The week that was...

© Maldives Surf Photographer

Ah, wishful thinking that the warm water crystal blue barrel is here in the bay. North of the equator in my other home town it has been cooking all week. But the bay didn't do too badly either. A few fun waves to be had in the latter part of the week. Lulls were long, but the weather was lekker and the line-up certainly wasn't the worse place in the world to bide some time.

© Darren Halse

© Luc Hosten

© Luc Hosten

Plenty of rainbows about lately. Was blessed to see one last week whilst sitting out in the surf and it impressively arched over the sky and hit the horizon just past Bird Rock - was wondering if it meant there was gold there - as in waves at Avo's! 

Interesting fact about rainbows. They not actually arches but are full circles. We just see them as arches cos we on the Earth’s surface and the horizon gets in the way. People in airplanes sometimes do see them as a full circle. You can read all about it here:
https://earthsky.org/earth/what-gives-rainbows-their-curved-shape

© Robbie Irlam

Heaps of sand all over the line-ups at the moment. Supers has got tons of it by the looks of that shot! Also plenty out on the reef at Millers.

Big news is the change in the fish farm application. The fin fish proposed for the site off Pollock beach has now been changed to bivalves (muscle and oysters) and the fish farm location moved to Coega harbour area. A fish farm anywhere in the bay is still a kak idea, and a mussel/oyster farm, although better than fish, isn't so great either.  Things like the visual impact, how water quality will be effected by something the size of 300 rugby fields etc. Also, having  a large structure out there can act a bit like a FAD (fish aggregating device) where the lil dudes seek shelter in the structure, then the slightly bigger dudes lurk about the outside hoping to chow the lil dudes, and so it goes up the food chain. And of course the change of big strings/rafts of mussels coming loose and washing up on the beaches during the winter storms. So yah - still probably not a good thing to have right off the beach!

So the objections to the whole idea will still continue. You can see the full post here about the changes. http://www.millerslocal.co.za/blog/cheers-fish-farm-hello-mussel-farm

Please note that you can submit comments to the consultants via email - info@anchorenvironmental.co.za up until Wed 28 August

© Chris Scott

© Richard Mangold

© Arinda Pritchard

Nothing much on the charts for the week, but enough of a bump to get wet. Everyone is itching for another decent winter swell to make it's way outta the roaring 40's.

​Ending off with a coupla random shots from the week that was.

© Luc Hosten

© Marcus Ducker

© Heather Nel