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Cape Town, another things to do exept surfing ?

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SaaR
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Cape Town, another things to do exept surfing ?

Postby SaaR » Thu Dec 13, 2012 7:15 pm

Hey, i wanna go there with my family and iam the only one who surf.. there is another attractions and things to do exept to kitesurf?
Is it worth to go there with the family (not only for surf)
Thanks,
Saar

-When is the best season there in which month ?
-Also if u know where is the best time to be in brazil i will be glad

BWD
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Re: Cape Town, another things to do exept surfing ?

Postby BWD » Thu Dec 13, 2012 8:44 pm

Cape Town is an awesome destination:
Surf, Kitesurf, Windsurf
Dining -seafood, wine, venison, beef, fresh veg all outstanding.
Wildlife/nature viewing
Nearby wine region/wineries
Hiking
History
etc.
SE Wind, aka Cape Doctor is strong now through February.
Water is cold, 9-12 C. Take a 4/3 wetsuit.
Wind is strong as in 5-9m size kites, typically 25 knot winds, sometimes gusts to 40+.
Confident kiters will have their pick of spots on and around the Cape Penninsula.
Endless variety of breaks and beaches.
Easy/comfortable spot is Langebaan, 1.5h north of CPT. Warmer water there, estuary/beach town.
Amazing scenery, mostly nice people and safe if you use common sense, give respect and stay out of bad areas.
Also be aware of sharks, & know your limits. The conditions are strong!
If you want to do a lot of kiting.surfing, stay near a spot, not downtown. Have a car.
Don't try to drive from the peninsula or Muizenberg up north (or v.v.) at rush hour.
Over-run with tourists around New Year, wind more or less shuts down in March.
Go before then.

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Re: Cape Town, another things to do exept surfing ?

Postby Pippi langsamer » Thu Dec 13, 2012 9:07 pm

I wouldn't worry about the sharks too much. Almost all of the kite beaches are on the West Coast of the peninsula which is the cold Atlantic. Round the corner is the warmer Indian Ocean and that's where almost all the shark activity is.

But yes, avoid Xmas time as its just too busy and you'll be lucky to find accoms and car hire.

If you have the room, I'd recommend taking a bigger kite too as it will enable you to get out in the mornings. The SE wind is generally very linear in the way it builds throughout the day. Starts mid to late morning, and gets progressively stronger thru to the evening when it can be bonkers.

At my weight of +/- 80kg, 7.5 and 9m kites were the norm- 12 would be good to have for mornings or days when it's not quite so manic.

Bloubergstrand, Table View, Melkbosstrand, Langebaan as mentioned all places to consider staying.

You and your family will fall in love with the place. Most of your preconceptions will probably be forgotten about. Sooooo much to do.....

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Re: Cape Town, another things to do exept surfing ?

Postby Toby » Thu Dec 13, 2012 9:11 pm

and they have a cable park!

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Re: Cape Town, another things to do exept surfing ?

Postby BWD » Thu Dec 13, 2012 9:14 pm

well last March a surfer was killed by a shark in CPT 2 weeks after I was there, and a croc ate a guy at Richards bay right after we got back from Durban, there were tuna jumping out of the water around me in Durban, sharks are plentiful in ZA no doubt. Mostly won't get ya though.
I'd go again in a heartbeat. 8)

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Re: Cape Town, another things to do exept surfing ?

Postby Hugh2 » Thu Dec 13, 2012 9:40 pm

BWD wrote:well last spring a surfer was killed by a shark in CPT 2 weeks after I was there, and a croc ate a guy at Richards bay right after we got back from Durban, there were tuna jumping out of the water around me in Durban, sharks are plentiful in ZA no doubt. Mostly won't get ya though.
I'd go again in a heartbeat. 8)
But that surfer shark attack in CPT was almost certainly in False Bay, where the surfers take those risks for the warm waves. It takes some nerve to kite there, and it is pretty much straight onshore andyway, so unless you live over there it seems pointless. The vast majority of kiters are on the Atlantic side in Table Bay, and I don't know of any shark attacks there. One does see mola-mola (sunfish) sometimes, and for a split second their dark triangular dorsal fins look like a shark. But as the above posters note, there are endless things for a family to do in Cape Town. I would include the museums downtown, obviously day trips like Table Mountain and Cape Point, plus up the west coast to a fossil park near Langebaan, and further north along that coast is lovely too. If you are there for a long time you need to travel up the east coast a bit (and stop at Witsands for some kiting if the SE is blowing there - there are huge bull sharks there, but they are only interested in the fish that fishermen are catching). I'm headed back home to CPT on Christmas day for three weeks, and if it is anything like 2010 and 2012, and it looks like it is from WINDGURU, then it will be epic again. I'm hoping Hadlow and Len10 will be around too, it's fun to watch them ride in the late afternoon when most everyone else is either exhausted or too scared.

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Re: Cape Town, another things to do exept surfing ?

Postby Pippi langsamer » Thu Dec 13, 2012 10:02 pm

BWD wrote:well last March a surfer was killed by a shark in CPT 2 weeks after I was there, and a croc ate a guy at Richards bay right after we got back from Durban, there were tuna jumping out of the water around me in Durban, sharks are plentiful in ZA no doubt. Mostly won't get ya though.
I'd go again in a heartbeat. 8)
He was killed hours away nr Plettenberg Bay. Again, Indian Ocean waters. You won't be kiting there.

Some folk do kite Muizenberg on the IO side, but I've never fancied it. Shark cage diving is big business as you cross over to the IO side. Over chumming and lots of sharks. I did a cage dive few years back and saw about 5 great whites up close, the biggest being nearly 6m :o

Never had a worry kiting West Coast side though. Your biggest worry will be which spot to choose to kite :thumb: Dolphin Beach was always my favourite. Haakgat few mins down the road for waves.

Langtree et al are there right now

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Re: Cape Town, another things to do exept surfing ?

Postby rtz » Fri Dec 14, 2012 12:21 am

When this camera pans around; how much do those rooms rent for? Also; is it easy/possible to buy a "Maui Cruiser" type vehicle there instead of renting one? Might stay a month or three considering the long flight.


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Re: Cape Town, another things to do exept surfing ?

Postby Pippi langsamer » Fri Dec 14, 2012 9:43 am

That's certainly the Bloubergstrand area. Best option is to have a Google session. Price will depend greatly on when you choose to go. If you're planning on staying for a few months, you'll probably get a better rate. We used to live in Atlantic Beach Golf Estate a cpl km down the road in Melkbosstrand. Lovely estate, though possibly a bit pricey. Eden on the Bay and Seaside Village are two other nice complexes up in Big Bay. You've then got countless apartments along Otto du Plessis Drive etc. Horizon, Dolphin Ridge, Waves Edge, Infinity etc etc etc........

Two of the larger real estate companies are Seef and Remax.

Also check out a few of these for an idea:

http://www.bigbayaccommodation.co.za/
http://www.tableviewrentals.co.za/
http://www.property24.com/to-rent/bloub ... cape/11580
http://www.iolproperty.co.za/properties ... y/Blouberg
http://www.atlanticbeachaccommodation.co.za/Prop.htm


Also worth looking on Gumtree. Look for properties for rent around Bloubergstrand, Table View, Big Bay, Eden on Bay, Seaside Village, Melkbosstrand etc.

http://capetown-westerncape.gumtree.co. ... onZ3100010

You may get some more useful advice copy n pasting your questions onto the below site too. It's the "local", kitesurfing forum. Some folk may know of other accoms options for you and will be able to offer more on-the-spot advice.

http://forums.ikiteboarding.com/forums/ ... Forum.aspx

Also, check out the webcams for the Table View area:

http://www.bestkiteboardingafrica.com/Webcam.php (has the Blowfeed real time wind stats too)

http://www.xplorer.co.za/local/webcams/index.html

http://cabrinha.co.za.www8.cpt3.host-h.net/webcam/

I'd strongly recommend tagging your board with a cell phone number too. Soooo many boards get lost and turn up. With a huge kiting scene, chances are your board will get picked up by a fellow kiter and dropped in one of the many shops. It's far easier if theres a number on it! Swell can be big, and currents can be strong. I've lost two boards. One was picked up 11 miles offsore by a yachtsman! Langebaan can swallow boards if the tide is running.

It's getting more n more expensive to live in Cape Town now. Cost of living has soared in last few years, so you don't get as much for your $$$ as you might once have done so, but it's still without doubt my favourite place in the world.


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