High tide damage does not stop holiday beach fun
Durban beach goers are encouraged to consult lifeguards if they hope to swim as many beaches remain closed due to unsettled sea conditions.
DURBAN’s recent high tides put water sports on hold for locals and visitors alike over the school holidays as most of Durban’s beaches closed due to damage caused by large swells.
According to Mike Anderson-Reade, head of operations at the KZN Sharks Board, the large swells and “very unsettled sea conditions” experienced off the coast of KwaZulu-Natal for the past three days, have prevented staff from being able to safely launch ski boats to service the shark safety gear and has resulted in some of the gear shifting out of position.
“Bathing has been banned at some of the affected beaches until such time as the teams are able to safely get out to sea, assess the situation and reposition the gear.
The Sharks Board said it was aware that this week falls over the school holiday period and every effort was being made to get gear back in order and reopen protected beaches as soon as practically possible.
Addington and uShaka beaches are currently open for bathing in Durban and it is anticipated that additional beaches will be opened over the forthcoming days as the sea conditions settle. “Beach users are advised to consult the lifeguards prior to entering the water as sea conditions are very treacherous at this time,” he added.
Andile and the whole Morena family were quite disappointed with the Durban weather after travelling all the way from Sasolberg for a fun beach family vacation, however they patiently waited for the tide to turn.
Nonto Mhlongo from Johannesburg and her family were also waiting for the tide to turn, “I wanted to swim and will still wait for the tide to get low but it doesn’t look like it will today, my toddler is quite content playing in the sand though.”
Meanwhile locals who came from Hillcrest were not going to let the big waves stop them from enjoying the day.
“Just coming down here and getting out of the house to enjoy the sunshine and beach is great,” said Carol Clouston who kept a close eye on her grandchildren who wanted to dip their feet in the ocean.
Kathryn Brown and her wheelchair-bound husband cut their weekly walk a bit shorter due to the damage and sand on the promenade. “We were away from home for a while so were surprised when we saw the damage. We usually park and walk along till the second pier and back but with the sand and stones on the promenade it was hard pushing through with the wheelchair,” she said.
