A DAY O Cape Town is famous for the variety of experiences available at its beautiful beaches. When deciding where to go, visitors
and residents can choose Blue Flag beaches, secure in the knowledge that high standards of beach management are guaranteed and lifesavers will be on duty every day during Blue Flag season, December to March. The Blue Flag is awarded annually to beaches and marinas that meet a specific set of criteria, encompassing: • water quality; • safety and services; • environmental management; and • environmental education and information. Cape Town’s picturesque coastline extends for 307 km along the West Coast, around the Cape Peninsula, and beyond False Bay to the Kogelberg coast in the east. The combination of the warm Agulhas current that sweeps down the east coast, and the cold Benguela current that flows up the west coast, results in an incredibly rich and varied marine flora and fauna.
SILWERSTROOMSTRANDA WEST COAST RESORT Silwerstroomstrand is a coastal resort with pilot Blue Flag status on the West Coast, used mainly by residents of nearby Atlantis and Mamre. The resort lies at the southern edge of an immense bay bordered by Bokpunt in the north, and Springfontein se Punt in the south. Within this bay, a smaller rocky point called Wintersteen provides added protection from the swell for safe swimming in the sea, and there is also a tidal pool for those wanting a warmer dip without the waves. There are picnic sites and braai areas for day visitors, while holidaymakers can stay at the bungalows or caravan park. A slipway is available for boat-launching, and the shore angling is good too, particularly for hottentot during January and February. Lifesavers are on duty during Blue Flag season. Silwerstroomstrand is ideal for long walks on the beach, which extends as an unbroken stretch of sand for some 3 km. The northern half of the beach is backed by a vast dunefield, oriented diagonally to the shore as it reflects the direction of sand blown off the beach by the prevailing southerly winds. Part of the dunefield is a bare sheet of migrating sand, while the rest is covered with strandveld vegetation, which is particularly attractive when it flowers in spring from August to September. Due to its conservation worthiness, this is the southern limit of a potential core area identified for the Cape West Coast Biosphere Reserve. The habitat here supports a rich diversity of birds, so it is a popular stop on the West Coast birding route.Silwerstroomstrand is named after the ‘silver stream’ to the north of the resort. The stream rises from a spring at
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the edge of the Atlantis dunefield, which supplies water to the town from its underground aquifer.
CLIFTON 4TH BEACHTHE HEART OF CAPE TOWN’S BEACH SCENE Clifton’s four dazzlingly white beaches, separated by outcrops of granite rock, are the most sheltered in Cape Town. Clifton 4th Beach has Blue Flag status, being closest to ablution facilities and parking areas. Clifton pulsates with the energy of the bronzed and beautiful, but is also frequented by family groups. It is a place to see and be seen, with itsy-bitsy bikinis and designer sunglasses the order of the day. Just offshore, a few yachts lying at anchor in the clear blue waters add to the exotic flavour. Temperatures can soar on the back beach, but down near the water’s edge, the icy sea has a welcome cooling effect. Here, on the
hard, wet sand, more active types work up a sweat with beach bats and frisbees, periodically taking a refreshing dunk in the shallows. Others prefer a quick shower to cool off when roasting in the sun gets uncomfortably hot. Vendors ply the beaches selling snacks and drinks, so it is possible to spend a few hours here without wandering far. Even at the end of the day, parking is still in short supply, because as the sunseekers depart, another surge of people arrive for sundowners, beach volleyball and other alfresco pastimes. Clifton 4th Beach is patrolled during Blue Flag season, December to March, by volunteer lifesavers from the Clifton Surf Lifesaving Club. The club periodically hosts surf lifesaving competitions, and a surfski race is held here on Friday evenings during the summer months. The Clifton Beach Challenge, held each December, raises funds for the club and pits lifesavers against Springbok rugby players in tests of skill (touch rugby), speed (flag races), fitness (push-ups and sit-ups) and strength (tug-of-war(.Other sporting events