Tag Archives: beach

2014’s Moonstruck at Clifton 4th Beach

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Moonstruck at Clifton 4th Beach
Each year around Valentine's Day one of our local radio stations, CapeTalk, hosts a huge beach party on Clifton 4th Beach, in aid of our much-loved National Sea Rescue Institute.

A stage gets erected, a band is appointed, and people flock to the beach with picnic baskets, bikinis, boardshorts and boomerangs (only kidding, Cape Town isn't in Australia). This year CapeTalk, and Discovery (this year's sponsor), invited The Solid Gold Session band to let their mix of 60s, 70s, and 80s hits spill out over the families and friends gathered on the beach.

I couldn't make it before 9pm, and really only arrived once the official party had stopped - but, just in time to see the full moon start to peak over Lion's Head. See the photos below. Isn't it pretty? Don't you wish you'd been there? :)

Clifton by candlelight

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Clifton by candlelight
During our warm summer months people come out to Clifton 4th beach to enjoy the golden sunsets, fine white sand, and windless conditions. Soon after dark the beach comes alight with the orange-yellow glow of candles, creating this, the perfect close to a hot summer day.

The temperature tends to fall reasonably quickly as the sun sets and the cool ocean air moves in over the beach, and it's the strangest feeling to leave the beach and the refreshing 19°C air and walk up the many steps to the parking areas to be met with the preceding day's oven-hot air.

If you are visiting Cape Town at this time of the year - pack a picnic dinner, add a few candles, grab a sweater, and head on down to Clifton 4th beach at about 18h30. Feel free to thank me later. ;)

Bikinis, beaches, and books

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Bikinis, beaches, and books
Clifton 4th, where I took this photo, is one of the most idyllic beaches on our coast. I say "one of the", but that's only to be nice to other beaches. :)

The thing that Kerry-Anne likes most about the beach isn't the sand, or sea water - hell no, she actually doesn't enjoy those much at all. But, hand her a book and an iPad together with a couple of G and Ts, and she can sit on the beach for hours.

We're both working next week, but I'm going to make a plan to leave work a little early (perhaps on Tuesday), pack in a drink or two, our iPads, and head over to one of Clifton's 4 beaches, or perhaps even Camps Bay if the wind isn't blowing. It's gonna be awesome!

Hermanus beach

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Hermanus beach
He started digging a little while after we arrived. By the time we started getting ready to leave, all we saw were spikes of orange hair sticking out from below. As we were walking away, back to our car, I think I heard him yell down to someone in Chinese. It was a strange day at Hermanus.

Summer beach days

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Summer beach days
Today is, in fact, my birthday - and as those who know me may suspect, we started the day off overlooking Camps Bay beach from Cafe Caprice, where we had breakfast.

While sitting at Caprice I commented to a friend that the bank of mist hovering over the ocean, just off the beach front, reminded me of San Francisco. I remember setting out on a warm and sunny day to take a trip from Santa Cruz up to Half Moon Bay (both towns are a few miles south of San Francisco on the North American west coast).

The weather along that entire coast line was exactly the same as the weather that we had at Camps Bay today - it was hot and sunny 100 meters away from the coast line, but misty with a cold sea breeze on the beach itself.

Camps Bay beach silhouettes

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Camps Bay beach silhouettes
One of my favourite things to do on hot a summer evening is to sit at Camps Bay beach and take photos of people silhouetted against the setting sun. It's a beautiful time of day - and these views, the tranquility they bring, is something that we should take time to appreciate more often.

Lazy afternoon beach days

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Lazy afternoon beach days
Like seriously, don't even think about spending the afternoon on our beaches without an umbrella, or some other shade-making device. This is African sun baby.

Many years ago, before people were aware of the danger of sun exposure, my dad used to spend many hours in the sun, sans sunblock - of course. He's in his 70s now and has to regularly visit his dermatologist regularly to have patches of skin cancer removed. Given the lesson I've learned from him, and all the attention the media has given to the relationship between sun exposure and skin cancer, I'm super cautious with the sun and find it surprising that so many people don't take it seriously.

Sure, my dad won't die from skin cancer, but it has to be darn annoying to have to get those patches treated every few months. Rather cover up, use sun block, don't tan too much, and save yourself a tremendous amount of discomfort later in life.

*This photo was taken on the blue flag Camps Bay beach.

Volleyball on the beach

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Volleyball on the beach
I think I probably suck at volleyball, but still (and even if you do also), don't you think this would be a hell of a lot of fun?

For interest sake, and not that I have any affiliation with them, the Virgin Active health club in Green Point has outdoor beach volleyball courts. Not that the courts are on the beach - they've filled huge sandpits with beach sand and voilà, miracled up an awesome addition to their facilities.

Hookah on the beach

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Hookah on the beach
I spotted this group while walking along the beach, and happened to comment to a friend "hey, that'll make a cool photo".

I don't normally walk up to strangers and ask to take their photo - which is silly I guess - but this time the friend I was with managed to convince me that they, in fact, wouldn't bite my head off.

And, well, much to my surprise, they were fairly happy to have me take the photo. :)

Run doggie, run!

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Run doggie, run!
The guy in the photo had two dachshund's with him on the beach. He'd trow the tennis ball and they'd charge after it like bats out of hell, ears flapping all the way. I don't really enjoy small yapping dogs - but these, they were pretty cute. :)

See them run

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See them run
While taking the photo included in my previous post I heard shrieking sounds, and out of the corner of my eye noticed a group of people running from the beach. It wasn't a tsunami. I checked. :)

People bathing in the sun, enjoying the picnic lunches they'd packed in, had to grab their belongings as quickly as they could and make a dash for higher ground. Fortunately the patch of sand on which I stood was slightly elevated, like a little island - so my feet, and sneakers, managed to stay dry.

Yes, it is true, I was walking on the beach in sneakers. :P

Winter beach weather

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Winter beach weather
The bikini and boardshorts probably gives you a good idea of the type of winter weather we've been having. Don't let anyone tell you that Cape Town's winter weather is always awful. ;)

I could sure get used to warm sunny beach days alternating with cool rainy winter weather.

A long conversation

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A long conversation
While out taking photos on the beach I was aware of this young woman having an extremely long and serious-seeming conversation on her phone. She ambled around, away from everyone else, poking at beach artifacts with her feet, and pausing for long periods of silence. I have no idea what they were talking about, but from her demeanor it seemed a lot like a break-up call. I wanted to walk over and give her a hug - but that would have been awkward, and weird. :)

Surfers and clingy wetsuits

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Surfers and clingy wetsuits
I haven't tried my wetsuit on for about a year, but the last memory that I have of it is struggling like an angry crab trying to shed a particularly clingy exoskeleton.

I'm not sure if it's that the suit shrunk and is thus now tighter than it was before (I mean, it's impossible that I've grown), or if wetsuits are generally meant to be really difficult to exit from. Don't you just hate that?

Beaches, models, and photographers

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Beaches, models, and photographers
Clifton's beach is one of the favoured spots for pro, and amateur, photoshoots. I enjoyed a light picnic while watching my favourite series (on my iPad) and keeping an eye on the tail-end of this evening shoot. Several photographers, models, makeup artists, and other assistants were congregated on this section of 4th beach, racing against the setting sun for a few more awesome twilight shots.

This was a great way to spend the evening. :)