Hello everybody on HIVE and especially the Surf Hive Community. I am writing to you from Cape Town, South Africa!
It was my wife Julia's birthday this weekend, and I was super happy to find out that her ideal way to celebrate it would be to go up the West Coast of South Africa to a small fishing town about 3 hours north of Cape Town...
The town itself has a nice beach break, even if it was a bit small this time...
Here's my view - this is one of the more well-known spots in the area, but I was all alone...
Actually here's another time we visited which was also super uncrowded... there is almost nobody in this part of the world between the small fishing towns and very spacious farms... (Photo of me by my wife Julia)
Besides this quality beach-break, there is a fantastic long left-hand point in the even smaller town about 30 minutes to the South, and apparently an assortment of lesser-known spots in-between that I would love to be shown around or even just explore when I have more time! (Photo of me by my wife Julia)
So why did my wife, who doesn't surf, want to come here?
It is undeniably beautiful despite the dryness (it doesn't rain much here!!) The locals often say "Die weskus is die bes kus" which means "the west coast is the best coast" Haha - I actually think most of South Africa's coastline is stunning, but this is probably the most remote and uninhabited part, especially when you leave this town to go even further north!
Julia loves bird-watching and the town has the only breeding area for Cape Gannets that is accessible from the mainland - here you can watch 20 000 of them at once, which is a wonder to behold, even if it is a little bit stinky! Haha!
This guy seems to personify the slow-moving vibe of the area... nothing is happening really fast here!
Even lunch can take all day here - especially at the open air seafood buffet restaurant where you can eat as much as you like... paella, crayfish, calamari, all sorts of fish... all super fresh of course! Meat stews and steak and various other things as well! My wife's family get on really well with my family - so both families drove out for the occasion! This restaurant is probably the real reason my wife and her family love to come to this funny small town - a chance to eat an assortment of seafood at an affordable price!
Oysters getting prepared!
My baby daughter - well on her way to becoming an adventurous beach bum? Actually, I am already trying to slowly introduce her to the water and the beach! Haha!
So... it's not often you get to have a road trip to a great surfing area, and it was your wife's idea all along! It is usually quite difficult to balance surf adventure with destinations that are family friendly for the rest of the family that doesn't surf...
Do you have any locations where this is possible in your country? I'd love to hear about them!
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