It’s Saturday morning: a perfect summer day, hot and sunny, enough breeze to lightly brush away wayward mosquitoes. The perfect day for the beach, for a braai, for a cool drink on the porch. And I’m curled up inside. It’s not that I don’t like a good tan or an ice cold beer on the beach. I know exactly when the tide will be perfect for a good swim. But it’s holiday season. I’m hiding from the visitors.
While most of South Africa flocks to the beach on holidays through the summer, a few of us are lucky to live year-round at prime vacation beach destinations. Not to rub it in everyone else’s face, but we get the sand and surf every day of the year. And not to sound like a grumpy-pants, but it’s much more enjoyable without the noisy parties and empty liquor bottles of holiday-makers.
As you plan your beach holiday this year, keep in mind a few tips for enjoying the seaside while showing respect for nature’s pristine beauty and the folks who make their home there:
1. Clean up your rubbish
Many beach visitors seem to think that their chip packets, beer cans and boerewors wrappers make the beach a more beautiful place. Believe it or not, clean sand has a pretty good aesthetic appeal all by itself. Pick up your trash and leave it in designated bins, or carry it away in the bin bags that you’ve remembered to pack along. Not only will the beach look better, but the local wildlife that might accidentally choke on your NikNaks wrapper will also be grateful.
2. Calm your engines
I’m glad you have a powerful bakkie; it might come in handy when you have to haul your buddy’s boat trailer out of the giant potholes on our road. But no one loves waking up to a noisy engine at 5am. If you’re setting out for early fishing, drive slowly and quietly. Respect local noise bylaws; if there are none, keep the use of boat engines and recreational vehicles to a minimum before 7am and after 10pm. Better yet, ditch the loud motor for a canoe…
3. Drink soberly
A few extra drinks over the holidays are fine as long as you drink with care: when visiting the local pub, please do not use this as an opportunity to make a fool of yourself in a place you’ll never visit again. Some of us like to take our families here for an evening meal; some of us enjoy a quiet evening watching the sunset. We appreciate your business but don’t need your brashness. If you plan to drink a lot, make sure someone else can drive you home. If you intend to drink more than a lot, don’t leave home in the first place.
4. Be kind to the local wildlife
Drive slowly enough to not hit any animals; be aware of small creatures that might have found their way into your shoes or tents. And just as important, be nice to the humans. Those of us who live at rural beach-side outposts are, at the risk of generalization, a bit reclusive. We’re keen to chat with you and hear what’s new in the city, but we’re a little shy and awkward about it. If we’re wary at first approach, give us time and don’t push too hard. Before you know it, a fisherman might be letting you in on his favorite spot or a surfer may give you the heads up on where to find the biggest waves. Next thing you know, you’ll be buying a house at the coast and joining the ranks of year-round beach dwellers.
This summer, I’m leaving the coast before mayhem descends. I’ll be enjoying the holiday peace and quiet of cities deserted by beach-seekers. While I’m gone, please be kind to my neighbor fishermen. Take care of my favorite rock pools. I know you’ll make sure the sand is pristine for my return.
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