Hermanus to Kleinbaai, Danger Point

On the water at 06h00 from the new harbour. I had the option to cut straight across the bay, about 10km shorter, but stuck to my safety rule of following the shoreline unless I have company. Paddling behind the breakers toward Gaansbaai was a good leg with a little following bump off the cliffs at Hermanus. The swell was still running at 3.5m and a couple of times I had to move seaward fast to avoid being dumped by a rogue wave.

Once on the Gaansbaai side, heading into the swells toward Danger Point, my progress slowed significantly. Common dolphins and a whale kept me company. As I approached the point I felt confident, the sea looked calm, but the further off the point I got the bigger the swell seemed to get, one running in from straight ahead and one from my left. When the two met and peaked, the crest would crumble into a massive rolling ball of white water big enough to break my boat, happening all around me at random. I now understand how Danger Point got its name.

I had to paddle almost 2km straight out to sea to clear a second reef I later learned was the Birkenhead reef, named for HMS Birkenhead, wrecked here in 1852 while carrying troops to Algoa Bay. Not enough lifeboats for everyone aboard, and the soldiers famously stood firm so the women and children could board safely, giving rise to the “women and children first” protocol still known as the Birkenhead drill.

Arriving at the Kleinbaai slipway I was surprised to get a round of applause, a group who had been tracking my progress had come down to see me paddle in. Michelle from Marine Dynamics Shark Tours quietly asked if I’d seen any Great Whites today. I said no. “Oh,” she said, “well I can tell you they saw you.”