Kiteboard the Kromme
Still learning to kiteboard? Get the hang of your kite and become a confident boardrider at the Kromme River Mouth in St Francis Bay.
A safe yet sufficiently windy place, it also offers spectacular flat water and waves (outside the mouth) for more experienced riders to play in. The best conditions (although it is possible to ride in any wind) are strong south-westerlies and a spring high tide.
Bruce's Beauties Surfing
Discovered by film-maker Bruce Brown in 1964, the cylindrical right-hand point break aptly named Bruce's Beauties was immortalised in the film Endless Summer. Bruce's has survived the development of the town St Francis Bay and nearly 40 years of ecological change (the sand you see in the movie is all gone now). It is a very fickle wave and can get crowded. The trick to avoiding the crowds is to check the charts for a long-distance south or south-easterly swell and then wait for the offshore south-westerlies to clean it up. Hollowest on a spring low tide.
Top-notch artificial reefs are being introduced into the bay to produce an awesome barrelling wave. These reefs will widen the beach and regulate the sand flow around the bay. The reefs will be man-made from supersized geotextile fabric bags which will be filled with sand from the local Kromme River Estuary. The split peak reefs will generate outstanding quality waves predicted to pump out a 100m long wave ride to be harnessed by experts. The reefs will simply break the swell so each beach breaker will still have its own natural characteristics and characteristic Seal Point thrill. This world-class surf spot is reliable supplying an average of 150 quality surfing days annually. The swell starts working at less than 1m (3ft) and holds over 3m (10ft). Suit up, keep an eye out for sharks, watch for urchins, beware the rips (so don't snake out!) and enjoy Seals.
Beaches at St Francis Bay
The beaches at St Francis Bay are why people flock there in the summertime. When the easterly’s blowing, head to the protected Cove Beach near the Kromme River mouth. If the children are tiny tots, Granny’s Pool, a dinky tidal pool just off Harbour Road, is a good idea and when they're a little bigger St Francis Bay's main beach, with direct access to town and good ablution facilities, is the place to head to.
Mark your footprints on the sunlit sand of St Francis Bay while watching whales make waves in the inviting warmth of the Indian Ocean. The month of May brings mating season to this secluded bay which shelters the breeding whales in a natural marine animal sanctuary until September.
For spectacular impact the sea sometimes commands a committee of dolphins, penguins, otters and seals to welcome this favoured seasonal visitor to coastal waters. Relax as your life takes perspective against the sheer size of these mammals that wave with tail and tide.
Cape St Francis Lighthouse
The Cape St Francis lighthouse lies lies on a small rocky outcrop known as Seal Point near St Francis Bay.
The rocks around the bay shore is a good indication of the danger on this stretch of the coast, which was notorious for the number of shipwrecks starting as early as 1690. AHowever, an enquiry into how best to light the eastern coastline was only made 1871. The need for a lighthouse was so great that the government actually sacrificed a new lantern meant for Cape Agulhas to light the lighthouse at Cape St Francis. The lamp in the lighthouse was finally lit in 1876.
The circular tower extends 28 metres from the ground to the balcony, with unusually thick walls. Despite the lighthouse’s disintegration, it remains standing. It was declared a national monument in 1984. Today the lighthouse is a pivotal point of the St Francis Bay town, and is a popular tourist attraction.