The week that was...

© Petronel Posthumus

Some waves about during the week. Crowds were thick on occasion, as everyone was frothing that there was something to ride at last. Just a pity that in their enthusiasm some peeps forgot their manners. Think we need a few ballie's to step up and bring a bit of order back to the line-ups.

© Robbie Irlam

Jbay and out west obviously had their share of good one's, with plenty of barrels on offer for those who wanted to tuck 'n run. Of course sometimes that results in a snapped leash, and nothing worse than having to scramble over the bricks to try find your wayward stick.....and then not being able to spot it.

© Robbie Irlam

The wildlife showed up as usual to pull a few airs. Always awesome to surf with the dolphins, although can be disconcerting when a 300kg missile is bearing down on you in the wave face that you're about to have to duck dive.

© Chris Scott

PE dolphins showing their JBay cousins they can do it to © Heather Nel

Last chance to get your objections in for the fish farm/mussel farm planned for the bay. The fin fish aspect has been relocated to Coega harbour area, and a bivalve (mussel/oyster) farm planned for off Pollock beach.

Neither are great idea's for a number of reasons so if you agree then get your emails in pronto. Here's why I think they suck:

Algoa 1 (off Pollock Beach)
The zoning has been updated to Bivalves at the Pollock Beach site, and although a slight improvement on the original finfish farm it still poses potentially significant risks.

• Eco-system disruption: bivalves species they will farm are not from SA and they are invasive so the danger is that  they will replace our native species on the Rocky shore and shallow reef systems in the bay. The EIA peeps reckon these invasive species are already present but this has not been verified and a comprehensive inventory should be done before they are farmed. Also, the high level of fouling that occurs on ropes and other structures may be a stepping stone  for other invasive marine invertebrates to make a home for themselves, and in turn then spread to the neighboring reefs (Philips reef, bell buoy and the extensive reef system from flat rocks to Whitesands reef). All in all not good!
• Lines/rafts from the installation can break and these wash up onto our beaches (and en route pose a risk to passing boats/yachts/ships)
• Still a pollution risk affecting water quality from huge concentrations of bivalves in close proximity to bathing beaches
• Installation can act like a fish aggregating device (FAD) which in turn creates an eco-system in that area, and the presence of many smaller fish may as a consequence increase the risk of predators in the area,
• Visual impact on tourism, even though installation will probably be lower than fin fish cages still something the size of 300 rugby fields right close off shore

Algoa 7 (New fin fish zone proposed for near Coega harbour)

• All the same objections that were initially raised about the fin fish farm at Pollock apply here – but most notably the predator issue. Great Whites transverse huge distances regularly, so having the possibility of drawing them to congregate in an area still within close relative proximity to our bathing beaches is not acceptable. They routinely travel along the entire length of our coastline, so the distance between Algoa 7 and main bathing beaches is actually not significant to them.
• The added issue of farmed fish in close proximity to a marine protected area, and the genetic issues that arise from possible cross breeding of wild fish and escapee’s.

Drop Anchor Environmental an email with your objections. If you haven't yet registered as an Interested and Affected Party (I&AP) then you can ask them to do so at the same time.
Last day for submission of objections is 4 Sept 2019.
info@anchorenvironmental.co.za

© Jonker Fourie

Always interesting to see whether you gonna be a goofy or a regular footer. Logger Alfonso Peters just discovering his lightie ain't gonna be following in dad's footsteps cos he looks to be a regular footer!

When you get a lil older then you can go surfing with dad. This young lady has been frothing in the shorey at Pipe recently whilst dad gets a few out back. 

© David Randle

Coupla days of big seas last week saw the Coastal Water Rescue guys and the NSRI having to assist with rescuing a fisherman that got stranded on Black Rock and having to get helped across the gully. No fun when the waves are smashing through the rocks. Easy to get inadvertently cheese-grated. 

© Luc Hosten

Besides the waves we had some wind. Proper Spring conditions. Every month that ends in "-er" seems to have pomping wind.

© Frans Gerber

Wind + sand usually means you gonna get sand blasted if you're brave enough to take a walks seems like a good idea til you get home and realise you can't get the sand off of you as it's somehow embedded itself into your pores.

© Elizabeth Anderson

Despite the cold, windy and rainy conditions, there were still some great sunsets to enjoy. PE never disappoints. So even though Zigzag ran multiple features in their last issue covering a road trip around the entire SA coastline, they excluded precisely one town, PE! We have a lekker possie here, and we DO get surf. Sometimes! Zag - I think you owe everyone in PE a free subscription for that faux pas.

© Luc Hosten