Freak weather and big surf have forced organisers to postpone the Quiksilver Goodwave surfing event for safety reasons. But on Tuesday, surfers were catching waves that are more common in places like Hawaii and Tahiti.
Waves started swelling on Monday and reached three metres in certain parts of Durban’s beachfront this morning.
Parks and Recreation Department employee Tim Treffry-Goatley said he had been working at the beach for 25 years and had never seen waves this size.
Surfer Nicole O’Driscoll said she could hear the waves from her home in La Lucia, nearly a kilo-metre inland.
| 'It’s big all along the coast' |
“It’s big all along the coast. All I could see as I drove over the Umgeni mouth was walls of foam,” said O’Driscoll.
Surfer Grace Rheeders said: “There’s a fine line between bravery and stupidity.”
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Lifeguard Sihle Xaba said anyone who was not a big wave rider would have problems with the waves in Durban.
“We don’t advise people to paddle out into the water and even swimming is not on in this type of weather.”
Scores of onlookers were enthralled by the high waves and ignored lifeguard warnings to catch a glimpse of the swelling ocean from some of the piers.
The huge waves were thanks to some bizarre weather which has seen floods, snow and high-speed winds across the country.
Paul Bevis, deputy station commander of the National Sea Rescue Institute in Durban, said seamen and private yachtsmen were aware the conditions were dangerous.
In East London’s Duncan Village, about 60 people were left homeless yesterday after heavy rain flooded their houses. And in the Eastern Cape yesterday snow fell at Ugie, Elliot, Barkly East, Lady Grey and Queenstown as well as on the Drakensberg.
Heavy rain has been forecast over parts of the Eastern Cape until Wednesday. – Daily News Reporter and Sapa
- This article was originally published on page 1 of Daily News on November 08, 2005
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