Blaauwberg House

Just in time for the upcoming December high holiday season, Bloubergstrand’s very own Big Bay beach has received a lovely and deserved honour when it was awarded Blue Flag status.

A Blue Flag is an annually presented, prestigious international award (also described as an ‘eco-label’) given to beaches and marinas that have met stringent standards set by the Foundation for Environmental Education in terms of its water quality, safety standards, facilities, environmental education and information, the provision of services, and general environmental management. An exclusive Blue Flag on a beach acts as a guarantee to tourists and vacationers that the beach they are visiting is one of the best and safest in the world.

Big Bay is one of just twenty-nine South African beaches to have received the honour this year – up from last year’s nineteen. South Africa’s Tourism Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk said that this was extremely good news for local tourism.

“South Africa’s Blue Flag beaches increase our desirability and reputation as a world class destination. With the exception of Morocco, South Africa is the only African country implementing Blue Flag, and we have done so with increasing success since 2001,” Minister van Schalkwyk said.

Other South African beaches that have received Blue Flag status include:

– Yzerfontein Main beach, Yzerfontein (new);
– MacDougall’s Bay, Port Nolloth (new);
– Clifton Fifth beach, Cape Town;
– Camps Bay, Cape Town;
– Muizenberg, Cape Town;
– Strandfontein beach, Cape Town;
– Mnandi beach, Cape Town;
– Bikini beach, Gordon’s Bay;
– Kleinmond beach, near Hermanus (back in programme);
– Hawston beach, near Hermanus;
– Grotto beach, Hermanus;
– Lappiesbaai, Stilbaai, Southern Cape;
– Santosbeach, Mossel Bay (new);
– Hartenbos beach, Mossel Bay (new);
– Robberg 5 beach, Plettenberg Bay (new);
– Dolphin beach, Jeffrey’s Bay;
– Humewood beach, Port Elizabeth;
– Hobie beach, Port Elizabeth;
– Wells Estate, north of Port Elizabeth;
– Kelly’s beach, Port Alfred;
– Kariega Main beach, Kenton-on-Sea (new);
– Boknes beach, Kenton-On-Sea (new);
– Gonubie beach, East London(back in programme);
– Trafalgar beach, South Coast, KwaZulu-Natal (new);
– Marina beach, South Coast, KwaZulu-Natal;
– Ramsgate beach, near Margate;
– Margate beach; and
– Alkantstrand, Richard’s Bay (new).

Bloubergstrand’s Big Bay recently played host to the 2009 Oxbow Big Bay Classic. Known as the most outstanding windsurfing event in Africa, it annually attracts top riders from around the world to compete in two windsurfing disciplines: the IFCA Slalom World Championships and the WSA Open Wave Championships.

Oxbow Big Bay Classic World Championship Windsurfing

From 5 to 10 January, over 40 local and international competitors, including South African slalom stars Peter Lumley, Cameron Bruce and Mark Durham, battled it out against Great Britain’s Ross William’s, Italy’s Alberto Menegati, France’s Benoit Moussilmani and Belgium’s Wolfgang Verlaeckt.

It is no surprise that Big Bay is the chosen venue for this world class event. Consistent summer winds sweeping across the bay makes this arguably the best windsurfing spot in the world!

So the fact that the famous Cape Doctor wind took its sweet time to show up during this year’s event was merely a fluke. When it finally did arrive about four days into the event, it made for a spectacular show. Ben Van der Steen from the Netherlands secured the World Title slalom. But it was the last jump in the wave final, in which Great Britain’s Phil Horrocks set a double forward, that secured him the overall victory in the 2009 Open African Championships. Matthew Swart performed the best among the South African men, ending up in fifth place.

The South African women did exceptionally well, taking the top three spots in the ladies wave. Natasha Petersmann won, Katja Streih came in second place, and third place was tied between Sam Smithson and Maria Lyness-Bosing.