I live at one of the most beautiful tourist beaches in my country, and perhaps the gem of the entire southern African coastline. It’s called Plettenebrg Bay and international tourists flock here in the summer months. Right now they are starting to appear as temperatures warm up in the south. And the tourist influx peaks around February, while the climate remains accommodating right up until April.
With pristine white beach sand and warm gentle waters fit for surfing, our beaches are considered “Blue Flag” accredited status, particularly because they also have trained life savers on duty throughout the summer season. Now a curious item appeared on the beach just recently that will to be adding to the status and attraction of these beach destinations. It looks like a new concept in beach holiday accessories and I saw it for the first time this year. It’s a mobile set of lockers for hire.
I’ve yet to find out how it works or whose operating them, but they look really smart because not only can you hire a locker in which to place your belongings if you wish to go swimming or walk the long 5km thin stretch of soft beach sand at the shoreline, but you can also charge your phone. There are no cables to show that it is a source of power but obviously there is some system to plug in your mobile phone and charge it while you’re on the beach.
Maybe it has a solar panel and battery, considering we’re in the direct sun all day. I presume you can hire a locker and then place your phone inside at a plug point. You can also leave all your other belongings which frees you up to explore the vast length of beach at your leisure. What a smart locker design. I presume the tourist industry has organized this little feature to facilitate a pleasant time for our numerous international visitors.
The region of Plettenebrg Bay is a type of hidden gem that only a fortunate few might know about on a global scale. Even the whales come here annually in winter to give birth to their offspring. You can see them just offshore in the bay every year from about July to October. So it appears to be attractive to them as well as to us. The bay itself is quite sheltered by the Robberg Peninsula that juts out some distance on the western end, providing shelter from the wind and currents.
It has also become the home of a large seal colony and the government has proclaimed it as one of the very few marine reserves or protected areas along this entire southern African coastline. Even in winter it’s a tourist attraction for whale watchers who go out on little boats to get a close-up view of the whales without actually disturbing them. I also occasionally see the long line of dolphins or porpoises (smaller dolphins) streaming by just behind the breaking waves.
You can see them or the seals occasionally surfing the waves just under the water if you are at the right angle. The water is then clear and as the wave breaks you can catch a glimpse of them having such fun surfing the wave. It appears that animals also like to play sometimes and therefore have fun just like we do. They are not merely interested in eating, sleeping, mating and defending but also enjoy doing things just for the pleasure it brings.
We’ve all seen cats and dogs play with each other so I presume sea mammals are similar. All life has consciousness and mammals particularly have developed brains and feelings, much like us. It reminds me how they are people too and have personalities like us. Therefore I have great appreciation for all mammals and would never want to see them abused or mistreated in any way. That’s why I could never kill or eat them, having been vegetarian since the age of 19 for over 30 years now and am in great health.
The seaside lifestyle in the mild climate on the southern shores of Africa is such a healthy environment to live that I would recommend it to anyone. And I would certainly recommend this particular bay to tourists or adventure seekers and holiday makers from anywhere in the world. This is a world class destination as a small seaside town with the most beautiful natural surroundings. And the beach never gets too crowded since it’s such a long stretch of coastline.
In the photos here today you can see that it’s overcast but still the conditions are great for swimming since it’s summer time. We may still be a developing nation with third world conditions but this particular beach of Plettenberg Bay has achieved Blue Flag and world class status, especially with its new mobile lockers and charging station. What a combination of the best of both worlds. Be sure to put Plett (as the locals call it) on your tourist destination list of “must see” resorts. I have heard more than one international visitor describe this bay as one of the most beautiful places in the world. So now you know.
(photos my own)