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SURFING HOLIDAYS IN JEFFREYS BAY, SOUTH AFRICA
ROUGH GUIDE TO JEFFREYS BAY & THE EASTERN CAPE
The Eastern Cape is the second largest of the nine SA provinces and is an interesting and diverse place to visit. Undoubtedly one of the most beautiful and interesting regions in Southern Africa, the Eastern Cape offers unlimited adventure possibilities in a virtually unspoilt part of the world with a wealth of fauna and flora, including the big 5 and has some of the best Game Reserves not just in Africa, but in the world.
Quick links: Eastern Cape districts | Places of interest | Jeffreys Bay | St Francis Bay | Cape st Francis | Port Elizabeth | Port Alfred | East london | South Africa News
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EASTERN CAPE & ITS DISTRICTS
The Eastern Cape has seven districts covering eight different regions of pure splendor these include:
Port Elizabeth
Known as the friendly city and offers family-fun and has a diverse selection of attractions;
East London
The only river port city in South Africa and is set on the Buffalo River;
The Sunshine Coast
Incorporating more than a million hectares of malaria free game reserves;
The Wild Coast
An environmental haven known as the ‘true Africa. It is almost an unspoiled paradise and is the apple of the Eastern Capes eye;
The Karoo Heartland
An enviro-tourism destination with malaria-free game viewing, rugged mountains, historical buildings and much more;
Frontier Country
The only destination in South Africa where you can see the ‘Big 5 in a malaria-free zone. Here you can also visit the magnificent Addo Elephant National Park ;
The Tsitsikamma Region
Indigenous forests, deep gorges, lush vegetation and lies between the sea and the Tsitsikamma Mountains.
The Northern Region
Home to the Gariep Dam, with over 100km of navigable water. There are also recently discovered prehistoric fossils here and san rock art.
Some of the best attractions worth a visit are the Nelson Mandela Museum, Addo Elephant National Park, Hole in the Wall, Tsitsikamma National Park, Grahamstown National Arts Festival and Shamwari Private Game Reserve.
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PLACES OF INTEREST
The Eastern Province Coast is called Africa’s Sunshine Coast because it has more proven sunshine days per year than any other part of the South African coastline! The Cities and towns below represent places of interest for surfers staying in and around Jeffreys Bay. This is by no means guide to the Eastern Cape it only serves as background info for surfers unfamiliar with the area.
JEFFREYS BAY
Jeffreys Bay is a picturesque town situated on the coast of the Eastern Cape. Surrounded by an amphitheatre of towering mountains and its world renowned surfing beaches. Talented surfers from all over the globe come here to surf professional surfers rate Jeffreys Bay amongst the ten best surfing points in the world. J-Bays fame as a surf spot has somewhat overshadowed its original claim to fame - conchologists (people who collect seashells to you and me) say the beaches here are unbeatable for the variety and number of seashells. Over 400 types of seashells make this the most abundant natural coastline in South Africa.
Jeffreys Bay was once a port for coasters and received its name from the nineteenth century trader J.A. Jeffrey.
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SAINT FRANCIS BAY
St Francis Bay, on the Eastern Cape coast of South Africa, has come a long way in the 50 years since it was founded.. The Village features mostly thatched homes, and has evolved out of the vision of a man with an eye for aesthetics. Leighton Hulett started the town from a fishing camp of thatched huts, and friends who came to stay were so enchanted with the place, that they asked to be able to buy a piece of ground to build a place of their own. His insistence on a specific style of architecture, preserving character, ensured the development of a village that is quite unique. And thus the township was born. It is no ordinary town but a harmonious blend of black and white homes, set against a background of azure sea, linked by canals by a wide river, white beaches and gentle greenery. It needs no artificial aids to beauty as the architecture provides a charm exuded by no other place. A Mediterranean section maintains the special quality of the village with its warm coloured walls and red roofs.
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CAPE ST FRANCIS
Cape St Francis is situated at the most southern Cape in the Eastern Cape. It boasts the Cape St Francis Light House, a National Monument, built in 1878 at Seal Point. The village was only proclaimed in 1965.
Cape St Francis is a small coastal hamlet surrounded by nature reserves and a pristine 5km beach encompassed by 2 points, Shark Point and Seal Point. Seal Point being the third most southerly point in South Africa.
Cape St Francis comprises of a holiday resort, a comprehensive mini market, restaurants and pubs, a world class surf reef and point break.
As this area falls within the Cape Floral Kingdom it provides excellent bird watching and gentle nature trails through the natural gardens.
A quick word about Bruce's Beauties. Made famous by Bruce Brown's Endless Summer, the endlessly-tapered rights of Cape St. Francis were once depicted the ultimate wave. If you travel in search of great waves, be warned that Bruce’s Beauties only work a few days a year and that the area is more often flat than it is working.
This 4m wave cranks down that point at Cape St Francis like a runaway steam train. To feast your eyes on these grinding tubes is to see one of the wonders of the world!
Seal Point, or "Seals", with its landmark lighthouse, is a point with two distinct sections: an outside and a fullstop rock, from where the inside breaks. The inside is a more common phenomenon, except during peak surfing season between April and September.
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PORT ELIZABETH
"The Friendly City" is the fifth biggest city in South Africa and the largest on the coast between Cape Town and Durban. Its a warm, welcoming city with a climate to match, Port Elizabeth boasts more sunshine than any other coastal town in the country. Algoa Bay encourages all forms of water sport; in, on and under the sea, where there is a colourful diving region. The beaches are always alive with holiday makers, and conditions are excellent for surfing, windsurfing, kiteboarding, sailing, diving and angling.
Port Elizabeth (PE) has beautiful parks, botanical gardens and nature reserves with an abundance of bird life. Many inland and coastal walking trails can be explored in the area. The Oceanarium in PE has been rated as one of the best in the world. From PE day trips can be made to the beautiful Tsitsikamma Park, J-Bay or the Addo Elephant National Park which supports about 200 elephants. From historical and architectural points of view, Grahamstown and Graaff Reinet should not be missed.
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PORT ALFRED
Port Alfred is set halfway between Port Elizabeth and East London and therefore at the Heart of the Sunshine Coast
Port Alfred is set about halfway between Durban and Cape Town. It has a temperate climate and the locals favour the months of March to July in Port Alfred claiming:'This is where summer spends the winter.' Steeped in history, Port Alfred is a popular departure point for serious researchers who, along with more casual explorers, are rewarded by many quaint places of interest in town and countryside, all signposts to the rich and varied history of the region.
Port Alfred is a great spot for watersports enthusiasts and outdoor adventurers. The wide tidal Kowie River stretching from river mouth to indigenous forest, is ideal for pleasure cruising, angling, waterskiing, canoeing, birdlife and offers safe access to the sea from the harbour for deepsea anglers and scuba divers. Other things to do and worth checking out:
• Nearby festival city of Grahamstown
• Luxurious health centre just out of town.
• Two 18-hole golfcourses, tennis, squash, bowls and mountain biking.
• Easy drives for game viewing in malaria free areas, including Shamwari, Great Fish and Addo Elephant Park, Kariega Game Reserve and Emlanjeni.
Port Alfred has quite a few quality surf spots including: Kelly's Beach, West Pier, East Pier, Riet River and Mtati.
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EAST LONDON
South Africa's only river port city is set on the broad Buffalo River and one of the most attractive stretches of the Eastern Cape seaboard. East London's sweeping white beaches extend for miles; unpolluted, uncrowded, unspoiled. Surfing, kiteboarding, swimming, sailing, water-skiing, boardsailing, wakeboarding and boating are enjoyed all year round, while the river mouths, lagoons and gullies provide a paradise for fishermen.
East London is the ideal base from which to explore the north-eastern mountains and the Wild Coast. The city has bowling greens, tennis and squash courts and golf clubs with grand views of the Indian Ocean. The city's ancestry is evident. Against a typically African backdrop, strong links with England and traces of the German lineage are found. If it's the one-armed bandits you crave, roulette, black jack and the chance of making a mint, Bisho's casino is a short drive away.
Surfers should check out Nahoon Reef, a world class righthander. It works in a variety of conditions and delivers a whole repertoire of different surfing combinations, depending on the size of the swell, the wind and the tide.
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