After the second day of the storm I managed to explore a little further along the devastated beachfront in one of the most ferocious storms I have seen in two decades, here in the little tourist holiday town of Plettenberg Bay, in the Garden Route region.
As the wind calmed down from gale force to a gentle breeze, and the sky cleared slightly as the dark menacing clouds allowed a touch of blue to return, I made my way back to the shoreline to see what more I could find washed up after the storm surge.
I came across numerous root bulbs that probably used to live in the dunes before the storm washed them up and swept the sand away.
Wherever I could I picked them up and threw them back into the dune just above me so that they might be able to take root again and continue growing as indigenous ground cover.
I don't know if they will be able to regain their previous constitution but I can't help trying to assist them with a chance at revitalization.
Further on I came to the remains of the stairway that had once led down the dunes to the shore and beach. A big chunk of the wooden stairs lay like a solitary outcrop on the now flattened and calm shoreline.
It was a stark reminder of the ferocious power that was turned up by the ocean just hours before during the height of the storm. I was one of the first people on the scene after the storm itself and managed to capture some photos of the scene in its pristine state of chaos and devastation, while at the same time capturing the now returned silence and calmness that is normally so prevalent on this splattered shore.
This shoreline is normally completely white with soft sand for miles on end but now right after the storm, it's entirely covered with brown organic matter that has been washed up or ripped away from the dunes that used to be here.
As the sand was swept away by the wave action all, that remained was dislodged vegetation which now lay strewn across the beach like bits of straw. Besides that, chunks of driftwood of all shapes and sizes lay scattered all along the thin strip of shoreline.
The scene was stark and looked quite disheveled compared to its normal gentle setting. It looked like the scene you might see the morning after a massive dance party in your living room, with trash scattered everywhere, damaged and broken items littering the floor.
I found out that not only did the bigger coastal town 250km to the east, called Port Elizabeth, get devastated with floods and lives lost, but also even further about 1000km away, up the east coast of Africa, in the KwaZulu-Natal province, massive damage was inflicted by this super storm.
In fact tornadoes were experienced there, something I've never heard of before in my life in this region of the world. Huge displacement of people occurred, with hundreds, maybe more, left homeless and seeking shelter in school halls.
The entire south coast of Africa was hit by this historic devastating storm, bringing floods and a tidal surge that has redecorated my little hidden paradise beach for the moment. It's a day and a sight to remember.
Perhaps it's due to the solar maximum in the sun spot cycle 25, which we're experiencing now. Whatever it is, global extreme weather seems to be increasing lately. So wherever you are, be prepared for anything as nature takes its power display to the next level.
Photos my own. Written and published from my mobile device, on the Hive blockchain from the beach.