Durban - When I was growing up I wanted to marry a surfer – but then I grew up. But I still have a soft spot for the beautiful beaches of KwaZulu-Natal’s South Coast of my youth. These beaches hold not just my own happy memories, but also those of generations of South Africans who flock to KZN’s coast for their annual holidays.
Warm water, sandy beaches, rock pools, snorkelling, fishing, surfing, golfing, cycling, hiking, arts and crafts, and all grades of accommodation continue to keep the South Coast at the top of the country’s holiday destination list.
The thing I have always loved about the South Coast is that no matter what your needs, it has beaches to suit all tastes. There are quiet, uncrowded beaches with safe swimming and good fishing, and busy beaches with a buzz and all the amenities such as parking, shops, restaurants and toilets, which is always handy when you have kids and elderly people along.
Umkomaas beach is perhaps best known as a diving destination rather than a spot for family swimming. A Marine Protected Area (MPA) was declared, which has done wonders for the environment and the dive industry. The Aliwal Shoal MPA includes a shallow reef system which, together with its warm water, huge numbers of fish and the opportunity to dive with ragged tooth and tiger sharks, attracts about 40 000 divers annually.
South of Umkomaas are a number of lovely small beaches such as Wydenham, Clansthal and Renishaw which are well used by fishermen and those who have beach cottages. Green Point is famous for its surf break.
Scottburgh is a family favourite with its rolling lawns (great for oldies and kids) going right down onto the sand and its tidal pool, lagoon, restaurants, shops and loos. We often stop for breakfast there when heading “down the coast” for a weekend because there are a number of restaurants with stunning sea views.
Pennington beach is small but busy in season. Not as accessible as other beaches because of the railway line and the short walk through the small patch of coastal forest, it nonetheless is a favourite with families because it has lifeguards during busy times and the angling is excellent.
The beaches between Bazely (an increasingly popular beach with a lagoon, seasonal lifeguards and good rocks for angling) and the popular Hibberdene beach, with its proximity to shops and its ski-boat launch site, include Ifafa, Mtwalume, Turton and Catalina Bay. Although small and not on the beaten track, they are real “finds” providing safe swimming and rock pools for kiddies and good rocks to fish from. They can get very busy over holidays and long weekends.
Umzumbe is well known among surfers and especially because of the wonderful Pumula Beach Hotel, a family beach hotel that has perfected the art of caring for and entertaining generations of South Africans, many of whom have been holidaying here year after year.
Banana Beach, Southport, Sea Park and Mtentweni are all small villages with their own pretty, family beaches and most have great surf breaks.
South of Port Shepstone is Shelly Beach and St Michael’s on Sea, or “St Mikes” as is it known by locals. Both are accessible, busy beaches with good parking, facilities, pools and anything else you may need for a relaxing day.
Uvongo Beach was once one of the busiest, and some think prettiest, on the coast. It was swept away during huge storms that battered KZN’s coast a number of years ago and, sadly, never quite recovered. The parking, grassy picnic sites, tidal pool and restaurant are still there, but the sand is not guaranteed.
Margate Beach is another of KZN’s beaches offering everything needed for a beach holiday – except peace and quiet during the holiday seasons. However, if you have restless teenagers on your hands, this is a good bet.
I’ve always found that the beaches south of Margate have a different “feel” to those further north. This may have something to do with their being in something of an environmental transition zone between KZN and Pondoland in the Eastern Cape. However, this doesn’t detract from the beaches of Ramsgate, Southbroom, Leisure Bay and San Lameer – all excellent swimming beaches, most with seasonal lifeguards and some with nearby shops.
Trafalgar Beach is on the northern edge of Trafalgar Marine Reserve, one of three such reserves in KZN, the others being iSimangaliso World Heritage Site on the North Coast and Aliwal Shoal. Trafalgar reserve protects fascinating 100-million-year-old intertidal fossils, invertebrates and subtidal seaweed fossils. From Trafalgar Beach, you can walk along to Mpenjati Nature Reserve where the beach is quieter and offers great snorkelling.
Port Edward has an excellent swimming beach with lots of parking, grassy banks and a restaurant. It is the last of the beaches before the Eastern Cape border. For me, though, the best thing about Port Edward beach is to take a picnic or sundowners onto the big, flat rocks to watch the fishermen or the sunrise. Best of all, it is one of the top spots on the KZN coast from which to see whales during the whale season. - Sunday Tribune