Jeffreys Bay – A bit like an old weatherbeaten surfer left on the dunes to reminisce about his heyday, Jeffreys Bay, 72km southwest of Port Elizabeth, is a mixture of baggies, boards, and 1970s nostalgia.
It still boasts some pretty inexpensive accommodation – R180 a night – for those who don’t mind if not all the mod cons are available.
The hippie, fishing mythology is still alive and well.
So too are the stories surrounding the legendary “Super Tubes”, a left-to-right rolling wave formation that captivates surfers the world over. No wonder then that Jeffreys Bay is one of the five most famous surfing destinations in the world. The annual Billabong Pro ASP World Tour surfing event during July attracts hundreds of serious surfers.
So what if some see it as a budget family holiday? What it lacks in upmarket eating houses and glamorous look-out decks it makes up for in its quintessential no-nonsense shops and trendy young-at-heart coffee and sandwich nooks.
What could be more delicious than finding genuine Rip Curl shirts and Billabong goodies at factory prices – dozens of items to choose from.
Where else than in this surfers’ hangout are you going to find old-time surf riders, who can wax lyrical about surfing the “tube”, ready to help new wave recruits with new and second-hand equipment to fit even the most modest pockets.
J-Bay, as it’s fondly known, is where commercialisation has been given a miss and, to my mind, it is all the better for it. Where else could you find a washbasin for sale made out of a piece of petrified tree?
You can get there by car, but remember it’s a 12-hour journey from Durban, and a pretty hairy drive at that. Better by far to book a flight to PE and hire a car. You can find good bargains if you book early.
And if, like me, you enjoy a beach holiday that is a real meltdown, the chances are you won’t be doing much travelling once you reach your destination, so the fuel won’t cost much. This is about deckchair, books, swimming at a Blue Flag beach, walking before breakfast, snacky lunches, sundowners – get my drift?
However, if you feel like a big spoil, you can always head for the Walskipper Restaurant that overlooks the beach. Here you will find a seafood platter that literally takes your breath away. Fresher-than-fresh crayfish, calamari, mussels, prawns and the sound of the surf adding its own magic.
Everything is cooked on red-hot coals, so the aromas are mouth-watering. It won’t be cheap – R400 upwards for two, but for a once-off experience, it can’t be beat.
You can take your own wine. We opted for a Pierre Jourdan Tranquille an elegant wine with not too many bubbles. Decadent menu items like Drambuie, Amarula cream or Irish coffee are there for the asking. And why not – you’re on holiday!
I loved J-Bay’s history. The town is named after a Captain Jeffrey who sailed his cargo ship up and down the East Coast of South Africa on trading expeditions in the 1840s.
During one of these trips scurvy broke out on board and he was forced to bring his vessel to shore. He soon realised that he had hit gold – in property terms, and built a primitive port on what is now the main beach.
Jeffrey built the first house, a double-story mansion known as The White House and in 1850 he and his family became the first white family to settle in the town.
Local historians like Ken Reilly remember a time when the boats coming in to the harbour were so heavily laden with fish that there was no more room on board.
There was a time when huge equinox spring tides turned the sea into a raging monster and when the mist came down in the howling offshore wind, people on the boats couldn’t see the land and didn’t know where to come in.
“That’s when families used to gather on the main beach and light huge bonfires for the ships to see,” recalls Reilly. “We would all sing hymns and pray throughout the night.”
We also learn from the old records that there was a time when there were no more than 10 houses and a few hundred people living there.
Things have changed – but not all that much.
The weather is okay up to the end of April and May. But the best time of all is the December/ January summer break so there’s still plenty of time to book.
Sunday Tribune