31 Aug, 2008

Gale-force winds whip the sea into a frenzy and erode the Western Cape coastline.

Some wild weather and mountainous seas have kept us out of the water on South Africa's Western Cape coast for an extra day.

This morning we were greeted by winds of up to 85km/h (53mph) ripping through the area. Together with this howling wind, sheets of rain have lashed the province, causing rivers to burst their banks and resulting in extensive flooding.

The sea looks like a washing machine; the strong winds have whipped the surface into a white foaming mass of moving water.

Deep-sea swells of up to 10m (33ft) have been recorded, and this is only the beginning. With predictions that the wind is likely to intensify, the prospect of getting out to sea over the next couple of days is looking slim.

The mountain ranges around the Cape are all capped with snow and temperatures have plummeted to 13°C (55°F).

There was no chance of going out to sea today, and I don't think we will be able to do much over the next few days either.

We took a drive up the west coast just to get the feel of this weather. Spring tides and huge seas, together with gale-force winds, have pushed huge volumes of water into Table Bay, causing extensive damage along the coastline.

Most of the beaches have changed their shape as the water has pushed up into the dunes and eroded large sections of these important beach features, leaving steep sandy walls and very little vegetation to hold the dunes together.

– by Barry Skinstad, Earth-Touch crew © Earth-Touch

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