To many the idea of Coffee Bay may sound like paradise, with capuccino's, latte's, and espresso's left right and centre. Well it is a little paradise, but is named Coffee Bay after coffee beans which washed up on the beach from a shipwreck back in the 19th century. Coffee Bay is a very small town on the coast in the Transkei. When I say a town you may get the wrong connotations, even a village may say too much. There is one small store to buy groceries and a few different backpackers and a hotel.
It is one of my favourite stops on the trip, I can't quite pinpoint why, but I think it is just the way life slows down in Coffee Bay. It is such a peaceful place, with so little to do that it really allows one to relax properly. Days are spent surfing, lying in hammocks or going for walks. We got great waves as we arrived in Coffee Bay. There is a nice left that runs into a small river mouth and a right point that works in certain conditions, as well as several peaks down the beach. It took a while for everyone to get into the rhythm of surfing a new wave, especially with it being bigger than anything they had surfed before, but by the second day everyone was starting to feel more comfortable. Everyone's surfing has really come along so nicely, both in improvement and in confidence.
Their are so many aspects to surfing which people do not take into account when wanting to learn. It is much harder than one thinks, and even making it out to the backline can be a real challenge. Once you are there whether you actually want to catch the big waves is a whole new story and then after all that catching the wave and making the takeoff are a challenge all on their own. Bottome line I guess is that it takes time and a real go-for-it attitude! Fortunately this group all have a really good attitude and are prepared to face their fears and push their boundaries each and every surf.
Coffee Shack is a great backpackers with fun day trips each day as well as amazing food and really good environment to live in. They have lots of staff and you always feel your needs are being met and at the same time that they are your friends. To get an idea of some of the other stuff we got up to in Coffee Bay you are going to have to read my next blog.
Until then I hope you are all well whoever and wherever you may be.
To the good times,
Chris