Plettenberg Bay is a quiet peaceful town along the Garden Route in the Western Cape, infamously known for an annual festivity whereby the town gets taken over by newly graduating high school students from all over the country for a month long party. Every other month of the year though it is a tourist’s paradise with its incredible scenery, long white sandy beaches and a clear blue ocean full of marine life.
Though our stay was brief, we got a pretty full experience of Plett and the region and maaaan was there some exciting stuff, time literally flew by but I guess that was bound to happen given the amount of fun we were having. To get your pulse racing in Plett there are a few things you have to do..
Surfing: The surf in Plett is quite a step up from the comfortable user-friendly Muizenberg Beach that the crew got used to after our 12 days in Cape Town. Paddling out to waves in Plett is a real awakening to the guys of the physical and mental strength it takes to do this sport. Eyes were wide open and alert after having to challenge their first white water wave on their paddle out. Under the close watch of head coach Jarred Veldhuis and our associates in Plett namely, John, Donna and Levi the crew was in safe hands in the water. After a few rinsings and bails the guys got used to the new conditions and slowly found their feet again. All the batterings, paddling, turtle-rolling and bailing were soon forgotten though as soon as the guys got their first proper ride in Plett. The steepness of the face, the resulting speed and power in the wave and the thrill of the ride gets your pulse racing and the stoke after completion of a good ride will leave a smile on your face for days, and despite the hard work it took to get that ride you cant wait to paddle out and do it all again to get another one! Overall the guys did well in Plett, we’ve established where we are all at individually in our skill level and have set out goals to try and improve as much as possible in the coming weeks working closely with coaches and as much as possible analysing video and pictures. Our next surfing stop is Jeffereys bay, home to the best right point break in the world among many other well known breaks. We’re well prepared to make the most of it.
3,2,1 BUNGYYYYY! Just a short drive up the coast where the Western Cape meets the Eastern Cape is the Tsitsikamma Bridge, home to the worlds highest bridge bungy at a casual 216m. The drive there was a very tense and nervous one, the guys tried everything to calm the nerves and amped themselves up by playing high energy music and cracking a few nervous jokes. As we approached the bridge and they saw for themselves the sheer size of the bridge and the depth of the valley they realised they were about to do something truly unforgettable. I could almost hear everybody’s pulse racing as we drove over. After signing in and going through the briefing it was time to walk the bridge to the platform, this proved to be a daunting task on its own as to make your way there you have to walk over slated steel that flexes under your weight and it offers a full view below your feet of the bottom and you’re thinking “dont look down’ the whole way but you just cant help yourself. By the time you reach the platform you already feel as though you’ve accomplished quite a bit and you havent even jumped yet!
Everybody managed to summon the courage to jump, though Vikki only managed to do it on her second attempt. It was also a first time jump for trip leader Jarred. It’s amazing watching the guys pre and post jump, the combination of pure fear, excitement and anxiousness pre jump really tests you. It’s something you really want to do but when confronted with the opportunity you have to really dig deep and find the courage to let go of your fears and take a leap into the unknown, guys jump down one person and come up another, always better for the experience and feeling more alive than ever, It’s a great thing to share and go through together and one of the most exciting things you could ever do. If you’re in the area, you have to do it, trust me 🙂
On our last day in Plett we decided to out with a bang. The weather was sunny, clear and the skies were blue without a breath of wind, perfect conditions for Sky-Diving! We made our way down to the airfield for another dose of adrenalin still feeling confident a few days after our Bungy experience. The sky-dive felt less daunting because you’re strapped to a highly qualified instructor and from 10 000ft everything seems so small and far away as opposed to the bungy where everything is so near. The Sky-dive is incredible, the view from up top is something to behold, we saw whales out in the bay and the entire coastline, dropping from 10 00ft at almost 200km/hr with a 35sec free fall and with a few somersaults we couldn’t have ended our stay in this incredible place any better. Another must if you’re ever in Plettenberg bay.
Our time in Plett can simply be described as epic and we’re all buzzing after everything we’ve accomplished together this far on our trip both in and out the water 🙂 I made this little video clip of our pulse racing time here, I hope you enjoy it 🙂
Our next stop is Jeffereys Bay, stay tuned for more of our adventures.
Till then 🙂
Luke