It’s that time of year in Plettenberg Bay when visitors arrive with bikinis and bodyboards, Plett locals dust off their beach towels, buckets and spades and beach umbrellas – it’s time for watersports, swimming in the sea and all the fun of summer in Plett!
Plett has recently been awarded a total of six International Blue Flag ratings for 2016. Five awards for our beautiful beaches: Lookout, Robberg 5, Keurbooms, The Dunes and Nature’s Valley; and seal swimming operators have been awarded Blue Flag Boat status. A Blue Flag is an international award given to beaches that meet excellence in the areas of safety, amenities, cleanliness and environmental standards. So this is a wonderful accolade for Plettenberg Bay!
We thought we’d introduce you to, or remind you of, some of the best watersports adventures to be enjoyed during the summer months:
Scuba Dive in Plett
Whether you’re a beginner or experienced diver, diving in Plettenberg Bay is a lot of fun. As the Southern Cape is situated along the mingling of the cold Atlantic current and the warm Indian Ocean current, the reefs of the area are covered in a fireworks display of soft corals, anemones and sponges. With shallow reefs ideal for beginners and the deeper reefs largely untouched with beautiful topography, photographers and naturalists will be thrilled with their scuba dives in the area.
Swim with the seals
If scuba diving is a bit beyond your comfort level, you can don a mask and fins and go swimming with the most graceful animals in the ocean – seals. The seal colony is located on beautiful Robberg and Blue Flag Boat, Offshore Adventures will take snorkelers and swimmers right near the colony for an amazing marine encounter. Remember to bring along a GoPro to capture all those exquisite underwater acrobatics!
Learn to Surf
Plett is a bay which means it’s an ideal place to learn to surf. And what a way to spend a summer? The best way to learn is to start with a few lessons and get the basics down under the watchful eye of a surf instructor and then… salty days, sun-kissed days of board riding await!
Ocean Kayaking
There are few things more captivating than paddling out onto the bay on a calm, sunny day and watching the land disappear behind you. There are no sounds but the paddle slapping the water and the gulls crying overhead. And then a pod of dolphins cruises past for a look or a seal glides through the water beside you! The perfect way to spend a summer day!
Africanyon
If you take a short trip into the Crags on your summer holiday, you’ll find one of the most thrilling adventures of all – Africanyon Kloofing. Climb, abseil, swim, slide, zipline and jump your way through the canyon surrounded by the silent indigenous forest. It’s a most memorable adventure!
Please take note when swimming in the ocean: Plettenberg Bay is subject to rip currents and rough seas on occasion. Take a moment to study the diagram below to familiarise yourself with what to do if you are caught in a rip current.
