Oscar-winning filmmaker, naturalist and the co-founder of the Sea Change Project, Craig Foster recently shared his favourite coastal adventures in Cape Town.
Foster is the creator behind the Academy Award-winning 2020 documentary My Octopus Teacher, which championed a global movement of emotional ecology, Cape {town} Etc reports.
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His latest book, Amphibious Soul: Finding the Wild in a Tame World, looks at why it’s crucial to reconnect with our natural instincts and our bond with nature. There’s no better place to experience this than South Africa, where Foster grew up and which he calls ‘the heart of the world’.
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Foster recently spoke to the BBC in which he shared his favourite underwater adventures in Cape Town:
Windmill Beach
Foster says he begins each day with a dive, something he highlights for its positive effect on his mind and body.
‘It’s all about finding something that suits your physical ability,’ he says. ‘If you know your environment, you can pick your activity accordingly. Windmill Beach is a beautiful spot to dive. It’s usually protected from swell.’
Fishing and marine harvesting at this site is prohibited because the beach is located within the boundaries of a protected area. However, it is a great spot to discover various species of seaweed and kelp, shoals of fish and octopus.
You might even see a small shark! ‘Embrace the cold, but don’t push it,’ Foster adds. ‘Enjoy the dopamine rush afterwards.’
He likes to end his dives by climbing onto a sun-warmed boulder and braai next to the ocean.
Cape Point Nature Reserve
The Cape Point Nature Reserve is home to the Cape of Good Hope and has a vast landscape of fynbos, native species like Chacma baboons, and Cape clawless otters.
Foster likes to track wildlife here. ‘Tracking is like a window across time into the past and future.’ His tip is to pay attention to signs left behind by nature, such as marking in the sand – which could provide ‘amazing pictures of what happened in the night’.
- Location: Buffelsfontein Visitors Centre, Cape Peninsula, Cape Town
- Contact: 021 780 9204
- Website: capepoint.co.za/visitus
Cape Town’s tidal pools
Cape Town’s popular tidal pools are perfect for beginners in the water and families. ‘It’s a good idea to start in tidal pools,’ Foster says. ‘They are all around the whole coast and fed constantly by the sea. I’ve observed incredible animal behaviour in tidal pools and had incredible interactions with octopuses.’
There are quite a few to choose from, including Dalebrook, Glencairn and Miller’s Point.
‘Go early in the morning to avoid crowds,’ he says, adding that visitors should take a moment to float on their backs and stare up at the sky. ‘There’s something great about doing nothing.’
Muizenberg Beach
‘Going for a body surf and taking a dip after…the rush of dopamine changes your brain chemistry,’ says Foster, who loves body surfing. ‘It’s absolutely wonderful.’
Muizenberg Beach is renowned as one of the Cape’s best surfing spots. Here, aspiring surfers can attend surf lessons, and it is also the perfect spot for kayak surfing.
Alternatively, windsurfing or kitesurfing activities are best enjoyed at Blouberg Beach or further up the west coast to Langebaan.
Tokai Trails
If you want a trail that offers wonderful off-roading from cars and crowds with picturesque views of the ocean, then the Tokai Trails are just for you.
Furthermore, Foster also recommends the ‘beautiful trails through fynbos with varying levels’ that cut through the Tokai Forest. A nice alternative is the Silvermine Loop, which starts at the Silvermine Dam parking lot.
False Bay
This is the place to go if you are an avid whale-watcher. False Bay offer cetaceans a haven between June and December.
Foster reminds visitors to keep the environment in mind when going out on an adventure, such as getting involved in a beach cleanup or volunteering at a local conservation agency. ‘[Mother Earth] has fed us from the beginning; it’s not much to ask that we now support her. All of our lives depend on it.’
Boulders Beach
Boulders Beach is mostly famous for its inhabitants: the African Penguin. It has been reported that the colony arrived sometime during the early 1980s and despite being heavily protected by conservation efforts, they are still endangered.
‘Be sure to always give them a wide berth should they cross your path,’ says Foster.
De Hoop Nature Reserve
If you’d like a longer drive to your outing, you can travel three hours outside Cape Town to the De Hoop Nature Reserve where sights of herds of eland, bontebok and ostriches, plenty of birds and opportunities for whale watching await.
The site is home to many trails but remember: fishing has been banned for some 30-odd years. ‘I’ve seen herds of elands along the ocean, along with hundreds of whales,’ says Foster. ‘It’s quite a privilege to visit a place with so much biodiversity on land and underwater, a place that’s still intact.’
- Location: De Hoop Nature Reserve, Overberg DC, 6740
- Contact: 021 4224522
- Website: www.dehoopcollection.com
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Picture: kylefromthenorth / Unsplash
