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Swartvlei Beach, a few kilometers south of Sedgefield, on the gorgeous Garden Route...it's Sunday 9 a.m. and a stunning day, cloudless, no wind, the sun warm on my back and the sea a glittering stretch of blue and green crystal.
Slade and I started a leisurely walk towards a rocky outcrop on the point called Lion's Head.....a mere 3 k's away along the sandy beach. This place is a haven for divers, snorkellers, bathers and fishermen. The outcrop is preceded by a rock-shelf which extends from the beach about 10 meters to the sea and is covered with clams and mussels. You have to be sure to wear suitable foot gear to manage this shelf. At low tide its covered by a few inches of water so its not too difficult. Once you reach the edge of the shelf you can jump down into the water and….enjoy! At this point the depth is only about 6 foot and the further out you go the deeper it gets.
At this time of year the water is beginning to get quite cold and after a minute's hesitation I jumped off the rock, had a gasp or too, then started swimming along the edge of the shelf. This is usually where you see schools of fish, feeding along the side but not today.....despite the glassiness of the water the visibility wasn't great. Slade and I spent about 20 minutes along the shelf then decided to get out and go looking for a nice big pool.
Find one we did.......and what a beauty it was - crystal clear water and fish, fish, fish. Discovered some little ones that liked to swim near the top of the water, pretty weird since all the others were near the bottom. Then there was a beauty of a parrot fish who just sat there and swivelled his eyes up to watch me. All silver with gorgeous orange stripes and feathery orange side 'flippers'. Couldn't get enough of this pool and definitely a place we'll go back to. We were lucky today because the tide was way out so we could access the pool without the surf piling in and spoiling things. I don't think I've been there before when the tide was so low. Timing is everything hey?
Also saw some creepy looking starfish - all spiky and quite large! I'm used to the gorgeous little orange/brown ones……. so cute. Some huge mussel beds out there too - spoke to a fisherman who told me we had to have a licence and then we could take 50 per licence per day so definitely worth looking into......hmmmmm fresh mussel and tomato and garlic chowder! Speaking of which….by this time we were both really hungry so we decided to head back home for a bacon & egg brunch.
A perfect Sunday morning……. had starfish in my eyes and can't wait to go again.
Slade and I started a leisurely walk towards a rocky outcrop on the point called Lion's Head.....a mere 3 k's away along the sandy beach. This place is a haven for divers, snorkellers, bathers and fishermen. The outcrop is preceded by a rock-shelf which extends from the beach about 10 meters to the sea and is covered with clams and mussels. You have to be sure to wear suitable foot gear to manage this shelf. At low tide its covered by a few inches of water so its not too difficult. Once you reach the edge of the shelf you can jump down into the water and….enjoy! At this point the depth is only about 6 foot and the further out you go the deeper it gets.
At this time of year the water is beginning to get quite cold and after a minute's hesitation I jumped off the rock, had a gasp or too, then started swimming along the edge of the shelf. This is usually where you see schools of fish, feeding along the side but not today.....despite the glassiness of the water the visibility wasn't great. Slade and I spent about 20 minutes along the shelf then decided to get out and go looking for a nice big pool.
Find one we did.......and what a beauty it was - crystal clear water and fish, fish, fish. Discovered some little ones that liked to swim near the top of the water, pretty weird since all the others were near the bottom. Then there was a beauty of a parrot fish who just sat there and swivelled his eyes up to watch me. All silver with gorgeous orange stripes and feathery orange side 'flippers'. Couldn't get enough of this pool and definitely a place we'll go back to. We were lucky today because the tide was way out so we could access the pool without the surf piling in and spoiling things. I don't think I've been there before when the tide was so low. Timing is everything hey?
Also saw some creepy looking starfish - all spiky and quite large! I'm used to the gorgeous little orange/brown ones……. so cute. Some huge mussel beds out there too - spoke to a fisherman who told me we had to have a licence and then we could take 50 per licence per day so definitely worth looking into......hmmmmm fresh mussel and tomato and garlic chowder! Speaking of which….by this time we were both really hungry so we decided to head back home for a bacon & egg brunch.
A perfect Sunday morning……. had starfish in my eyes and can't wait to go again.
