Plettenberg Bay to Storms River

Delicious pizzas the evening before at Tamodi Lodge made the 03h45 wakeup that much harder – the feather-soft duvet and luxurious surroundings weren’t exactly conducive to an early start. While setting up my electronics I tweaked something in my lower back, but decided to paddle anyway and see if I could push through it.

I launched at Central Beach at the usual 05h00 into no wind and no swell to speak of. For the first hour I had that stretch of ocean and a stunning sunrise entirely to myself, until the peace was shattered by fishing boats arriving. An hour and 45 minutes in, approaching Nature’s Valley, I was in enough pain to nearly get out – decided to push on to Storms River instead.

I passed a string of fishing boats and moved closer to shore to take in the Otter Trail huts and the view of Bloukrans gorge and bridge. My speed picked back up, and by the time I reached Storms River I was averaging 10km/h again. Paddling into Storms River is something special. While having a coffee on the deck a group of twenty tourists came paddling across the river past me.

Accommodation was a battle, but Owen, the head park ranger, sorted us out a beautiful camp site. Storms River is packed to the rafters with tourists from all over the world. Tomorrow will be another test – my back may not hold, and the wind may be against me, heading toward Skuitbaai.