Jeffreys Bay, Eastern Cape

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official_name = Jeffreys Bay
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image_caption = Jeffrey's Bay Beach


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subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name = South Africa
subdivision_type1 = Province
subdivision_name1 = Eastern Cape
subdivision_type2 = District Municipality
subdivision_name2 = Cacadu
subdivision_type3 = Local Municipality
subdivision_name3 = Kouga
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timezone = SAST
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latd=34 |latm=2 |lats= |latNS=S
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Jeffreys Bay (Afrikaans: "Jeffreysbaai") is a town located in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. The town is situated just off the N2 Highway, about an hour's drive southwest of Port Elizabeth. Jeffreys Bay is one of the five most famous surfing destinations in the world and hosts the annual Billabong Pro WCT surfing event at Supertubes during July. Spectators and surfers from all over the world flock to this event, which can be viewed live over the internet and various television channels. Boneyards, SuperTubes, MagnaTubes, Impossibles, Tubes, Point, and Kitchen Windows are all famous surf spots located in Jeffreys Bay. [cite web |url=http://www.jaybay.co.za/surfingjbay.htm |title=The Wave |accessdate=2008-07-06 |author= |last= |first= |authorlink= |coauthors= |date= |format= |work= |publisher= |pages= |language= |doi= |archiveurl= |archivedate= |quote= ]

Tourist attractions

Jeffreys Bay is a popular tourist destination because of its surfing opportunities and the blue flag beach. cite web |url=http://www.blueflag.org/blueflag/2007/SouthAfrica/EasternCape/DolphinBeach |title=Blue flag beaches - Dolphin Beach, Jeffreys Bay |accessdate=2008-07-05 |author= |last= |first= |authorlink= |coauthors= |date= |format= |work= |publisher=Blueflag.org |pages= |language= |doi= |archiveurl= |archivedate= |quote= ] Surfing is especially good during the winter months of June, July, and August.Fact|date=October 2007 It is the home of the annual Billabong Pro surfing competition. This international event attracts professional surfers from all over the world, and many tourists as well.

Jeffreys Bay is famous for abundant seashells and calamari. The nearby Kabeljous, Seekoei and Krom river lagoons host numerous water birds, and are also ideal for watersports like canoeing, boardsailing, and fishing. Every year, migrating whales make their way to Hermanus and Witsand to give birth, and whales can be seen breaching on almost every day during the season.Fact|date=October 2007

Just to the northeast of town on the Kabeljous River lies the Kabeljous Nature Reserve. It is a walk-about reserve, well known to anglers for a diverse number of fish. The Kabeljous estuary is one of the best preserved estuaries in the Eastern Cape. The lagoon is home to waterfowl, herons, and a variety of waders. Nearby, the Seekoei River Nature Reserve lies between Aston Bay and Paradise Beach. The reserve lies on the estuary formed by the Seekoei and Swart rivers. The reserve is rich in birdlife with over 120 species of birds. The lagoon is also home to numerous red-knobbed coots, buck and other small animals. Fishing from boats is prohibited here.Fact|date=October 2007 There is also a circular hiking trail that takes about three hours to complete. The trail starts with a trip on a raft across the lagoon and runs through fynbos and subtropical vegetation.

History of Jeffreys Bay

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Jeffreys Bay was known as a hippie hangout, where the now-burgeoning surf community originated. Jeffreys Bay has grown from a sleepy little fishing town over the past few years and is one of the fastest expanding urban areas in the country.Fact|date=October 2007

Demographics

People from all over the world reside in Jeffreys Bay, as it is also the home of one of the largest YWAM (Youth With A Mission) bases in South Africa. At any given time, there are representatives from at least 20 different countries.

Jeffreys Bay is a constituent part of the Kouga Local Municipality in the Eastern Cape Province.

The Jeffreys Bay Surf Break

A very long, fast, tubing right hand point break breaks along the west side of the bay. The break is regarded as one of the best right hand point breaks in the entire world, in both consistency and quality, in season. cite web |url=http://surfermag.com/features/onlineexclusives/jbayspotonspot/index3.html |title=A Revisionist Glance at Historic Surfing Locales: J Bay |accessdate=2008-07-06 |author=Ben Marcus ("SurferMag.com Correspondent") |last= |first= |authorlink= |coauthors= |date=2008-06-30 |format= |work= |publisher=Surfer Magazine |pages= |language= |doi= |archiveurl= |archivedate= |quote= ] cite web |url=http://www.surfline.com/surfnews/photo_bamp_html.cfm?id=16356 |title=Down the line at the world's best pointbreak |accessdate=2008-07-06 |author=Marcus Sanders |last= |first= |authorlink= |coauthors= |date= |format= |work= |publisher=Surfline |pages= |language= |doi= |archiveurl= |archivedate= |quote= ] [cite web |url=http://www.transworldsurf.com/surf/features/article/0,19929,1118220,00.html |title=Surfing's Meccas |accessdate=2008-07-05 |author= |last= |first= |authorlink= |coauthors= |date=2005-10-14 |format= |work= |publisher=Transworld Surf |pages= |language= |doi= |archiveurl= |archivedate= |quote= ] It has been divided up into several sections, including, from the top of the point, "Kitchen Windows", "Magna tubes", , "Boneyards", "Supertubes", "Impossibles", "Tubes", "the Point", and "Albatross". "Supertubes", which itself breaks for about 300m or more, is regarded as the best part of the wave. On rare occasions (large wave sizes, wide-breaking waves, and even swells), "Boneyards" can link up all the way to "the Point" for a ride over one kilometre long. Optimal size is considered to be from about 4 to 10 feet (Hawaiian scale), or about 8 to 20 feet wave faces. The most consistent waves occur between about May to mid September, also often coinciding with offshore winds, although good waves can occasionally occur at other times of the year.Fact|date=October 2007

The initial discovery and promotion of the wave is curious. Another nearby right hand point wave at St Francis Bay was first idolised and promoted in the cult classic surf movie "The Endless Summer" in the 1960s (although both Jeffreys Bay and St Francis Bay were probably surfed much earlier). Surfers who travelled to the area soon stumbled upon the nearby Jeffreys Bay surf break, which was found to be not only a faster, more powerful, and hollower wave, but also much more consistent.cite web |url=http://www.legendarysurfers.com/surf/legends/lsc217j_jbay.html |title=The Early Surfing Years at J-Bay, South Africa |accessdate=2008-07-06 |author=Laurence Platt |last= |first= |authorlink= |coauthors= |date=2008-05-02 |format= |work= |publisher=Legendary Surfers |pages= |language= |doi= |archiveurl= |archivedate= |quote= ]

References

See also

* Surfing

External links

* [http://www.jeffreysbaytourism.org/ Official tourism site]
*
* [http://www.billabongpro.com/ Billabong Pro official site]
* [http://www.savesupertubes.com/ Super tubes surfing Foundation]
* [http://www.salsa.co.za South African Longboard Surfing Association]
* [http://www.pamgolding.co.za/areas/jeffreys-bay/jeffreys-bay.asp A real estate agency's description of Jeffreys Bay's early history and amenities]
* [http://www.jeffreysbay.org.za www.jeffreysbay.org.za Information Portal]