The huge rains and wind that clobbered the Garden Route earlier this month damaged roads, infrastructure and buildings, and there are many stories of devastation of properties.
For me, the story of the power of Mother Nature and this recent storm is revealed nowhere better than on our beaches.
It was the first lovely sunny Sunday (May 17) since the rains and Garden Route residents were out on our beaches inspecting beaches that look like they belong somewhere else.
We know Buffalo Bay well and it looks nothing like it used to.
Even if a fleet of bulldozers had been deployed, the effect now could never have been achieved.
Tons and tons of sand has been washed away so that there are rocks now in places where there used to be golden sand.
It’s hard to believe the rocks were always there, so deep under the sand.
Diaz beach in Mossel Bay has been severely undercut by the power of water so that the sandy section is all but gone with a treacherous drop from the dunes onto the beach now.
Plettenberg Bay beaches are just mind-boggling.
The personality of Plett Main beach has changed completely.
Apart from debris from rivers like tree trunks, which are being cleared up, the sandy part of the beach now stretches out further than it used to, again because of sand being washed away.
The very popular Plett Ski Boat Club normally located flat on the beach now has a precipice around it.
Some of the decking has collapsed and the retaining walls have been exposed and fallen down.
Beaches like the Wedge are gone for now. Where there was sand is now water.
Robberg 5, which is a popular Blue-Flag beach, is not accessible for the time being.
The viewing deck on this beach is gone like it was never there and along with it the walkway down to the beach.
It’s humbling. Only nature is this powerful and mischievous.
God forbid, it’s bad enough we have them in the forests on the Garden Route, but at least half a dozen puff adders washed up on Mossel Bay beaches dead and alive.
At Knysna Heads, the small beach turned into a trove of urchin shells and starfish.
With these changes come potential danger to beachgoers.
On Friday May 15 at midday, the National Sea Rescue Institute Station 14 Plettenberg Bay duty crew were activated following concerns for the safety of a woman and her dogs who appeared to be trapped on Robberg Beach by the incoming high tide.
The woman had got trapped between the waves and dunes that were no longer negotiable.
Lucky for her, the alarm was raised by people who saw her battling and an NSRI crewman happened to be inspecting boardwalks.
The NSRI man found the woman trying to escape the rising water by climbing up the steep sand dunes with dense vegetation.
A crew and a rescue vehicle were dispatched.
The woman and her dogs were guided to the area where a wooden stairway would normally provide access off the beach.
The stairway had, however, been destroyed during recent storms.
Rescue crew then navigated a steep pathway up the incline, successfully assisting the woman and her dogs to safety above the beach.
Plett NSRI issued a warning to beachgoers.
“Following the recent flooding in the Plettenberg Bay area, significant sections of the Robberg beaches have been severely eroded, leaving steep sand embankments and extremely limited space between the dunes and the ocean.
“With the current new moon spring tides causing higher than normal tides, conditions along these beaches are particularly dangerous.”
On beaches across the Garden Route now, large sections of beach have washed away leaving no escape route when the tide pushes in.
Steep sand dune edges and embankments were unstable and might collapse without warning and incoming tides could quickly trap beach walkers against the dunes, the NSRI warned.
It urged the public to exercise extreme caution and avoid walking long distances along beaches during high tide periods.
It will take weeks to fix all the damaged beach access points.
Not only has nature rearranged the furniture on the beaches, it has also uncovered several wrecks along the coast.
A historic shipwreck resurfaced on Plett’s Main beach right next to the Ski Boat Club following severe erosion.
Remains of this old wooden shipwreck sparked curiosity among residents and visitors. It is believed the wreck dated back to the 1800s.
This is likely not the first time the wreck has surfaced.
According to historical reports and marine archaeology investigations, an apparently identical wooden shipwreck was uncovered in 2015 after storms stripped away large amounts of sand at Central Beach near Beacon Isle and The Wedge.
At the time, the discovery attracted widespread interest, and marine archaeologist John Gribble, from the South African Heritage Resources Agency (SAHRA), investigated the site.
Despite detailed examination, the vessel could not be positively identified.
However, Gribble was able to narrow it down to four possible historic vessels recorded in Plettenberg Bay during the 1800s: Eaglet, Agnes, Christina and Waif.
Apparently, the strongest possibility is that it is Agnes, a Cape schooner believed to have wrecked in Plettenberg Bay in 1882.
Several important clues point to the ship being from the late 18th or 19th century rather than a modern vessel.
Investigators found that the wreck had been built using oak timber, which was not native to the area and suggests the ship was constructed elsewhere before sailing to Plettenberg Bay.
Even more significantly, parts of the vessel reportedly showed evidence of copper sheathing, a technique commonly used on ships from the late 1700s onward to protect hulls from marine growth and wood-boring organisms.
The shipwreck appears to have a long history of disappearing and reappearing.
Historical records suggest it has been exposed multiple times over the decades, including sightings in the 1970s, 1992 and 2015, before being covered again by shifting sands.
For now, the true identity of the vessel remains a mystery, adding to the intrigue of one of Plettenberg Bay’s most fascinating hidden historical treasures.
Historically significant shipwrecks have, meanwhile, also been exposed in Mossel Bay along the Blue Flag Diaz Beach.
According to the municipality, powerful storms and heavy seas over the past two weeks caused significant coastal erosion and shifting sand, uncovering portions of long-buried shipwrecks, just offshore.
Among the exposed remains are believed to be fragments from two well-known historic wrecks, the Rosebud, which sank in 1888, and the King Cenric, lost in 1903.
Both vessels form part of Mossel Bay’s rich maritime history because this coastline is historically known for its dangerous sea conditions and numerous shipwrecks.
The municipality expressed its concern on May 18 that some unknown individuals may have started removing pieces of an exposed wreckage.
They warned that these remains were protected under heritage legislation, meaning that no part of the wreckage may be removed without official permits.
Officials warned that the unlawful removal of material from these sites was illegal and undermined efforts to preserve important historical resources for future generations.
Residents and beach-goers are urged to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity at the shipwreck remains to the South African Police Service on 044-606-2805 or municipal law enforcement on 044- 606-5000 or 044-606-5204.