http:/https://youtu.be/3LczK9M33wk
Our next stop on the Wild Coast after Chinsta is a place called Coffee Bay, History (local guide) tells us that once upon a time a cargo ship carrying tons of coffee beans sunk just off-shore after having to endure rough seas and some extreme weather. In the days that followed the Coffee began to wash up along the shore and with it the ‘birth’ of Coffee Bay. Now true or not I cannot be sure but I quite like the story and so i’ll run with it.
Coffee Bay
Coffee Bay, situated in the heart of the Transkei, is a region that is of quite some significance in South Africa’s history. Commonly known as the ‘homeland’ the Transkei is the part of South Africa that is home to the Xhosa people. The empty rolling hills along the pristine and untouched coastline has for generations been host of one of the countries oldest and most sophisticated cultures. During the days of Apartheid and the Group Areas Act the movement of Black Africans was restricted and closely monitored. The Transkei region was one of the only areas in which they were allowed to move freely. Many of South Africa’s leaders during the struggle and fight for freedom were born and raised in the region and even today, years on, it still maintains its rural and raw feel with little to no development and the majority of its inhabitants living solely off of the land and in traditional Mud Huts or structures of similar sorts. There are traces of western culture but that is mainly due to the tourism (main source of economic growth in the region) industry in the relatively tiny Coffee Bay.
Locals
Our home for our stay in Coffee Bay is at the wonderful Coffee Shack Backpackers, right at the waters edge it was only a short and beautiful walk to the ocean and our home break in the bay. There is a strong surf culture developing in Coffee Bay, due mainly to the owner of the Coffee Shack Backpackers Dave Malherbe who is a former professional surfer himself and he’s always eager to share his wisdom and local knowledge with us. They run a surf school out of the backpackers and in-turn provide opportunities to the local youth to learn to surf. They also arranged guided tours for us in the local area which involved hiking the many hills and adventuring around to marvel at the geological wonder of the area whilst also making it possible to pass through the villages, learning about and meeting the local people.
The waves in Coffee Bay on this particular trip were incredible especially for where everybody was at in their surfing. We had a bit of everything but over the duration of our stay we had good consistent surf that was great relative to the skill levels. One of the things that sets Coffee bay apart from other stops is the backdrop, the massive Mapuzi Cliffs are really a thing of beauty, the realisation of being in a remote area, surfing great uncrowded waves with your friends really sets in, this is surf travel, this is why you come on the trip! During our sessions we often hud Humpback Whales breaching on the horizon and Dolphins in and amongst us surfing the waves.
I had the opportunity to get in the water again and swim the housing and managed to get a few fun shots of the guys enjoying the waves.
We were invited by Sustainable Coffee Bay to visit the nearby Montessori school which offers quality education to a region which otherwise wouldn’t have access to it. Sustainable Coffee Bay is an organisation run through and in part by the Coffee Shack Backpackers and plays a large role in the social and economic development of the region through education. Coffee Bay is one of the poorest and mot rural regions of South Africa and is in dire need of social and economic upliftment. Our visit came with a donation that will go a long way in helping Sustainable Coffee Bay continue the great work they do.
🙂
Luke