itsaccess road follows the rugged shoreline forsome distance before terminating at the car park

beneath the Cape. Along the way, it passes Peg-ram’s Point, Neptune’s Dairy and Pappiesbank –all good fishing spots for galjoen, hottentot andwhite stumpnose – and the sandy stretch calledMaclear’s Beach. In front of the car park, aboulder beach offers plenty of perches to sit fora while and take in the view. On one side, theCape’s craggy cliffs rise up from the sea; on theother, the vista of rolling waves and poundingsurf makes for a dramatic seascape.

Cape of Good Hope with Maclear’sBeach in the foreground

Sheer cliffs at Cape Point

A steep path leads up to the Cape of GoodHope summit, although many people prefer theeasier – although somewhat longer – walk acrossthe plateau from the Cape Point parking area.Once at the top, it is possible to see Cape Maclear,which lies alongside Cape of Good Hope. Both itand the beach are named after Sir ThomasMaclear, who came to the Cape in 1834 as HerMajesty’s Astronomer in charge of the RoyalObservatory. He also made a major contributionto land surveying in South Africa, and helpedestablish lighthouses along the coast.

The rock ledges of the two Capes are used asa breeding site by both the white-breasted andCape cormorants (see box on page 80), whiletheir summits offer one of the country’s best land-based sites to view oceanic seabirds. Many ofthese birds migrate from their breeding areas inAntarctica or the sub-Antarctic islands to spendthe winter months in the Benguela upwellingsystem’s rich feeding grounds. A strong onshorewind will bring the birds closer to land, and withthe aid of strong binoculars or a telescope, arange of albatrosses, petrels, shearwaters andskuas may be seen soaring on the air currents.

CAPE POINT is the main destination for touristsvisiting the Cape of Good Hope reserve. Contraryto popular opinion, the tip of the Point is not themeeting place of the Indian and Atlantic Oceans(see box alongside). The delineation betweenoceans is a geographic boundary only, and in thiscase is marked by the southernmost tip of Africa,which is Cape Agulhas, 150 km to the southeastas the crow flies. Nevertheless, a trip to CapePoint to see this finger of rock jutting out intothe sea is a special experience.

From the car park, it is possible to huff andpuff up the steep walkway – or just take thefunicular – to a view site at the old lighthouse,which was commissioned in 1860. Standing at238 m above sea level, the lighthouse was

frequently obscured by fog and cloud, and theneed to address this was pressed home whenthe Portuguese passenger liner Lusitania struckBellows Rock, some 4 km to the southwest, on a foggy night in 1911. The ship only slid off therock, and sank two days later, so everybody onboard was saved, apart from eight people whoselifeboat capsized. Today, the wreck is occasionallyvisited by scuba divers, but only in the calmest of conditions.

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CAPE OF CONTRASTSWhile Cape Point is not the meeting place of theIndian and Atlantic Oceans, it does mark thetransition between two marine biogeographicprovinces. To the east, the warm waters of FalseBay support a relatively diverse array of species.To the west, the cold, nutrient-rich waters of theBenguela upwelling system are home to fewspecies, but these occur in large numbers due tothe high plankton productivity. There are distinctdifferences between the intertidal and inshorecommunities on each side of the Point. Furtheroffshore, however, a change is more evident southof Cape Agulhas, because there is some mixing ofthe Agulhas and Benguela currents – and theirassociated fish communities – off Cape Point.

Two years after the loss of the Lusitania, con-struction work began on the new lighthouse,built near the tip of Cape Point at 87 m abovesea level. The lighthouse became operational in1919, and was electrified in 1936. With anintensity of 10 million candlepower, it is the mostpowerful lighthouse on the South African coast,and can be seen from 34 nautical miles, or 63km, out to sea. Spectacular scenery is just rewardfor walking along the narrow promontory to aviewpoint above the new lighthouse. The walkstarts near the upper funicular terminus, close tothe weather station that forms part of the WorldMeteorological Organisation’s Global Atmosphere

Watch network, set up to monitor long-termchanges in the chemistry of the earth’s atmosphere.

Another popular walk, starting from the carpark below, crosses the plateau to Cape Maclearand Cape of Good Hope. Along the way, steepsteps lead down to Dias Beach. The long climbback up tends to discourage many people fromventuring down, so the beach offers a secludedspot in a dramatic setting, surrounded by seacliffs. Swimming is dangerous here due to strongcurrents and powerful waves, although body-boarders and surfers sometimes take them on.

ROOIKRANS is not a beach, but a well-knownfishing and diving spot that can only be reachedvia a very steep, zigzagging path down to somerock ledges poised above the sea. The deep waterhere is used as a corridor by migrating shoals oflarge oceanic fish, and in the 1940s, the sitebecame famous for good catches of bluefin andyellowfin tuna. Nowadays, it is the yellowtail runsthat mainly motivate anglers and spear fishermento tackle the arduous trek back up the path,loaded with gear and – with any luck – a fewfish. Other species, such as geelbek, galjoen (seebox below) and hottentot, as well as crayfish,are also targeted.

The name Rooikrans means ‘red cliffs’, andrefers to the reddish colour of the sandstoneslopes here, particularly at sunrise. To the northand south are the caves known as Antoniesgat

SOUTH AFRICA’S NATIONAL FISHThe galjoen, Dichistius capensis, is honoured as South Africa’s national fish, and is one of the most popularangling species because it puts up a good fight when hooked. It frequentsthe turbulent waters of the surf zone, particularly at the interfacebetween rock and sand, and feeds on a wide variety of small inver-tebrates and seaweeds, with mussels, crustaceans and red baitbeing among the most common prey. Strong wave actionnot only helps the fish gain access to such food items highin the intertidal zone, but also dislodges them from therocks, and exposes them in the sand.

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Cape Point’s old lighthouse

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and Trappies, which were carved out of the softsandstone by pounding waves.

Those who do not want to venture down to sealevel can enjoy the sweeping views of the CapePoint coastline and False Bay from a lookout pointnear the car park. This is also a good whale-watching spot between June and November, whensouthern right whales calve and nurse their youngin the bay.

Rooikrans is quite close to the overnight hutsfor the two-day Cape Point hiking trail, whichbegins at the reserve entrance, and heads southhigh above the False Bay coastline, taking in JudasPeak, Paulsberg and Kanonkop along the way.On the second day, the return leg stays close tothe Atlantic coastline, before deviating inland toSirkelsvlei, and continuing on to the reserve gate.

BUFFELS BAY is the reserve’s most popularrecreation area, and with good reason. It has theonly sandy beach on the east coast, curving gentlyround a beautiful half-moon bay. A tidal pooloffers safe swimming when the sea is too rough– or the water too cold – and there is a slipway

for launching skiboats. The rocky shoreline to thesouth has rock pools and gullies to explore, andis backed by a long grassy stretch dotted withpicnic and braai sites. Unfortunately, baboonshave come to associate this area with food hand-outs and leftovers, and are now a nuisance here,stealing food at any opportunity (see box onpage 87).

Scuba divers visit Buffels Bay to see the remainsof the wrecked trawler Tania, scattered on theseabed, and to weave through the kelp forestsfringing the shoreline, which also offer up rewardsto spear fishermen and crayfish divers. In calmconditions, the waves in the bay are ridden bybodysurfers and bodyboarders, but serious surferswait for huge ocean swells rolling in from thesouth before they bother to come here. Sea-kayakers sometimes launch at Buffels Bay for ascenic paddle to the Point, and the beach is acompulsory checkpoint for the Cape PointChallenge – a tough surfski race that begins atWitsands, and ends at Fish Hoek. It is also thefinish line for the few intrepid open-water swim-mers who have braved cold waters, strong currents

Exploring rock pools at low tide, Buffels Bay

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and lurking sharks to swim around Cape Point.Buffels Bay, which means ‘buffalo bay’, takes

its name from the original farm called Buffels-fontein, dating back to the 1780s, when one ofthe six permanent residents of Simon’s Town wasgranted grazing rights here. Later, landownerssupplemented their income from farming byselling lime, the main source of which was thecalcareous rocky outcrop extending from BuffelsBay to Booi se Skerm. Mussel shells, washed upon the beach, were also used, as they yielded limewhen burnt at lower temperatures. Near the shoreat Buffels Bay are the faintly visible remnants ofan old kiln used for this purpose.

Buffels Bay also supported a fishery andwhaling station at one time, but by the early 20thcentury, most land at Cape Point was used forrecreational rather than commercial purposes. Itwas the potential sale of the Buffelsfonteinproperty – by then called Smith’s Farm – that ledto the creation of the Cape of Good Hope reservein 1939. This land formed the core of the newreserve, with other properties later purchased oracquired through conservation agreements. The

historic Buffelsfontein homestead now serves asa visitor information centre, focusing on environ-mental interpretation.

BORDJIESRIF is on the other side of the BuffelsBay beach, but is reached via a separate accessroad. During the apartheid era, when the SeparateAmenities Act was enforced, Bordjiesrif wasreserved for coloureds. Now that beaches every-where are open to all, its popularity has declinedsomewhat, but this makes for less crowded con-ditions. It also has the advantage of being oneof the most sheltered spots in the reserve, andoffers spectacular views of Paulshoek, Die Boerand Judas Peak.

Although Bordjiesrif has a rocky shoreline, it isjust a short walk to the Buffels Bay beach. Thereis also a large tidal pool, backed by grassedterraces that are ideal for sunbathing, while thesurrounding lawns are dotted with picnic sites.This stretch of coast has always been popularfor fishing, because the rocky shore drops awayinto kelp beds and relatively deep water – hencethe name Bordjiesrif, which can be translated to

Tidal pool at Bordjiesrif

‘little plate reef’. Hottentot and roman can becaught throughout the year. Back in the 1940s,in the early days of the reserve, anglers had tofight their way here from Buffels Bay throughdense thickets of alien acacias, but these havesince been cleared, and the indigenous milkwoodshave resumed their status as the dominant trees.

The road to Bordjiesrif skirts around the partlyvegetated dunes behind Buffels Bay beach –formed by sand blown inland – and then passesthe Da Gama cross, which commemorates Vascoda Gama’s epic voyage of discovery. After roundingthe Cape in November 1497, the Portugueseexplorer continued sailing eastward to India. Inso doing, he opened up the sea route to the East,which became so important for trade.

BLACK ROCKS is accessed off the Bordjiesrifroad. This stretch of coast, which includes Booi seSkerm and Venus Pool, is primarily visited byanglers as well as hikers. Shortly after the turn-

off, a path signposted from the road leads up toKanonkop, a rocky ridge topped by a 200-year-old signal cannon. From here, it is possible tojoin up with the trail that passes Paulsberg andJudas Peak on its way towards the reserveentrance gate, or complete the circular routeback to Black Rocks. This descends quite steeply,dropping into a small kloof sheltering a relicforest, before rejoining the road at Booi se Skerm.

A little way back along the road is the restored‘kalkoond’ – a limestone oven, or kiln – whichdates back to about 1890. Many of the trees in theforest patch nearby were probably chopped downas fuel for such kilns, which were used to producelime needed for making cement. Limestone isformed from the fossil remains of sea shells, whichwere deposited on the seabed at a time whenthe sea level was much higher than it is today.When the sea retreated again, the exposed shelllayer was cemented together with calcium saltsto form calcrete. The calcrete cliffs between

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The Da Gama cross at Bordjiesrif

Buffels Bay and Booi se Skerm were quarried fortheir limestone, which was then burnt in the kilns.

Booi se Skerm (‘Booi’s shelter’) is so named forthe caves in the cliffs here, which were naturallyformed as the limestone dissolved away, but werethen further carved out by quarrying. Waterseeping through the ground would have absorbedcarbon dioxide from the soil, reacting to formcarbonic acid. This weak acid slowly dissolved thelimestone, but it was redeposited on the roofs andwalls of the caves as travertine, which produceda good-quality lime when quarried and burnt.

Beyond Booi se Skerm, the road from BlackRocks is closed to vehicles, but provides a pleasantwalk to Venus Pool. This is a natural pool on therock ledges below Paulsberg. It also marks thefurthest point that anglers, spear fishermen andcrayfish divers may venture, as the area north-wards to Smitswinkel Bay Point is the Paulsbergsanctuary, a ‘no take’ zone extending approxi-mately one nautical mile from the shore.

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THE CHACMA BABOONThere are about 350 chacma baboons, Papioursinus, on the Cape Peninsula, divided into about10 troops – the number fluctuates slightly astroops occasionally merge or split. Five troops arebased in the Cape of Good Hope section of theTable Mountain National Park, although at leasttwo of these regularly wander outside the reserve’sboundaries. Each troop is led by a dominant male,who defends his position against attacks byyounger males, until he is eventually replaced.

Baboons are opportunistic omnivores – most oftheir diet consists of fruits, flowers, berries, bulbsand roots, but grasshoppers, ants and other insectsthat can be caught are eaten too. Baboons in thereserve sometimes also supplement this food withintertidal shellfish and crustaceans, includinglimpets, crabs and sand hoppers.

Baboons can often be seen playing andgrooming one another. While their human-likebehaviour is amusing to watch, and the babiesappear cute and cuddly, baboons are potentiallydangerous, wild animals. In many areas, they havecome to associate people with easily available food.Where urbanisation has encroached on baboonhabitat, troops regularly raid homes and dustbins.Within the reserve, people feeding baboons andleaving food scraps at picnic sites have turnedsome baboons into problem animals with fearless,and even aggressive, behaviour. Monitors havebeen deployed in certain areas to chase baboonsaway from potential conflict situations, but it isimportant to keep car doors and windows closedwhen baboons are in the vicinity, and food packedsecurely away.

Bontebok (Damaliscus pygargus pygargus)

False Bay Peninsula map

False Bay Peninsula

The beaches on the False Bay side of the Cape Peninsula areblessed with warm waters, so they are popular for swimming,diving and other water sports.Unfortunately, they also bear thebrunt of the summer southeaster, sothey are best enjoyed in the morning,before the wind comes up in the afternoon.There are also a few sheltered spots thatoffer refuge from stiff sea breezes.

St James Beach

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The secluded cove of Smitswinkel Bay

SMITSWINKEL BAY is a tiny enclave at theeastern border of the Cape of Good Hope sectionof the Table Mountain National Park. Touristssometimes stop at the car park on the road highabove for a bird’s eye view of this beautiful cove.Visiting the little beach, however, entails a longwalk down the hillside, and a hard slog back up.This means that the beach is rarely crowded,despite the limited space. The sea here is fre-quently crystal-clear and a tropical turquoise hue– belying the chilly temperatures at such times –and there is often a good wave for bodysurfing.Another reward for the effort of getting here isthe spectacular setting, with the dramatic profileof Judas Peak across the bay, and the Swartkopmountain range rearing up behind.

Surrounding the beach is a scattering ofcottages, most of which are holiday homes. Thecottages have no electricity, and many have beenpassed down through generations of families. Theland here was originally granted to one PetrusHugo in about 1816, but was quite inaccessible

until 1915, when the coastal road from Simon’sTown to Cape Point was completed. This openedup the area for recreational use, and four yearslater, the then owner auctioned off 29 plots.

However, people were visiting this stretch ofcoastline as long as 1 400 years ago. A middenexcavated from a Smitswinkel Bay cave revealedthat ‘strandlopers’ – the San hunter-gatherersand later Khoi pastoralists, who survived on thecoast’s offerings – had used the cave at sometime, as it contained the remains of fish, shellfish,hare, antelope, dolphin and seal, as well as cattleand sheep. Today, some fishing still takes placehere, including licensed trek-netting, but this islimited to the confines of the bay, as the Paulsbergand Castle Rock ‘no take’ marine sanctuaries lieon either side.

The area is also a popular dive site, becauseduring the 1970s, five ships were scuttled inSmitswinkel Bay to form an artificial reef. The oldnavy frigates (SAS Transvaal and SAS Good Hope),fishing trawlers (Princess Elizabeth and Oratava)

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The kelp beds at Miller’s Point offer good diving and snorkelling

and diamond dredger (the Rockeater) are nowhome to a colourful diversity of sponges,anemones, nudibranchs, soft corals, sea fans andfish. Closer to the Cape Point coastline is BatsataRock – also known as Smits Reef – where anunderwater landscape of pinnacles and gulliesteems with fish and invertebrates.

There is some disagreement about the originof the bay’s name. Many say that two rocks onthe beach resemble an anvil and bellows – thetools of a blacksmith – hence the Afrikaans namefor ‘smithy’s shop’. Others contend that nearbyBatsata Rock was formerly called ‘Blaasbalg’,which is the Afrikaans term for bellows, whilesome maintain that farming folk named Smit rana roadside stall here.

MILLER’S POINT is primarily used by anglersand divers, because it is the main boat-launchingspot on the southern side of the False Bay coast.While they are at sea, there is plenty to keep therest of the family occupied, though, as there are

two small beaches, a tidal pool and somesheltered coves that offer good snorkelling inthe kelp beds around giant granite boulders.There are also picnic and braai sites on the lawnsbehind the tidal pool, so anglers returning froma successful fishing trip can immediately cookpart of their catch over the coals.

A small entrance fee is charged at Miller’s Pointover weekends and in peak holiday season, andthere is also a fee for boat-launching. Some boatsthat are launched here venture as far as 40nautical miles offshore to target yellowfin andlongfin tuna. The two slipways get particularlybusy during snoek and yellowtail runs, as bothcommercial and recreational fishers launch theirboats here. Furthermore, the Cape Boat and Ski-Boat Club, which has a clubhouse near thesouthern slipway into Rumbly Bay, frequentlyorganises and hosts fishing competitions.

Adverse conditions at this slipway in strongsoutheasters and low tides prompted theconstruction of the northern slipway and

breakwater, which is well-protected from thewind and swell.

A little further along from the northern slipwayis the Miller’s Point caravan park and Black Marlinrestaurant, both accessed from a separate roadoff the M4. The restaurant, renowned for its sea-food, is housed in the historic homestead of thefarm that once occupied this land. The propertywas originally granted to one Tomas Drury in 1814for cattle grazing, but was later sold to EdmundMiller, and inherited by his son in 1838 – hencethe area’s name. The Millers supplementedfarming with whaling, with some of the oilrendered from the whale blubber being burnt inthe newly constructed lighthouses at Cape Pointand Roman Rock. Prior to becoming a municipalresort in 1961, the land was owned by theMolteno family who ran a dairy farm, but evenin those days, people visited this stretch ofcoastline for recreational purposes, includingfishing off the rocks.

Nowadays, no inshore fishing is allowedbetween Boat Rock – a little to the south ofMiller’s Point – and Whale Rock adjacent to Smits-winkel Bay, as this area falls within the CastleRock ‘no take’ sanctuary. The resulting diverseand abundant sea life in this marine protected

area is a drawcard for recreational scuba divers,and there are a number of popular dive sites,including Castle Rock, Outer Castle, PartridgePoint and Pyramid. The area around Miller’s Pointitself is also good for shore-entry diving, as wellas spear-fishing, as is Caravan Reef, directly infront of the caravan park. Further offshore –about 6 km off Miller’s Point – is the bell buoymarking Whittle Rock, a large pinnacle that risesup to within three metres of the surface. For wreckdivers there is a choice of five Smitswinkel Baywrecks a short boat trip away; the SAS Fleur – anavy vessel scuttled in 1965 – in deep water somedistance offshore, and the SAS Pietermaritzburgclose inshore. This ex-minesweeper originally sawservice as the British Navy’s HMS Pelorus, andduring World War II opened a safe sea passagefor the D-Day invasion of Normandy. She waslater purchased by the South African navy, andused for training purposes, before being scuttledin 1994 as an artificial reef.

Miller’s Point is also a popular place to launchseakayaks and surfskis. While seakayakersgenerally opt for calm conditions for a scenicpaddle to Cape Point, surfskiers come here inhowling southeasters for the ‘Miller’s Run’, ridingthe swells back to Fish Hoek beach.

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Frank’s Bay

FISHERMAN’S BEACH is on the outskirts ofSimon’s town, opposite the Whale View Guest-house and Conference Centre. Despite its name,it is not a popular fishing spot these days,although trek-netting and shore angling tookplace here in the past. The pretty little bay, whichis backed by an arc of white sand, and surroundedby large granite boulders, offers safe swimmingconditions, and sometimes also a good wave forbodysurfing. At times, the water takes on alovely turquoise colour, and is often crystal-clear,making it popular for snorkelling. Between thebeach and the road is a steep grassy slope, whichoffers an alternative place to sit or sunbathe whenhigh tides claim the beach. Parking is limited toa dozen roadside bays, which keeps the crowdsaway. The popular shore-diving spot, ‘A-frame’,is a short drive to the south.

FRANK’S BAY is often referred to as FroggyPond. The original property was granted to oneRobert Smith in 1813, and named Froggy Farmfor the frogs that lived in a freshwater pool there.Today, the bay is named after Frank Muller, whofor many years had exclusive rights for trek-netfishing here. The cove is bordered by granite out-crops, which provide some shelter from the wind,and among their jumbled rock formations areshallow rock pools, where children can paddleand play. Unfortunately, the beach is litteredwith boulders, and kelp beds occupy much ofthe inlet. The beach is shielded from the road bya steep embankment, but there is nowhere topull over on the outbound route from Simon’sTown. The closest parking area is opposite Fisher-man’s Beach – a short walk away – unless aspace can be found in the side streets of theneighbouring suburb.

Opposite the bay is the Cape Times Fresh AirCamp, a holiday facility for disadvantaged

children. The camp is funded through charitabledonations from readers of the Cape Times. Thepremises originally served as HMS Afrikander –a shore establishment of the Royal Navy – and itwas here that Just Nuisance was stationed in1940 (see page 97).

WINDMILL BEACH is tucked away behindthe golf course at Froggy Pond – the site of aBoer prisoner-of-war camp at the turn of the20th century. It is possible to walk to the beachfrom either Frank’s Bay or Boulders Beach, fol-lowing a well-trodden path along the coastline,or drive to the end of Links Road, accessed offBellevue Road – the turn-off to Boulders Beachfrom the M4. Parking is very limited in Links Road,but there is a larger car park at Boulders Beach.

The windmill after which this beach was nodoubt named has long since been dismantled.Despite the implication that this is a windy area –as indeed it is – this is one of the most shelteredbeaches on the False Bay coast. Like its neighbour,Boulders Beach, it is surrounded by giant graniteoutcrops, which act as a windbreak. The whitesandy beach slopes gently into two gulliesseparated by a rocky point. Here, the water is flat,calm and crystal-clear, providing safe swimmingand paddling for children in the shallows, andgood snorkelling in deeper water. In fact, thebeach is often used as a scuba dive training site,as it offers easy entry and exit points, goodvisibility and minimal wave action. Novice diversare guided on a circumnavigation of the rockypoint, departing from one gully, and returning toshore via the other, while exploring the under-water life of the kelp forest. At high tide, the seafloods much of the narrow strip of sand leadingto the point, so seakayakers often paddle throughthe channel between beach and rocks on theirway to or from Simon’s Town.

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BOULDERS BEACH is named for the giantgranite boulders that create a series of shallowinlets, well protected from the wind and waves.At high tide, when space on the white sandybeaches becomes limited, sunbathers drapethemselves over the boulders instead, descen-ding periodically for a cooling dip in the pool-like waters. Because there is little wave action,the shallows are warmed by the sun, and areoften crystal-clear. A little further out, snorkellerscan explore the underwater world of the bouldersand surrounding kelp beds, but since this is a ‘notake’ zone of a marine protected area, removalof marine life is prohibited. Some way offshore isa large, flat-topped boulder known as Noah’s Ark,which seakayakers often paddle around to viewthe cormorants and seals perched upon it.

The Boulders Beach area is most well known,however, for its large penguin colony (see boxalongside), and this is the only beach in CapeTown where a penguin is likely to swim orwaddle by. The beach and adjacent coastal stripwere incorporated into the Table Mountain

National Park in 1998, and a conservation fee(waived for Wild Card holders) is now levied toaccess the beach and the main penguin-viewingarea. Here, wooden boardwalks wind throughthe coastal vegetation to the viewing platformsoverlooking Foxy Beach, where the birdscongregate before and after going to sea.

A few penguins can also be seen at no chargealong Willis Walk, a pathway linking the twobeaches.

Penguins first began settling here in the early1980s, and now number at least 2 500 birds,after peaking at more than 3 500 a few yearsago. The colony’s rapid growth cannot be attri-buted to breeding success alone, as its numbersincreased faster than the birds can reproduce.Rather, it was the result of immigration of first-time breeders from other colonies. Once theyhave begun breeding, penguins return to thesame site year after year to find their life partner,but those breeding for the first time have no suchlimitations, and are able to choose a breeding sitewith favourable conditions.

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Calm waters at Boulders Beach

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THE AFRICAN PENGUINThe African penguin, Spheniscus demersus, is commonly known as the jackass penguin because of its donkey-like bray. It is endemic to South Africa and Namibia, breeding on 25 islands and four mainland sites betweenBird Island, off Port Elizabeth, and Hollams Bird Island in Namibia. The total population is estimated at fewerthan 120 000 penguins, having declined drastically due to guano scraping and egg collecting in the past,followed in the 1970s by the collapse of the pilchard resource – its main source of food – due to overfishing.The birds were then forced to rely on anchovy, a smaller shoaling fish that is prone to large fluctuations inabundance in response to environmental conditions.

Although pilchard stocks have now recovered, a recent shift in theirdistribution has negatively impacted on penguins, which mustcompete with other predators as well as the fishing industry forthis food source. The birds are also displaced from islandnesting sites by seals, which are increasing in number, andattacked by terrestrial predators at mainland nesting sites. Inaddition, oil pollution is a significant threat to penguins.Feathers lose their insulating ability when covered in oil, sooiled penguins at sea become cold, waterlogged and unableto swim effectively. Confined to land, the penguins are soonweakened by starvation and dehydration, and also by poisoning ifthey swallow the toxic oil while preening. All of these factors resultin the total population continuing to decline.

Penguins moult once per year to replace their feathers, which provideinsulation in the water. Moulting begins in November, and during thistime, the birds are confined to land for three weeks until new feathershave grown. They then feed at sea for a few weeks before returning tothe colony for the breeding season, which starts in January. Penguinsmate for life, and each parent takes turns incubating the eggs whilethe other undertakes feeding trips at sea, regurgitating fish for thechicks on their return. From September, the birds spend longperiods feeding at sea to lay down fat reserves for themoulting period.

The penguin colony from the viewing platform

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Simon’s Town yacht harbour

During the 1970s, when the pilchard resourcehad collapsed, but anchovy were abundant onthe Agulhas Bank, first-time breeders from theWest Coast islands began relocating to Dyer andGeyser islands in the south, and the penguinpopulation there grew steadily. In the 1980s, thepilchard resource began recovering, and first-timebreeders moved westward in response, estab-lishing three new penguin colonies at BouldersBeach, Robben Island and Stony Point (Betty’sBay). During the 1990s, first-time breeders beganrecolonising the islands on the West Coast asthe recovery of the pilchard stock continued. Morerecently, however, pilchard stocks have shifted tothe south coast – it remains unknown whetherthis is part of a natural cycle or a long-term trenddue to climate change – and the penguin popu-lation is responding accordingly.

Boulders Beach is best reached from BellevueRoad, off the M4, while the closest access to thepenguin-viewing area at Foxy Beach is fromSeaforth Road.

SEAFORTH beach is popular with families, asit offers safe swimming conditions in calm,shallow waters. It is relatively sheltered from thewind, and is backed by a grassy slope, with treesproviding plenty of shade. The beach is borderedon one side by Seaforth Restaurant, and on theother by the Institute of Maritime Technology,which undertakes research and development workfor military defence purposes.

Although there is a large parking area behindthe beach, this also serves the penguin-viewingarea at Boulders Beach, so it fills up quickly duringpeak periods. A number of curio traders operatefrom a row of stalls next to the parking area.

Seaforth was named after the Earl of Seaforthin Scotland. During the 1820s, Captain ThomasTalbot Harington – a former ship’s captain andlater ship owner and trader – lived here with hiswife, who was the niece of the Earl of Seaforth.Two decades earlier, the bay at Seaforth hadserved as a whaling station, but following com-plaints from the neighbouring military battery

about the stench, the facilities had been relocatedto Kalk Bay.

SIMON’S TOWN is home to False Bay’s largestharbour, which includes the naval dockyard, yachtbasin and commercial waterfront area. The water-front jetty is used as a departure point for sceniccruises, seakayaking tours and deep-sea fishingcharters, as well as whale-watching trips betweenJuly and November. With its variety of shops andrestaurants, as well as sites of historical interest,

Simon’s Town has become a popular stopoverfor tourists on the way to and from Cape Point.

The town took its name from Simon’s Bay,named by Governor of the Cape, Simon van derStel, who surveyed False Bay in 1687, and identi-fied this small, sheltered bay as a safe winteranchorage. It was only in 1741 that the DutchEast India Company followed through on hissuggestion, decreeing that its ships use Simon’sBay between May and August in an effort toreduce the losses incurred from storms in TableBay. In 1796, the British erected a Martello towerto guard the entrance to the bay, a year after theyoccupied the Cape for the first time. Followingtheir second occupation of the Cape in 1806, theBritish established a base for the Royal Navyhere in 1814. The base was handed over to theSouth African Navy in 1957.

The most unusual naval recruit was un-doubtedly Just Nuisance, a Great Dane that servedas an able seaman in the Royal Navy between1939 and 1944. The dog was already a mascot

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ROMAN ROCK LIGHTHOUSERoman Rock lighthouse, near the entrance toSimon’s Town’s naval harbour, is the only light-house in South Africa to be built on a rock. Theprefabricated cast-iron tower was shipped overfrom England, and took four years to install,becoming operational in September 1861. Thelighthouse was manned until 1919, when it wasautomated. It has an intensity of 5000 CD(candlepower) and flashes once every six seconds.Roman Rock itself was so named for the abun-dance of red roman once caught here.

Musical entertainment in Jubilee Square

that was much loved by the sailors, and used tofollow them onto the train to Cape Town, thenguide them home after drunken nights on thetown. Following complaints from the train con-ductors, and threats to have him put down, thedog was enlisted into the navy to entitle him toa free pass on the trains! On 1 April 1944 – his7th birthday – Just Nuisance was put down, ashe was becoming paralysed following a motoraccident. The following day, he was buried withfull military honours at Klaver Camp on Red Hill.A bronze statue on Jubilee Square commemoratesthis favourite example of ‘man’s best friend’.

Jubilee Square itself was completed in 1935,and was named in honour of King George V’sSilver Jubilee in that year. The ‘historic mile’ alongSimon’s Town’s main road contains many inter-esting old buildings, and the area’s history can beexplored further at the Simon’s Town Museum,Naval Museum, Heritage Museum and ToyMuseum.

LONG BEACH is a long strip of white sandon the outskirts of Simon’s Town. It offers safeswimming, as it is a gently sloping beach withlittle wave action, but it is not particularly shelteredfrom the wind, and there is no shade. Seakayakersand surfskiers often launch here and paddle alongthe coast to Boulders Beach and beyond.

The access road to the beach, which terminatesin a large parking area, is close to the Simon’sTown station. The station marks the end of the

line for the railway, which reached here in 1890.The Bear Basics shop in the station building stocksa wide range of teddy bears for all tastes.

MACKEREL BEACH is opposite the turn-offto Dido Valley, beyond the navy’s north battery.Access to the beach is difficult, as there is no carpark, and the railway line runs between thebeach and the road. The beach is not popular forswimming or sunbathing, but anglers sometimescast a line here, and trek-netting also takes place.

A little offshore are the last remains of theClan Stuart, which was wrecked here in 1917after dragging anchor in a southeasterly gale.The engine block protrudes above the surface,and although not much else remains of thewreck, it is a good dive site for novices, offeringan easy shore entry and colourful sea life.

SHELLEY BEACH is a tiny, sandy cove sepa-rated from Mackerel Beach by a rocky section ofshoreline. Next to it is Shelley Point – a more pro-nounced headland – where there is a tidal pool.The pool was built in the late 1930s for non-whites,after which they were prevented from using thepopular Glencairn pool, built during the 1920s.

A gravel access road leads from the parkingarea at Glencairn Station, and parking is alsoavailable off the main road, in front of thecemetery opposite the beach. However, giventhe pool’s isolated location, it is seldom used.Whales often come close inshore along this

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Long Beach

stretch of coastline between July and November,and passing motorists tend to stop along theroad to watch them (see box alongside).

GLENCAIRN has a long, sandy beach that isparticularly popular with those wanting to escapethe crowds at Fish Hoek. There are a few sub-merged rocks in the surf zone, and the waves andbackwash are powerful at times, but swimmingis reasonably safe here. Surfers and bodyboarderscan often be seen riding the reef break off therocky point at the northern side of the bay, andkitesurfers come here in strong southeasters.There is a gravel parking lot off Main Road (M4),with access to the beach via a path over therailway line.

On the point at the southern side of the bay,there is a large tidal pool. Parking can normallybe found along the M4, or in the adjacent carpark for Glencairn Station. The Else River dis-charges into the sea in this corner of the beach,although it is rarely more than a trickle, if flowingat all. Across the road is Glencairn Vlei, wheregravel paths through the reed beds are enjoyedby birdwatchers and dog-walkers. Once, the vleiwas a plain of white sand, periodically floodedby the river, but construction of the railway em-bankment in 1890 resulted in changes to theriver’s hydrology. In addition, marram grass wasplanted to stabilise the drift sand that constantlyinundated the railway line, and this spread tothe vlei area. Alien acacia shrubs then invaded

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THE SOUTHERN RIGHT WHALESouthern right whales, Eubalaena australis, arecommonly seen along Cape Town’s coastlinebetween July and November. They spend thesummer months in the Antarctic’s coldSouthern Ocean, feeding on dense swarms ofzooplankton, and in April begin the longmigration northward. Most of the whales thatmake the migration are pregnant females,with individual females returning on averageevery three years. They choose shallow,sheltered bays to give birth to and to nursetheir calf, until it is strong enough to startmigrating southward.

The species’ common name was coined byearly whalers, who considered it the ‘right’whale to hunt. This was because it was a slowswimmer, and occurred close inshore, makingit accessible from small, open boats rowed outfrom land-based whaling stations, and alsobecause it floated when dead, and yieldedlarge quantities of oil and baleen. The specieswas heavily exploited from the 1780s until the1930s, by which time its numbers haddeclined drastically. In 1937, a worldwide banon right-whaling was implemented.

The southern right whale population is nowbelieved to be recovering at the maximumrate biologically possible, but it still totals only10% of pre-exploitation numbers.

Shelley Point

the valley, and the vlei was later excavated inplaces to form artificial ponds. These open-waterspaces are now threatened by the encroachmentof bulrush, which grows prolifically due to nutrientenrichment of the water.

The parking area on the headland to the northof Glencairn beach provides a good vantage pointfor whale-watching and seabird-spotting. BetweenJuly and November, southern right whales (seebox on previous page) come close inshore alongthis stretch of coast, while strong southeasterlywinds between September and March blow off-shore seabirds into False Bay. The birds are bestviewed on the first or second day of the south-easter in the late afternoon, as they fly southward,back out of the bay. Cape gannet, Arctic skua,sooty shearwater and white-chinned petrel arethe most commonly seen species.

The Glencairn area was previously known asElsje’s Bay, but there is some disagreement aboutthe origin of the name. Some say it refers to theRooi Els trees that previously grew here, whileothers maintain that it is a corruption of Yssel-steijn – the name of a ship that stopped over inthis part of False Bay in 1671. In January 1901,the farm Elsebaai was bought by a group of Scot-tish men, who called themselves the GlencairnSyndicate, apparently because there was a pileof stones (‘cairn’) at the upper end of the valley(‘glen’). Six months later, trading as GlencairnEstates Ltd, they sold off 56 plots. The followingyear, a glass factory was established in the valley

to provide bottles for Mr Anders Ohlsson’sbrewery at Newlands. A number of glass workerswere brought over from England, but they foundthe area isolated and inhospitable, and operatingcosts were too high for the venture to beeconomically feasible. The factory was thereforeclosed after a few years, and in January 1908,the land was transferred to Glencairn Estates.

FISH HOEK is one of Cape Town’s favouritebeaches for families. It offers safe swimmingconditions and a long, sandy beach for playingand sunbathing, although space does becomelimited at spring high tide, when waves lap theretaining wall of the beachfront promenade.Volunteer lifesavers are on duty on weekendsand public holidays during the summer season,and there is a shark warning system in place.There are often good breakers for bodysurfingand bodyboarding, while surfers ride the largerwaves at the Clovelly end of the beach. Themiddle section – near the lifesaving clubhouse –is used to launch surfskis and kneeboards, as wellas Hobie Cats from the sailing club situatedbehind the dunes a little further along. Inaddition, trek-netting (see box alongside) isconducted by a licensed operator. There is alarge pay-to-enter parking area, well-maintainedablution facilities, a small children’s park, and abeachfront restaurant with a take-away outlet.

The ‘catwalk’ along the southern shore of thebay – named Jager’s Walk after a local business-

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Children’s park, Fish Hoek beach

man and councillor actively involved in Fish Hoek’sadministrative affairs during the 1930s – allowsa gentle stroll to Sunny Cove, where an elevatedfootbridge over the railway line is a good whale-watching spot during the southern right season.Swimming off the catwalk has declined in popula-rity following a shark attack here in recent years,but scuba divers still use it as an easy-entryaccess point for training dives in the kelp beds.

On the opposite side of the bay, there is asmall tidal pool – called Woolley’s Pool – on therocky point hidden below the road at the entranceto the bay. There is no parking close by, butaccess can be obtaied via some steps descendingfrom the verge along Main Road to a subwaybeneath the railway line. At Clovelly, the Silver-mine River flows across the beach into the seaduring winter, but forms a stagnant lagoon inthe backshore area during the summer months.

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TREK-NETTING Trek-netting is South Africa’s oldest commercialfishery, having been started by the Dutch EastIndia Company in the early 1700s. Today, thefishery is confined to the coast west of Gordon’sBay, and is subject to a variety of managementmeasures. Traditionally, the fishery has targetedharders (southern mullet) and St Joseph sharks,but permit holders in False Bay are allowed tocatch certain linefish species too, including highlyprized yellowtail. However, the harder resource isoverexploited, the export market for St Josephshark has collapsed, and there are concerns aboutthe by-catch of severely threatened linefish species.In 2006, with the allocation of long-term fishingrights, the number of permit holders was reducedsubstantially to facilitate the recovery of theharder stock, ensure economically viable venturesfor full-time fishers, and protect marine biodi-versity. Fishing rights are now valid for 10 years,but can be withdrawn for those not adhering topermit conditions, which are revised on an annualbasis. A separate permit is required for trek-netfishers needing to use a vehicle on the beach.

Local fishermen offloading their nets on Fish Hoek beach

Walkways through the river’s rehabilitated wet-land area on the other side of the Main Roadprovide good bird-watching opportunities, andthere is also a wheelchair-accessible trail for theblind. At this end of the beach, there is a smallparking area on each side of the road.

Fish Hoek was originally called ‘Visch Hoek’by the Dutch East India Company, which by 1725had established a fishing station here to exploitthe bay’s abundant fish. A century later, there wasalso a whaling station, but few people settled inthe valley until the large farm property wasdivided up and sold off as plots in 1918. Thearea was already becoming a popular seasideresort, however, as the railway line completed inthe 1880s brought day-trippers and weekendcampers to the beach.

In 1929, Fish Hoek made world headlines withthe discovery of ‘Fish Hoek Man’ by a father-and-son team of amateur archaeologists. VictorPeers and his son, Bertie, had begun excavatinga cave in the area in 1927, and had found anumber of KhoiSan artefacts and human skele-tons, before they uncovered a tiny skull withunusual bone structure. The skull was identifiedas that of an ancestral human who lived some12 000 years ago.

KALK BAY is best known for its vibrant fishingharbour and its bustling main road, lined withquaint old buildings, housing a variety of restau-rants, art galleries, antique shops, book storesand bohemian boutiques. The harbour serves asthe home base of False Bay’s commercial line-fishing fleet, which sets to sea in colourfulwooden boats. At weekends, people flock to seethe boats return to port, watch the catches beingoffloaded and sold in quayside auctions, or buya fish to take home for a braai. Hordes of recre-ational anglers can often be seen casting a linefrom the harbour wall, particularly during asummer run of white stumpnose or mackerel.

There is a small beach within the harbourprecinct, where children often swim and play.

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Boats in the harbour

Angling off Kalk Bay’s harbour wall

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Poor water quality, as is often the case in harbours,compromises the suitability for swimming here.Two tidal pools situated in front of the Brass Bellrestaurant provide an alternative swimming spot,and squeezed between them and the harbour wallis a tiny beach suitable for paddling. The firsttidal pool was built in the early 1900s on thesite of an old stone fish trap created by KhoiSan‘strandlopers’. During the 1860s, Bishop RobertGray had regularly bathed in the fish trap whileholidaying at his home nearby, so the pool wasoriginally known as Bishop’s Pool. The pool wasenlarged after it was damaged by storm wavesin 1919, and the second pool – named the Kalk

Bay Pool – was built three years later, after whichit became a popular venue for evening water pologames until the mid-1930s. The retaining wallsof the pools have been damaged by storm wavesover the years.

Kalk Bay takes its name from the Dutch wordfor lime, because from as early as the 1670s, thearea was a major source of lime used in buildingmortar and whitewash. The lime was producedby burning shells cast up on the beach in wood-fired kilns. In 1687, the Governor of the Cape,Simon van der Stel, visited Kalk Bay prior tosurveying False Bay, and he was impressed bythe area’s abundance of fish. He later started a

Kalk Bay harbour

fishery here, and over the next century wagon-loads of lime and fish were transported to theDutch East India Company’s growing settlementat Cape Town. In 1807, following the Britishoccupation, a whaling station was also estab-lished at Kalk Bay, and during the next fewdecades scores of southern right whales werebutchered here for their blubber and oil. Over-exploitation resulted in a rapid depletion ofthese gentle giants, and by the 1940s, whalingwas on the wane. The last whaling operation inKalk Bay closed in 1855.

By that time, Kalk Bay was gaining popularityas a seaside resort. Then, in the 1870s, Filipinodeserters, who had jumped ship in Cape Town,settled in Kalk Bay, and were soon joined by theircountrymen fleeing the violent uprising againstSpanish rule. Before long, there was a flourishingFilipino community in Kalk Bay, and these skilledfisherfolk – often called Manilas – played anintegral part in the development of the area. In1883, the railway line reached Kalk Bay, but thiscaused problems for the fishers. The large viaductthat carried the railway line over the beachprevented them from pulling their fishing vessels– in those days open rowboats – over the roadfor protection during storms and spring high tide.A storm in May 1898 smashed the boats againstthe viaduct, causing half the 38-strong fleet tobe damaged or destroyed. In 1913, followingconsiderable controversy, work began on con-structing a breakwater. This was completed in1919, providing some protection from stormswells, and the harbour mole was constructed inthe late 1930s.

DALEBROOK is particularly popular amongfamilies with young children, as it has a shallowtidal pool and a sandy strip behind the rockyshoreline, where small gullies and rock poolsmake for interesting paddling and exploring.Situated on a lee side, the beach is surprisingly

GARDENERS OF THE ROCKY SHORESouth Africa has more species of limpets thananywhere else in the world, and Dalebrook hasserved as a convenient ‘outdoor laboratory’ forstudying them. These hardy sea snails have acap-shaped shell, which grows to fit the rockterrain at their ‘home scar’. This allows thelimpets to roam the rock surface – grazing onalgae using their toothed tongue or radula –before returning to their home scar to clampdown as protection against predators, waveaction and desiccation.

Some limpets tend their own ‘garden’ of algae,which they vigorously defend from intruders. Forexample, the pear limpet, Scutellastra cochlear,grazes away most other algae in its vicinity, butmaintains a narrow fringe of red algae arounditself that only it crops. Rather like mowing alawn, this stimulates the growth of the ‘garden’.In addition, the nitrogen-based excretions of thelimpets supply nutrients needed by the algae,resulting in a fertiliser effect. If all the limpets areremoved, the red algae flourish at first, but thendisappear as they are overgrown by otherseaweeds, or eaten by other animals.

This strategy is so successful that pear limpetscan reach densities as high as 2 600 individualsper square metre, forming a distinct ‘cochlearzone’ on rocky shores.

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Pear limpet (Scutellastra cochlear)

Long-spined limpet (Scutellastra longicosta)

well protected from the southeasterly sea breezesthat whip up white horses a little way offshore.There are parking spaces along the main roadand in a large car park a short walk away. Accessto the beach can be obtained via a subwaybeneath the railway line.

The beach is named after Dalebrook House,built nearby in 1872. The two sisters and theirfriend who lived here initially ran a cottagehospital, but it was later converted into aboarding house. In January 1918, guests wereforced to evacuate when sparks from the chimneyset the thatched roof alight, and the building wasgutted by fire. The tidal pool dates back to 1906,when local residents built a sea wall to create arudimentary pool, which was formalised andenlarged by the municipality in 1914.

The rocky shore at Dalebrook is a wave-cutplatform, also called a marine terrace, formed atthe base of sea cliffs as a result of erosion overthe centuries. This flat shelf of rock is submergedat high tide, but despite its harsh environment, ithas a rich community of intertidal life, and hasplayed an important part in rocky shore researchin South Africa (see box alongside). The area is amarine reserve, so removal of intertidal organismsis prohibited.

DANGER BEACH is a long, sandy beach thatis mainly used by local residents. The name alludesto the fact that swimming is not always safe here,because at times, there is a strong backwash andlarge ‘dumping’ waves. However, the reef breakfurther out is ridden by an intrepid group ofsurfers and bodyboarders. The beach is accessedfrom the St James tidal pool via a path acrossthe grassed area behind the point.

The beach was the site of a terrible tragedy in January 1874, when Mr John Nicholls – theco-founder of Standard Bank in Cape Town –took his three daughters to the beach to paddleat the water’s edge. All three girls were engulfed by a large wave, and swept out to sea, and two of them drowned. The devastated familyreturned to England after handsomely rewardingthe fishermen in the area who had gone to thegirls’ rescue.

Mr Nicholls and his three brothers subse-quently donated a baptismal font to the HolyTrinity Church in Kalk Bay, which is still used today.

During the whaling days of the early 1800s,whale carcasses were hauled up on DangerBeach, and secured with the aid of metal ringsembedded in the rocks while being carved upfor their blubber and oil.

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Enjoying the shallow watersof Dalebrook’s tidal pool

ST JAMES BEACH is famous for the colourfulcollection of bathing boxes alongside its tidalpool, which offers a safe swimming spot on thisrocky section of shoreline. The pool backs onto asandy beach, and is very popular with familygroups, so the area tends to get overcrowded onsummer weekends, particularly since it isrelatively sheltered from the southeaster. Thebeach is accessed via a subway beneath therailway line, and parking can usually be foundalong the main road or in one of the nearby carparks. A walkway along the sea wall provides fora pleasant seaside stroll to Muizenberg. Localsurfers can often be seen riding the reef breakhere, known as ‘Off the Wall in False Bay’ todifferentiate it from a surf site of the same nameat Mouille Point.

St James was originally considered part of KalkBay, but a Catholic church was built here for thegrowing community of Filipino fisherfolk, andnamed St James after the Apostle. In 1900, the

church was demolished so that a railway stationcould be built on the site, and a larger church wasbuilt on the other side of Main Road. The stationwas then known as St James, and increased thearea’s accessibility as a seaside destination. In1911, the old KhoiSan fish trap on the shore (seebox alongside) was turned into a tidal pool, andbefore long, it was surrounded by bathing boxes.The small huts were rented from the Council onan annual basis by the who’s who of Cape Townto provide a convenient changing room, storagefacility and shelter from the elements for a dayat the beach. By 1950, there were at least 80bathing boxes, but today, these have been reducedto 20, and serve mainly as a decorative feature,preserving the area’s heritage value.

St James was also the site of the country’s firstmarine biological station, built on the adjacentrocky point in 1902. It served as the home andresearch laboratory of Dr John Gilchrist, a biologistappointed by the government to investigate the

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The colourful huts on St James Beach

fishing potential of the Cape. The building wasopen to the public, and was known simply as theAquarium, as it contained a fascinating varietyof marine life housed in large glass tanks. TheAquarium was closed in 1936, and the buildingdemolished in 1954.

The stretch of coast between the tidal poolsat St James Beach and Kalk Bay is a sanctuary‘no take’ zone of the Table Mountain NationalPark marine protected area, where the removalor disturbance of marine life is prohibited.

BAILEY’S COTTAGE is predominantly afishing spot, although there is a small patch ofsandy beach squeezed between two rocky points.Anglers come here in the hope of catching kobor steenbras after a southeaster in summer, or agaljoen in winter. Swimming on this exposedstretch of coast is not advisable, but at low tideor in calm conditions, there may be some smallpools suitable for paddling.

The thatch cottage after which the area isnamed was owned by Sir Abe Bailey, a miningmagnate, politician and racehorse breeder, whowas born in Cradock in 1864, but divided histime between South Africa and England. The largehomestead Rust-en-Vrede – diagonally oppositethe cottage – was built for him by Sir HerbertBaker in 1905, and a few years later, he com-

missioned the construction of the cottage. SirBailey developed thrombosis in his later years,resulting in the amputation of both his legs, buthe still enjoyed going on fishing trips from KalkBay on his boat, secured to the railings in a specialchair. His love of the sea was reflected in hisinterest in marine research, and on two occasions,he donated funds for the development of the oldmarine biological station at St James. Sir Baileydied at Rust-en-Vrede in 1940, and is buried onthe hillside behind the homestead.

Sir Bailey was a great friend of Cecil JohnRhodes, who died in 1902 while staying at thesmall holiday cottage he had bought nearby in1899. Rhodes Cottage is now a museum, andforms part of Muizenberg’s Historical Mile, whichalso includes Het Posthuys, dating back to 1673.This is the oldest building on the False Bay coast,and served at various times as a lookout forenemy ships, and a policing post to prevent illegaltrading between local farmers and visiting vessels.

Opposite Bailey’s Cottage is the open-airmuseum marking the site of the MuizenbergBattlements. In the first week of August 1795,Dutch soldiers erected defensive fortificationshere in preparation for an attack from a Britishfleet that had arrived in Simon’s Bay some weeksearlier. On 7 August, the British troops marchedalong the coast, accompanied by four warships.Before the troops had reached the area, thewarships fired on the Dutch, forcing them toretreat. This so-called Battle of Muizenberg wasthe start of a military campaign that resulted inthe British taking possession of Cape Town on16 September 1795.

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ANCIENT FISH TRAPSThe tidal pool at St James was built on the site ofa stone fish trap – or ‘viswyver’ – constructedduring precolonial times by the KhoiSan, whoroamed the area. These ‘strandlopers’ built low,curved walls at suitable spots – typically on rockyplatforms with a wide intertidal zone but minimalwave action – by packing together rocks andstones collected from the surroundings. The wallswere low enough to be inundated at high tides,usually only at spring tide twice per month. Fishusing the tide’s reach to feed in the intertidalzone would then be trapped by the wall whenthe water receded through small gaps betweenthe rocks, allowing them to be easily speared.

St James walkway

Cape Flats Coast map

False Bay’s western and easternshores, which snake below therugged mountains of the CapePeninsula and Kogelberg, arerocky coastlines, interspersedwith small beaches, but the gentlycurving northern shore is acontinuous belt of sand, stretchingover 35 km. Facing the mouth of thebay and backing onto the Cape Flats – thelow-lying land once submerged beneath thesea – it has little protection from the windand waves, but offers its own rewards.

Cape Flats Coast

PAGE 109Cemetery Beach

MUIZENBERG was once South Africa’s premierseaside resort, where the rich and famous builttheir holiday homes. Then the area fell out offavour, and later developed a reputation as aseedy den of iniquity – although its beachesremained popular for their safe swimming andgood surfing. More recently, Muizenberg has beentargeted for urban renewal, and the decrepitbuildings along the beachfront at Surfer’sCorner have been rejuvenated. Now, the maincar park here is lined with surf shops, internetcafes and trendy eateries, and the area isbecoming fashionable once more.

Surfer’s Corner is considered the birthplace ofsurfing in South Africa – legend has it that a

visiting Australian showed the locals how it wasdone in around 1910. Before long, collisions withbathers necessitated a separate area being demar-cated for surfers, and what was formerly knownas Neptune’s Corner naturally became Surfer’sCorner. It is still the place to learn to surf, andthere are a number of surf schools catering forboth young ‘grommets’ and late starters. Theshark-spotting initiative, begun here in October2004 by a local surfing personality, has sincebeen expanded to other beaches by the City ofCape Town.

Next to Surfer’s Corner, there is another smallbeach along the edge of the bay, aptly calledRocky Beach. It largely disappears at high tide,but at low tide, its rock pools make a goodpaddling spot for toddlers. Rock-and-surf anglerssometimes fish here and at nearby Bailey’sCottage. The walkway to St James Beach startsfrom the car park, and offers a chance of spottingblack oystercatchers foraging for food on therocky shore at low tide. Overlooking the beach isthe teak clocktower of the imposing red-brick

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Muizenberg in False Bay

railway stationhouse, built in 1913, which marksthe start of Muizenberg’s Historical Mile alongMain Road. It was the extension of the railwayline from Wynberg in 1822 that stimulated thearea’s development as a seaside resort.

On the other side of Surfer’s Corner isMuizenberg Beach, the main swimming beach,which is also known as West Beach as it lies tothe west of the Zandvlei outlet. A colourful rowof bathing boxes serves mainly as a picturesquetribute to the area’s historical heyday, but alsoprovides an effective windbreak. Behind the beachis the Muizenberg Pavilion, dominated by a red-and-white candy-striped building. It too harks

back to an earlier time – the original pavilion wasa wooden one built in 1910, but this was replacedin 1929 by a larger pavilion that included a theatreseating 900 people. That was demolished in the1960s, and many hope that the current one willface the same fate as part of the area’s transfor-mation. At present the building houses an infor-mation centre run by Cape Town Tourism, and afunctions hall used for conferences, concerts andweddings. The Pavilion complex includes a recre-ational park with a paddling pool, putt-putt(mini-golf) course and waterslide, as well as anelevated promenade, which doubles as a bridgeover the Zandvlei outlet.

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Muizenberg’s colourful huts

Surfers Corner

Zandvlei is not only an important wetlandhabitat supporting rich indigenous fish and birdlife, but also a popular recreational water bodyfor dinghy sailing, canoeing and windsurfing.The outlet is periodically breached by bulldozersto manipulate water levels and salinity concen-trations in the vlei and canals of Marina Da Gama,a housing development on the eastern shore. In2006, a small bird sanctuary on the northernshore was expanded to include the water bodyand surrounding wetland habitat, and givenformal conservation status as the 200 hectareZandvlei Estuary Nature Reserve.

There are car parks on either side of the Zand-vlei outlet, the eastern one serving East Beach.

Three main access paths lead through thevegetated dunes to the beach, but there are noother facilities. East Beach gives way to SunriseBeach, reached by road from Sunrise Circle. OnSundays, its large parking areas are stretched tocapacity due to the flea market here. This is the‘home beach’ of the False Bay Lifesaving Club,which provides volunteer lifesaving services inpeak periods, and a good training ground foryoung ‘nippers’. It also is a favourite spot forkitesurfers taking advantage of the strong south-easters on this exposed stretch of coast.

However, southeasters often bring the ‘blues’in the form of floating bluebottles (Physalia) andby-the-wind-sailors (Velella), and the sea swallows(Glaucus) and bubble raft shells (Janthina) thatfeed on them. Their blue coloration helps camou-flage them from predators while they float at thesea surface, at the mercy of winds and currents.Once stranded on the shore, they are a welcomefood source for plough shells (Bullia), whichemerge from the sand, and use their large footto surf up the beach, before ploughing along thesurface in search of carrion. Bluebottles can inflict

Zandvlei Estuary Nature Reserve

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Sunrise Beach

a painful sting, which should be treated withvinegar and ice once any fragments of tentaclehave been removed and the area washed withsea water. Rinsing with fresh water or rubbingsand on the skin should be avoided, as this willcause the remaining stinging cells to discharge.

Muizenberg was named after Sergeant WynandMuijs, the commander of the military post estab-lished in 1743 at Het Posthuys, which can stillbe seen on Main Road.

ZONWABE AND CEMETERY BEACHmake up the long, sandy strip next to BadenPowell Drive (R310). The surf is sometimes toorough for safe swimming, but the beaches arefairly popular for long walks or just relaxing onthe sand, breathing in the sea air, and enjoyingthe wide-open spaces of False Bay. Anglers fishfrom these beaches for kob, shad, white steenbrasand white stumpnose. Unfortunately, the closeproximity to the road offers an easy escaperoute for criminals; there have been reports ofanglers being robbed of their valuables here.

The road runs straight through the beaches’

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Anglers can often be spotted fishing off Cemetery Beach

dune system along this stretch, so it is frequentlyinundated with windblown sand. The CemeteryBeach car park – a cement surface being swampedby a sea of sand – is also inappropriately sited,as it lies right in the middle of the littoral activezone, the area in which sand exchange occursbetween the surf zone, beach and dunes.

Much of the coastal strip here forms part of theFalse Bay Ecology Park. The park covers 1 200hectares, and includes the Rondevlei and Zeekoe-vlei Nature Reserves, the Cape Flats (Strand-fontein) Wastewater Treatment Works and theCoastal Park landfill site (see box alongside formore about brown water patches, which are likelydue to the presence of the wastewater treatmentworks). While Rondevlei and the Strandfonteinpans are regularly visited by birdwatchers hopingto spot some of the 200-plus species recordedhere, Zeekoevlei is one of the main rowing andsailing centres in Cape Town. Environmental edu-cation programmes are run in the park, exposingschool groups to ‘green’ issues, such as bio-diversity conservation, as well as ‘brown’ issues,like pollution.

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BROWN WATER PATCHES IN FALSE BAYPatches of brown water in the surf zone betweenMuizenberg and Strand are caused by denseaccumulations of single-celled algae, or diatoms.The organism responsible is Anaulis australis,which occurs in many bays along South Africa’ssouth coast. Studies at Sundays River beach inAlgoa Bay have shown that the accumulations aredependent on nitrogen-rich groundwater seepinginto the surf zone from the Alexandria dunefield, anatural system with no pollution sources. Theformation and duration of brown water patches islinked to turbulence events affected by weatherconditions and bay hydrography.

The brown water patches in False Bay, however,have a greater intensity than elsewhere on thecoast, and this is likely due to higher nutrientlevels in the surf zone. The coastal strip betweenMuizenberg and Strandfontein receives nitrogen-enriched water from groundwater emanating fromthe Cape Flats Wastewater Treatment Works aswell as the outlets of Zandvlei and Zeekoevlei,both of which are affected by polluted stormwaterand river discharges.

The diatom accumulations not only play auseful role as a biological sponge, helping toabsorb excess nutrients, but also provide animportant food source for fish and filter-feedinginvertebrates in the surf zone.

Bird watching at Rondevlei Nature Reserve

STRANDFONTEIN is a large day resort withan enormous tidal pool backed by a pavilion andflanked by sandy beaches. It has braai sites aswell as grassed terraces that make good picnicareas. Lifeguards are on duty during peak periods,and the National Sea Rescue Institute’s (NSRI)Station 16 is based here. The resort is verypopular with anglers, who come from far andwide in the hope of hooking fish such as whitesteenbras and galjoen, but it is mostly visited byresidents of the nearby suburbs. During theapartheid era, the resort was zoned for exclusiveuse by coloureds, and they still make up the mainuser group due to the historical delineation ofresidential areas on racial grounds.

Seal Island – a large rock that is home to some60 000 seals – lies directly offshore, about 51/2 kmaway. This is a prime feeding area for white sharksbetween April and September, when seal pupsspend time in the waters around the islandbefore dispersing once they are weaned. It is herethat unusual shark breaching behaviour can beobserved, as the predators surge up from deepwater to attack the seals from below, moving

with such power that they fly through the air.Licensed operators offer shark-viewing and cage-diving trips to Seal Island, departing from theharbours at Simon’s Town and Gordon’s Bay.

A tarred road links Strandfontein with Mnandito the east, and is sometimes used by cyclists,runners and driving instruction schools. Sadly, it isevidently also used for illegal dumping and off-road driving in the dunes, which are both damagingthis sensitive ecosystem. There are a couple ofaccess roads along this stretch down to beach-front car parks, but they are secluded, so oneneeds to be aware of personal safety.

Further along is the resort of Blue Waters,which has camping and caravan sites, as well aschalet accommodation. There are picnic and braaispots behind the dunes, and a pavilion area onthe beachfront. The Alpha Surf Lifesaving Clubhas its premises here.

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Strandfontein’s tidal pool forms part of the day resort

MNANDI is a day resort with excellent facilities,including a large freshwater pool with water-slides, landscaped lawns with playgroundapparatuses, picnic tables and braai sites, aswell as long, sandy beaches that are good forwalking and fishing. During peak periods insummer, lifesavers keep watch over a stretch ofbeach that is safe for swimming. This beach alsooffers scenic views of the Wolfgat NatureReserve’s limestone cliffs.

Mnandi was reserved for blacks during theapartheid era. Its name can be translated as‘lovely, just right’. A little way offshore is a rockyoutcrop known as Kapteinsklip, which means‘captain’s stone’.

The resort was granted Blue Flag pilot statusfor the 2003 summer season, and awarded fullstatus a year later. It has maintained Blue Flagstatus ever since.

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WOLFGAT NATURE RESERVE is a localauthority reserve that was proclaimed in 1986. Itis important for biodiversity conservation, becauseit is the largest reserve on the Cape Flats protec-ting strandveld vegetation, or dune thicket, andalso contains dune fynbos.

The reserve had become heavily invaded byalien invasive vegetation – primarily Rooikrans(Acacia cyclops) – but a clearing programme isnow under way. In winter, blooming arum liliesput on a spectacular show for motoriststravelling along Baden Powell Drive.

The reserve is also special from a geologicalpoint of view, owing to the limestone cliffs andcalcrete dunes along the coastal strip.

Wolfgat was in fact named after the fossil denof a brown hyaena (‘strandwolf’) found in thesecliffs in 1962. The den dated back about 45 000years, but brown hyaenas were found in CapeTown as recently as the 1840s. Shell middenshave also been found in the dunes, indicating

that KhoiSan ‘strandlopers’ once harvestedshellfish here.

Today, the cliffs are home to a breeding colonyof kelp gulls, which can often be seen soaringoverhead. They are also used as a launch site forparagliding when there is enough of an updraftto stay aloft for long periods. Being elevated, thecliffs provide a suitable vantage point for whale-watching between July and November, while thebeaches below are good for angling.

There are a few gravel parking areas along-side Baden Powell Drive, but car break-ins havebeen reported here, and one should be aware ofpersonal security. Furthermore, trampling canincrease erosion of the dune system, and destroyits sensitive vegetation, so it is better to stay onpaths leading from the two tarred car parks, oneof which is at the end of Swartklip Road.

Environmental education programmes withinthe reserve are available for school groups byprior arrangement.

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The limestone cliffs at Wolfgat Nature Reserve

MONWABISI is a coastal resort that mainlycaters for the residents of nearby Khayelitsha. Itwas built in the late 1980s, and reserved for blacksaccording to the policies of the apartheid era. Itsname means ‘bringing joy’.

During summer, it is often packed with peopleenjoying its facilities, but in winter, it is generallyonly used by anglers. This is an exposed stretch ofcoast, where windblown sand creates a constantmaintenance problem, but the limestone cliffsalong the seafront provide some protection from

the wind. The many picnic and braai sites are setout on terraced lawns in the bowl behind thecliffs, while the enormous tidal pool lies in thelee of a headland jutting out into the sea. Thereare also paddling pools and a pavilion, withkiosks and ablution facilities.

Unfortunately, the beach here is dangerous forswimming, partly because a breakwater that wasconstructed during the 1990s – to solve the prob-lem of powerful waves and backwash in the tidalpool – has affected the currents moving along

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The breakwater creates rock pools which are fun to explore

The pavilion at Monwabisi

the shore. So although the breakwater createdwhat seems like a well-sheltered beach, strongrip currents often pull bathers out to sea, andincidents of drowning have been all too frequent.

Next to the day resort, there is an accommo-dation park with camping sites and chalets, aswell as a freshwater swimming pool.

MACASSAR BEACH is a long stretch of sandextending more than 6 km along the foot of theMacassar dunes – Cape Town’s highest and mostextensive dune system. The beach resort here isaccessed from Macassar Road, and includes anumber of car parks as well as a camping area.There is also a pavilion, but it is in a state ofdisrepair, and may need to be demolished. Builttoo close to the beach, it is being covered bywindblown sand, and has also been vandalised.

This is a very exposed stretch of coastline withpowerful waves and currents, so swimming canbe dangerous, although lifesavers from the localclub keep watch during peak periods. Kitesurfersoften come here to take advantage of the strongwinds, but the most regular visitors are anglerstargeting fish such as elf, galjoen, white steenbras,kob and blacktail. There is a licensed trek-nettingoperation too.

The Macassar dunes are considered a bio-diversity hotspot, because their cloak of species-rich strandveld vegetation – also known as dune

thicket – is threatened by a variety of factors. Thedunes are being mined for sand, and damagedthrough illegal use of off-road vehicles, such as4x4s, quad bikes and scramblers. In addition, localcommunities use the area for cattle grazing,hunting, collecting firewood, and harvestingmedicinal plants, and with the expansion ofinformal settlements to the edge of Baden PowellDrive, the dune system is likely to come underincreasing pressure.

A dune management plan has been developedto cater for a range of alternative land uses –some of which may only be implemented aftermining licences expire – while environmentaleducation programmes are conducted by staff ofthe Macassar Dunes Nature Reserve.

Macassar is named after the Indonesian port,which was home to Sheik Yusuf before he wasexiled by the Dutch for opposing the monopo-listic trading of the Dutch East India Company.He was first sent to Ceylon (Sri Lanka), and thenin 1694 to the Cape, where he and his followerssettled on the farm Zandvliet, near the mouth ofthe Eerste River. Sheik Yusuf preached the messageof Islam to the escaped slaves he sheltered, andthe settlement grew to become the Cape’s firstMuslim community. Sheik Yusuf died here in 1699,and his kramat (shrine) is now a place of pilgrim-age, forming part of the ‘holy circle’ of tombsaround Cape Town.

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The Macassar dunesflank the beach

Kogelberg Coast map

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Beaches at Strand and Gordon’s Bay – in False Bay’s northeastern nook– offer safe swimming in warm,welcoming waters, but beyondthis, rocky cliffs plunge into deepwater, and the rugged shore isoften battered by rough seas. Thisstretch of coast is famous for its finefishing, but anglers should heed the oldaxiom: ‘Never turn your back on the sea’.

Kogelberg Coast

Kogel Bay

STRAND is so synonymous with its long stretchof beach that its name is the Afrikaans term forbeach. Its coastline is made up of two bays –Melkbaai and Mostertsbaai – and is closelyfollowed for over 3 km by Beach Road, which isbacked by high-rise apartment blocks, restaurantsand shops.

Melkbaai is best for swimming and walking,as it has a long, sandy beach. The shore’s slopeis very slight here, so the water is shallow for along way out, making it safe for children. Life-savers from the local club keep watch overdemarcated areas during peak periods. The beachis also a launch site for Hobie Cat sailors, surfskipaddlers and kitesurfers, while the main spot forsurfers – called Pipe – is at the western end,near the mouth of the Lourens River.

Mostertsbaai has a rocky shoreline, withinteresting pools and gullies to explore, and isconsidered the fishing and dog-walking beach.

Behind the dunes at Melkbaai there is a recre-ational area called Dune Park, which includeslandscaped lawns, waterslides and a putt-putt(mini-golf) course. At the eastern end there is alarge tidal pool, while the nearby Strand Pavilion– at the intersection of Beach and Main Roads –

has an Olympic-sized, heated, indoor freshwaterpool. The Pavilion also has a timeshare resortwith luxury apartments, and a mall with a varietyof restaurants and shops. A flea market is heldoutside the Pavilion on weekends.

The original Pavilion, built in 1914, was awooden structure that stood on stilts over the sea.It burnt down in the 1920s, and was replaced bya larger building that included a cinema andentertainment hall. The current Pavilion openedin the early 1990s, but the old jetty in front of it– built in 1934 as a berth for fishing boats – hashad to be closed, as it is structurally unsound.

Today, fishing boats launch from the slipwayadjacent to the jetty, and head out to sea throughDie Poort – a safe passage through the rockyshelf. The area extending 500 m offshore betweenthe mouth of the Lourens River, and the easternbreakwater of the Gordon’s Bay harbour isreserved for shore angling, which is very popularat fishing spots such as Poort Rock and Blake’sBeach. The area is also good for saltwater fly-fishing, targeting elf (shad) and leervis (garrick).No fishing of any kind is allowed within 500 mof the high-water mark between the mouth ofthe Lourens and Eerste rivers – in front of the

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Swimming at Melkbaai

former AECI (African Explosives and ChemicalIndustries) site and Denel – as this has now beenproclaimed the Helderberg Marine ProtectedArea. This stretch of coast has been off limits tothe general public for decades due to securitymeasures, and thanks to the absence of humandisturbance, it has become an important roostfor migrating terns. Up to 20 000 common andsandwich terns arrive from Finland, Estonia andother Balkan countries in December each year,and stay for about four months.

The land between the Eerste and Lourens riverswas originally granted to De Beers – then ownedby Cecil John Rhodes – in 1900 to build a dyna-mite factory to supply the Rand and Kimberleymines. The operation was later enlarged to makechemicals and fertilisers. Two hundred yearsearlier, Willem Adriaan van der Stel, who hadsucceeded his father as Governor of the Cape,built his home, Vergelegen, in 1700 in the areathat later became Somerset West. He reservedthe Lourens River mouth for fishing for himself,and allocated his brother Frans the coastal stripbetween the Lourens and Eerste rivers. This typeof abuse of power led to his dismissal in 1706,after which the Vergelegen land was divided up,

and the fishing rights were returned to the public.A community of coloured and Malay fisherssettled in Mostertsbaai, but it was only in the1830s that the area started becoming popular asa seaside destination. In the late 1840s, Land-drost van Ryneveld of Stellenbosch built a holidayhome here, and the small village was then calledVan Ryneveldsdorp. Later, it was renamed Somer-set West Strand, but over time became knownsimply as Strand.

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The Strand’s main surf spot, Pipe

HARMONY PARK was built for exclusive useby the coloured community during the apartheidera. The day resort has an enormous tidal pool,which includes waterfalls, islands, blow holes andartificial rock pools and bays, as well as its ownbeach. A long jetty extends over the pool, andjuts out above the sea. The design caters forvarious swimming and paddling areas, and oneither side of the pool there is a strip of sandybeach above the rocky shoreline. This stretch ofcoast is popular for fishing and for exploring theintertidal life of the rock pools at low tide.

The large pavilion here is in a state of disrepair,and is in need of renovation. It is surrounded byexpansive lawns, dotted with picnic sites. Nextto the day resort is a caravan and camping parkthat gets very busy during the peak summerholiday season.

HARBOUR ISLAND is an exclusive develop-ment surrounding a small boat harbour andprivate beach. There is a security village of up-market houses and apartment complexes, aswell as the luxury Villa Via Hotel. The hotel andadjacent waterfront area has a variety of restaurants, which are open to the public. Sleekyachts and motor launches are moored in themarina, and there is a slipway for launchingboats. The Gordon’s Bay Boat Angling Club hasits premises here.

HENDON PARK is a municipal coastal resortwith chalet accommodation, as well as a campingand caravan park. Alongside the entrance is arecreation park with a waterslide, go-kart trackand putt-putt (mini-golf) course. Much of theshoreline here is rocky, but the stretch in front ofthe camping area is a long, sandy beach thatmerges with Main Beach, Gordon’s Bay.

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A tidal pool forms part of Harmony Park’s day resort

Wooden jetty over the tidal pool

GORDON’S BAY – tucked into the northeastcorner of False Bay, and marked by an anchor andthe letters G and B on the mountainside abovethe bay (see box alongside) – has a bit of every-thing for beachgoers. Main Beach is a long,sandy stretch, giving way to calm, shallow waters,which are gently warmed by the sun. Wave actionis reduced by the rocky reef offshore, so the seahere offers safe swimming for children. There arelarge beachfront car parks with pay meters,grassy lawns for sand-free picnics, and a fewcafés, restaurants and shops along Beach Road.

A paved pathway starts from the corner of thebeach, and meanders along the edge of the bay,passing through a stand of milkwood trees, wherepicnic tables offer a shady lunch spot. This stretchof coastline has a sandy strip of beach above arocky shoreline, with rock pools for paddling,and a few small coves and gullies for swimming.It is known as Sunset Beach for its spectacularviews of the sun setting over the mountains ofthe Cape Peninsula across False Bay.

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THE ANCHOR ON THE MOUNTAINSIDEHigh on the mountainside above Gordon’s Bay,whitewashed rocks have been laid out to createan enormous anchor, flanked by the letters G andB. Most visitors assume that the letters stand forGordon’s Bay, but they are in fact the initials forGeneral Botha!

The emblem was constructed by senior cadetsof the SA Nautical College General Botha inNovember 1949. The previous year, this trainingfacility had moved into premises in the harbourprecinct that had been occupied during World WarII by the South African Air Force Air-Sea RescueBase – also known as the Crash Boat Station.

The facility had been established in 1922, whenthe philanthropist TB Davis donated a trainingship for seafarers to the South AfricanGovernment. The ship was named after GeneralLouis Botha – first Prime Minister of the Union ofSouth Africa – who had died in 1919. The shipwas moored in Simon’s Bay until 1942, afterwhich the training facility moved to a land-basedsite at Red Hill, until relocating to Gordon’s Bay in1948. In 1966, the ‘Bothie’ moved to GrangerBay, and became the South African Merchant NavyAcademy General Botha.

The Gordon’s Bay facility became the SA NavalCollege, which is still used today for the trainingof naval officers.

Gordon’s Bay with Bikini Beach in the foreground

Bikini Beach on the other side of the harbouris rated one of Cape Town’s top beaches due toits excellent facilities, cleanliness and safetystandards. It is sheltered from the wind, and isespecially popular among trendy teenagers andStellenbosch students for sunbathing, swimmingand socialising. The beach slope is steeper here,dropping off quickly into deep water, so thewaves are larger and more powerful, sometimesbreaking as ‘dumpers’ on the shore. Surfers ridethe left-hand break off the harbour wall, endingup at the beach.

The wedge of white sand at Bikini Beach hasdeveloped over the decades since the completionof the harbour in 1939. This used to be a rockyshoreline, but the harbour breakwater has alteredthe transport of sediment by alongshore currents,

resulting in sand deposition here. The harbour isoften referred to as the ‘Old Harbour’ since thedevelopment of the Harbour Island marina.Originally built for fishing boats, it now hasmoorings for yachts and motor launches, and isthe departure point for deep-sea fishing charters,scenic cruises and shark-viewing trips to SealIsland. Anglers can often be seen fishing fromthe harbour walls.

Beyond the harbour, the road veers uphill tojoin Faure Marine Drive (R44), which becomesClarence Drive – a wonderful scenic route aroundthe Kogelberg coast to Rooi Els and beyond. Thereare a number of places to pull over and admirethe view as the road traces the edge of the bay,and whales are often seen close inshore duringthe southern right season. Anglers also park hereto access the fishing spots along this stretch,where rocky outcrops and ledges protrude overdeep water. In calm conditions, the bay is popularfor seakayaking, waterskiing, spear-fishing andscuba diving.

Gordon’s Bay is named after Colonel RobertJacob Gordon, the explorer, naturalist and militaryofficer who from 1780 to 1795 served as Com-mander of the Dutch East India Company’sgarrison at the Cape, even though he was of

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Bikini Beach at sunset

Harbour Island marina

Scottish descent. After capitulating to Britishforces following the Battle of Muizenberg inSeptember 1795, he was accused of being atraitor, and committed suicide in despair.

The area was originally called Vischers Baaijby the Dutch East India Company, which estab-lished a fishing station here in 1672. A whalingstation operated for a short period in about 1830,and soon afterwards, the embryonic village

started gaining popularity as a seaside resort. By1900, it had become the favourite destinationfor honeymooning Capetonians. Today, it is anattractive option for local and foreign touristswanting to stay outside the city centre, whilebeing close to the wine farms, golf estates andhistorical sites of Stellenbosch and Somerset West.

STEENBRAS RIVER MOUTH is about 7 kmalong Clarence Drive from Gordon’s Bay, just afterthe Sunbird Guest Lodge. Coming from eitherdirection, there are parking areas about 150 mbefore the bridge over the river, but access tothe gorge is on the Rooi Els side, where there isan entrance gate. This marks the start of a popularhiking trail up the gorge to some large rock poolsknown as Crystal Pools. A permit must be pur-chased at the gate, and a maximum of 45 peopleare allowed in the gorge at any time. Groups canprebook by contacting the Kogelberg BiosphereReserve, but must do so at least a week inadvance, and arrive at the gate by 09:00, ortheir place will be forfeited. Large groups, suchas school or club outings, will be accompaniedby a ranger.

Permits can no longer be purchased at SunbirdGuest Lodge or the Helderberg Municipal Offices,and accessing the river by other means – such as

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KOGELBERG BIOSPHERE RESERVEThe Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve is South Africa’sfirst biosphere reserve with official status, havingbeen registered under UNESCO's Man and theBiosphere Programme in December 1998. World-wide – in more than 100 countries – there are atleast 530 biosphere reserves, each of them zonedinto core areas, buffer areas and transition areas tomeet the dual objectives of conservation andsustainable development.

The Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve covers about100 000 hectares, encompassing the entire coastalarea from Gordon's Bay to the Bot River vlei, andinland to Grabouw and the Groenlandberg. The 18 000 hectare reserve – a provincial nature reservemanaged by CapeNature – makes up the core area.

Surfers at Bikini Beach

This reserve is often considered the heart of theCape Floral Kingdom because of its rich fynbosvegetation. It is home to at least 1 600 differentplant species, including the endangered marsh rose,Orothamnus zeyheri, once on the verge ofextinction. Patches of relic indigenous forest containyellowwood, stinkwood and boekenhout trees, whilethe riparian vegetation along the Palmiet Riverincludes wild almond, rooi-els, yellowwood andCape beech trees.

The reserve’s buffer areas include private andmunicipal nature reserves, the Harold PorterBotanical Garden, the Palmiet River estuary, sectionsof the coast, and the marine area. Plantations,farms, local towns and industrial developmentsmake up the transition zone.

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Kogel Bay forms part of the Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve

Rich fynbos vegetation carpets the mountains surrounding Kogel Bay

climbing down from the bridge – is prohibited.Hikers should wear sturdy walking shoes, andkeep food out of sight of baboons, which canbecome aggressive. More information can beobtained from the Helderberg Nature Reserve.

Anglers sometimes fish along the coastlinenear the river mouth, but the sea here is toorough and exposed for swimming.

KOGEL BAY – also known as Koeëlbaai(cannon bay) – is named for the large, roundboulders that line its shore in places. These notonly resemble cannonballs, but the sound theymake as they roll over in the waves apparentlyreminded early mariners of cannonballs clunkingtogether on a ship’s deck.

Travelling along Clarence Drive from Gordon’sBay offers a breathtaking view of the bay and itsmountainous backdrop, often draped in cloud. Along, sandy beach fringes the north shore, attimes obscured by a haze of seaspray thrown up

by strong winds and pounding waves. Behindthe beach is the main Kogel Bay Resort – acamping and caravan park, with well-kept lawnsand shady trees. The beach is dangerous forswimming due to rip currents, but lifeguardsequipped with a rescue rubberduck and jetskiare on duty during peak periods.

This resort is not open to day visitors, but abit further along the road there are two braaiareas, for which a permit must be obtained byprior arrangement. Klippies Bay has a boulder-strewn shoreline, but there are rock pools and asmall cove suitable for a quick dip in theshallows. Spark’s Bay has a large tidal pool,although it is invariably infested with seaurchins. Anglers and spear fishermen sometimesuse these resorts to access the coastline, whilesurfers congregate at spots such as Paranoiaand Caves. Caves is close to Dappat se Gat,which is reached by a pathway from the car parkhalfway up the slope on the Gordon’s Bay side.

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The Kogel Bay Resort is reached by Clarence Drive

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This publication was prepared by the City of Cape Town Environmental ResourceManagement Department in collaboration with the Tourism, Sport and Recreation, andCommunication Departments, as well as other City line functions, consultants and partners.

The City of Cape Town acknowledges the contributions of these various organisations andindividuals, and recognises the contributions from City staff members.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

For more information, or to download a summary of the City of Cape Town Coastal Zone Management Review and State of the

Coast Report, please visit www.capetown.gov.za/environment

PROJECT MANAGERAND EDITORShona Young

DESIGNRunette LouwJenny Young

TEXTSue Matthews

ILLUSTRATIONSCape ArchivesDEAT: MCMIzak VollgraaffMapStudioMargo BranchMarianne LiebenbergNational LibraryTobie Beele Tony van Dalsen

PHOTOGRAPHYAnton PauwBright Brown DesignBruce Sutherland Carl Fourie Charles GriffithsCity of Cape Town staffDEAT: MCM George Branch Michael Scholl