4 December 2004
Sea kayaking from Hangklip to Gordons Bay
...and more
From the pont at Malgas (photo
below), the only remaining people-powered ferry in the country, to the Breede's mouth in
San Sebastian Bay (photo above), it is a relatively easy paddle of 35+km. It could easily
become a lot tougher given an incoming tide and the prevailing easterly funneling upriver.
Witsand, or Port Beaufort, is the seaside town that perches on the heights above the mouth. Like the many other examples of untrammelled ribbon development along our coast, Witsand lacks character, although it has not nearly sold its soul as badly as Plettenberg Bay - yet.
The mouth is a great site for windsurfing or kiteboarding, and the curved channel inside the sandspit becomes a high-speed dragstrip when the onshore easterly cranks up.
The whale nursery of San Sebastian Bay is the great attraction. During the calving season between July and October it is literally wall-to-wall Southern Right whales.
De Hoop Nature Reserve and Marine Protected Area lie to the south-west. The reserve's now-famous Whale Trail should not be missed.
Deon prepares to do lunch >
< The ferry at Malgas