Treasures beneath the surface
If there is ever be a nomination for an all-round best beach close to Cape Town, then Buffels Bay, which is neatly tucked away on the False Bay side of the Cape of Good Hope section of the Table Mountain National Park, might take it.
Of course, every beach in and around Cape Town is attractive and alluring in its own way, but Buffels Bay seems to have something extra-special about it.
One of the best ways to experience the treasures of Buffels Bay and the False Bay waters, is to don mask, snorkel and fins (and wetsuit, for the chilly water), to explore the marine life in the kelp forests just offshore at Buffels Bay.
Lying face-down in knee-deep water just off the rocks along the shore, a glimpse under water reveals a world filled with colour and movement – brightly coloured sea anemones, playful blennies and klipfish, starfish and orange and blue cushion stars, gardens of seaweed and algaes, and a plethora of winkles and periwinkles, nudibranches, limpets and chitons.
There are crabs of all sizes, lobsters and also the occasional octopus sneaking around the reefs.
Cape urchins are in abundance at Cape Point. They are the most numerous of all kelp forest residents, and can sometimes reach numbers of hundreds per square metre. Catshark and shyshark species are also common – such as the Pyjama Catshark, which when disturbed curls inwards in a defensive posture to protect their head and eyes with their tails.
Along with the red roman, hottentot, wildeperd, butterfish and other reef fish that have made the Cape Point waters their home, SA’s national fish, the galjoen, also occasionally shows up for a few brief seconds. But it’s a shy fish, and very quick. And it usually shows itself just once before darting back into the turbulent white waters from where it came.
Of course, even if you don’t have a mask and snorkel, you can have just as much fun walking and exploring the rock pools and marine life in the intertidal zone. There is also a slipway here, which is a perfect place from which to launch a sea kayak.
Buffels Bay can be a fun beach to be even in less-than-perfect weather. But the best days are usually when a light north-west wind is blowing and there is little or no swell running in the bay.
Buffels Bay has the only stretch of sandy beach on the False Bay side of the reserve, as well as a large tidal pool. This makes it a great place for swimming. There are also several braai spots dotted around the grassy back beach.
For Cape Town residents, the most affordable way to visit the reserve is with a Table Mountain National Parks (TMNP) My Green Card.
It costs R84 and provides the holder with 12 entries at any of the TMNP pay points. Cape Point is open from 6am to 6pm until April r.
Contact the Cape Point Information Centre at 021 780 9010/11 with queries. - Weekend Argus