Tag Archives: sea

SUP Three Anchor Bay?

 SUP Three Anchor Bay?
Take a close look at the photo. You see them, right?

Stand Up Paddling, or SUP for short, has become really popular in Cape Town. We often have calm, flat seas in summer- the kind of conditions perfect for standing on a board and paddling about.

Imagine the tranquility of standing out in the quiet ocean, too far from shore to be disturbed by the crowds, watching the sun set and the coastline turn dark while the ocean water laps at your board.

I live a little too far from the ocean to take up ocean sports, but I think I'll make it a mission to vacation at the coast and hire a paddle board. Soon. :)

Garage with a view

Garage with a view
You have to admit, that's a pretty sweet view for a parking garage to have. I'd so love to live in one of these Clifton apartments - even if only for a couple of months. Hell, even if only for a couple of days! :)

Lazy afternoon beach days

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.

Enchanting clouds

Enchanting clouds
There was no wind and the air was warm - it had been a perfect beach day - and it was hard to imagine that it was freezing cold up on Table Mountain and the Twelve Apostles mountain range.

If you visit Cape Town, and if the weather's right, you'll see a similar blanket of cloud covering the mountain. The weird and enchanting thing about the clouds is that they continuously descend from the mountain towards the earth but never seem to reach it. They billow over, almost like you'd imagine a witch's cauldron would. It's quite enchanting.

It’s just so beautiful!

It's just so beautiful
I think those are the words that I heard her utter - "It's just so beautiful". And, it is folks. These photos I take are mere shadows of how beautiful the Atlantic Seaboard is in summer.

You need to visit here.

A table top mountain

A table top mountain
It would be super-weird if we one day awoke to a flat landscape, without the iconic Table Mountain to greet us. The mountain's like a huge compass that Capetonians, and visitors I guess, use to orientate themselves.

And this get's me thinking - I wonder if the reason that traffic's a complete disaster in cloudy-rainy weather isn't perhaps because we lose sight of the mountain? ;)

NSRI at Camps Bay

NSRI at Camps Bay
I'd heard that the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) had a station in Camps Bay, but I'd never worked out exactly where it was. Kerry-Anne and I happened to stumble upon it while exploring a small residential part of Camps Bay, just outside of the busy commercial section, in the Llandudno direction. That over there is their station with it's own little slipway. Nice hey?

Rushing over rocks

Rushing over rocks
For the record, I was watching the water very carefully when this wave broke. The section of rock that I was standing on was on the same level as the rock in the photo, and for a moment I wasn't completely sure that the foaming-frothing sea water wasn't going to reach me. :)

The beautiful Hermanus coastline

The beautiful Hermanus coastline
Isn't it just magnificent? This is the Hermanus coastline, in the direction of Voelklip, an affluent suburb of the popular seaside town.

Hermanus, as you possibly know, is very well known for whale-watching in South Africa. Locals, and tourists, gather in large numbers, during whale season - turning the otherwise comfortable and easy-paced seaside town into a bustling and somewhat congested mangling of cars and people.

Sunny weekends between September and the end of October is certainly not the time to get stuck trying to get into or out of this little town; except if you're either prepared to endure the hours of stop-start traffic, or if you're happy to take the drive to and from Cape Town while everyone else is sleeping. :)

That said, if you're looking for a vibey seaside town, book some weekend time at a hotel or guest house in late September or early October.

A killer speed boat

A killer speed boat
I don't have sea-legs. While this scene looks like an idyllic way to spend a late afternoon, for me bobbing up and down on the water any kind of vessel is a terrible idea. However, I guess this is why some smart folks out there invented little white tablets that counteract motion-sickness. I don't go out on water without taking one of those tablets, ever. :)

Surfers and clingy wetsuits

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

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. :)