Toxic Sludge

By Heinz de Boer and Bhavna Sookha

Fears are growing that the lucrative Easter season will be a non-event for thousands of tourists who normally flock to KwaZulu-Natal's premier holiday resort, Ballito, which is still covered in a foul-smelling "blanket" of toxic sludge and raw sewage.

Bathing has been banned and disaster management officials from the KwaDukuza Municipality have strict instructions to bar the public from Ballito's beaches, which are considered a major health hazard. Government officials have also warned lovers of sea food to steer "well clear" of any shellfish collected in the region.

Jeff Gaisford of KwaZulu-Natal Wildlife said "contamination of local shellfish like crayfish and mussels has made eating seafood harvested in the region an extremely risky business".

"We are strongly advising people not to catch shellfish along the coast. They are are filter feeders and ecoli tends to build up in their gut. If the shellfish is not cooked properly the person ingesting it will become ill. Some people even eat certain shellfish like mussels raw, and this is very dangerous."

To avoid a health crisis officials have also vaccinated 200 lifeguards and municipal workers against hepatitis and tetanus.

The warnings come more than a week after the massive seas totally destroyed three sewerage pump stations near Ballito and damaged a further six. While at least four have since been repaired and are partially operational, sewage that would have been collected and pumped to processing plants is instead flowing on to beaches. The foul- smelling sludge is reportedly floating about 100m out to sea and is spreading along a 2km stretch of coast.

Chief fire officer for the region, Adrian Barnes, said the smell and effluent spread was dependent on tides and wind direction. "Teams have been working flat out to control the situation. Unfortunately soak pits and septic tanks that were washed away from holiday homes are also discharging sewage onto the beaches, and that's why we are keeping them closed. Our concern is to keep the public, and especially children, away from puddles of sewage and streams.

"Everything we are removing from the beach is also being treated as toxic and is being dumped separately," Barnes said.

Siza Water, who manages the Dolphin Coast's sewerage infrastructure, have confirmed that their teams are busy replacing more than 100m of damaged sewerage piping. MD Robert Giron said it could take three weeks to normalise the situation.

"A lot also depends on restoring the electricity supply to the renaming stations. We are fortunate that it is mainly residential sewage that is not coupled with industrial waste," Giron said.

Lin Gravelet-Blondin from the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry said: "It is fortunate that the sea does not usually take a permanent knock from incidents like this." He also said ecoli didn't survive well in the sea due to the high saline levels but urged people not to fish or eat fish from the affected areas.

• This article was originally published on page 1 of Daily News on March 29, 2007

Surf Update

Sorry for the late report, been running around like a headless chicken. There is some swell around and the tides are nice and low so there should be some surf tomorrow morning.
The dive still looks bleak, with no real south west winds due for another 4 or 5 days.
Interestingly the south coast has some spots that are over 4m vis .... diveable if you are a desperate rock robber in need of some buggs.

Spot ya

Coatesman

Good Conditions - Beaches still closed!

This morning was a pearler! if this was a couple weeks ago we would be surfing and or diving. But the water is still murky and the beaches are still closed.

Tongaat and La Mercy looked like they were cleaning up yesterday, this gives us some hope of a dive for the weekend.

But with no real south winds I think we are just being hopeful.

I am hoping to here what is happening with our beaches in the next day or two and I will kep you posted.
See ya

Coatesman

Suf and Dive Report ... Poo Poo Report!

I got down to the beach this morning only to find a fence blocking access to the beach, with a sign telling of all the nasty Poo on the beach.

Nasty indeed, but I did see some kids in the sea yesterday ...... nasty! I would not get into the Poo at a Poo farm, and I am sure their parents would not either. So the fences are a good thing I suppose.

I just hope that the guys get Poo Poo Pipes sorted out sooner than later.

It is frustrating! the conditions are great light to moderate southerlies, which would normally mean good seas and good diving. But alas it is Poo brown almost every where on the coast. Maybe after this batch of southerlies we will have some water??

Send me any news of clean water or ..... well anything interesting.



Cheers

Coatesman

Surf and Dive Report

Howdy folks,

The sea is still Poo brown in Ballito and Salt Rock ..... excuse the pun on Poo. Siza Water the chaps who look after the sewage system said that some ridiculous amount of raw sewage is being dumped onto our beaches daily.

I hope the guys start making a plan soon! And even more interesting will be the local governments response to calls of help to fix things up.

That aside the North Coast Board Riders meet on Saturday for a local surf search. Ans as allways we were blessed with great surf. We went about 30km up from Ballito to try get away from the Poo water .... some how it did not stop my sinuses going for a ball of poo!!

We found a great Left break in a bay that only ever breaks right ... ???

The wave was nice and round and most guys got a couple of barrels and beatings.

There are other cool trips and get aways coming up so go and check out the web site for more details: North Coast Board Riders

Cheers for now

Coatesman

Spearfishing and Surfing Report

I took a look at Ballito Main beach this morning just to see how the waves were breaking and see if there were any banks. The only bank seems to be at Bathers but Surfers has nothing to shout about. I dont think we will see anything special from this area for a while.

This is not a bad thing considering the raw sewage that is pouring onto the beach at the moment, I dont need to be tempted to go surf there!

But all is not lost there are some spots that have heaps of sand ..... and no poo!!! So we will still get wet!

On the dive front I am quiet optimistic that it will clean up, the water has already gone from brown to green and I am sure that the next good west will do some more good. I am quiet keen to explore some of the scoured out points and ledges.

Anyway I will keep you posted.

Coatesman

The Great Shark Hunt.

The Great Shark Hunt.  

 

Is the Grey Nurse Shark really on the brink of extinction as we�ve been told?   Or has good science been junked for Green politics?   SUNDAY investigates claims that evidence has been suppressed by some scientists suggesting these so-called thilocenes of the sea are not endangered at all

 

Recreational and sports dive fishermen say that while they strongly support protecting the Grey Nurse Shark, they�re being unfairly locked out of new marine parks and other prime fishing areas at least in part because of scientific claims suggesting there are now as few as 400 Grey Nurse left along the entire East Coast of Australia.

 

To prove their case there�s thousands of Grey Nurse sharks out there, they�ve taken SUNDAY to the secret spots where they say these beautiful animals are thriving � locations they are refusing to disclose to Fisheries scientists because they fear these areas too will be closed off from fishing.

 

The now retired State Upper House MP Dr Jon Jenkins, a highly qualified scientist himself, believes someone in NSW Fisheries chose to sit on a second scientific survey of Grey Nurse shark numbers done in August 2003.  He used the Parliamentary Order for Papers in 2005 to demand Fisheries hand over any studies, reviews or reports on the shark�s numbers but he says it wasn�t until late last year, when he insisted the data existed, that the Parliament was finally given the evidence.

 

Jenkins believes someone did not want the public and policy-makers to know about this evidence which he believes undermines the published data that Fisheries scientists are now using to justify expensive research and to also justify restrictions on fishing worth many millions of dollars.

 

�They just trashed the science that didn�t support their point of view,�  Jenkins says.

 

 But Chief Fisheries Scientist Dr Steve Kennelly defends his scientists, denying the data was suppressed and saying it could not be used to count Grey Nurse numbers because it was inadequate to be statistically valid.

 

However eminent Townsville-based marine biologist Dr Walter Starck, one of the pioneers of scientific investigation of coral reefs, also believes claims the Grey Nurse is near extinction are unsubstantiated:

 

 

�I think that the population the total population is probably much larger than is being claimed,� he tells SUNDAY.

 

Dr Starck, and other respected marine biologists consulted by SUNDAY, believe too little is known about the numbers and locations where Grey Nurse�s congregate for current survey methods to be able to accurately measure the population.

 

It�s a high-stakes debate because one of the fundamental basis�, for founding marine parks up and down NSW� coastline was to protect the Grey Nurse shark.  Economic analyses have costed the effects of fishing closures as being disastrous for the NSW economy.   What Dr Jenkins argues is that such measures should be based on rigorous objective science.

 

�Somewhere along the line, a deliberate or an accidental fraud has been perpetrated here.   The science is absolutely clear that these documents clearly indicated that there were more than 500 sharks out there and yet it has been withheld and not only has it been withheld it has been suppressed from both the public, the scientific community and the Parliament.�

 

 

Reporter: Ross Coulthart

SUNDAY � Channel Nine TV � 9am

Surf and Dive update

All back to normal ... well the sea is at last. The beach well that is another issue all together.
I don't think the banks for surfing will be any good for a while. We were surfing 6ft plus waves yesterday on a full low tide and it was like a high tide. All the sand is out at sea somewhere.

It will all return to normal but I think that it might take a while. However some beaches have more sand than ever! One point in particular had some right hand barrels spitting there way along a perfectly formed sand bank. I have never seen that point beak like that ever.

So All might not be lost! we might find some bomb waves in some new and wonderful places.
Next week around Tuesday we are expecting some south swell and with the low tide in the morning this will be our first look at if there are going to be waves this winter.

On the diving front ..... I think Mozambique is a good option ... I just cant see the sea coming right in the next week. Although none of the rivers are pumping mud all this brown water is from the wave action and we never know we might just get lucky.

Cheers 4 now

Coatesman

Huge Surf Rocks Coast

If you have not seen it your self you would not believe it! The damage is unreal, the surf has totally hammered our coast.

I have put up a web album with some pics from the mates. They are wild, but some how jut dont do justice to the actual size of the surf.

The worst does seem to be over now, with the swell dropping as we speak and the tides moving off Springs. Some of the tides were at 2.28m high ...thats flipp'n high! And to have that co-inside with the huge swell is a freak of nature!

Anyway while we were getting hammered by swell the news of a giant blue fin tuna has surfaced. It was 292kg a potential World record.

Some how I dont think we will be getting in the water for a couple weeks .... I guess my running shoes are going to see some action!

Coatesman

MONSTER SWELL

Monster Swell hit our coast last nite!!

 

I woke up and was about to go for a run when Rob jokingly sms's me for a surf. After a couple sms's I establish that it is rather large. So with new enthusiasm ... coz I hat running, my running shoes are on and I am down the road down to the beach. I come out between La Montaigne Hotel and Ballito lifesaving Club, only to find that there is no beach and the swell was huge. I ran south towards Bog Bay and as I came around the corner, all I saw was dead bury and carnage. The walk way had been totally washed away, I watched as a set with 2 story plus walls broke outside the bay.

 

The wooden bridge had planks all over the place and on the other side towards Boulders the walk way had totally been washed away, and rocks and dead bury had been washed through the front of some of the ground floor flats.

 

The swell is probably the biggest south swell I have seen in 15 years, that with the 2,28m high tide at 4 this morning ... well disaster!! A normal spring tide is under 2m so it was a freak combination. The swell will hang around a bit, but will drop over nite. So this afternoons high tide should be interesting ... but not as hectic as this morning.

 

Please send through any pics you have of the swell I will put them up in a gallery.

 

Will keep you posted

 

 

Coatesman

Surf and Dive Report

I Did not see the sea today, on route to Swaziland. But the guys recon
that it is a little all over the place after last nights storm.
There is a west later today so 2moro should be alright. But Sunday looks bleak.
Cheers
Coatesman

Spearo and surfing Report

Well the sea is clean and the conditions are great. The surf is not all time but loads of fun ones around.

But by next week there is going to be some serious swell and I think diving will be out for a couple days. However dust off those boards .... I think we are in for some serious waves. the forecast is showing strong winds on Sunday and Monday being a pearler.

Gotta love the sea,

Coatesman

Spearfishing and Surfing Report

Well today is one of those days you wish you did not have to work. The sea is lovely, good waves and the vis is not that bad.
The light and variable winds becoming south again tonight will probably make tomorrow another good one.

See you out there,

Coatesman

Spearfishing Report

All seems to be back to normal, last nite I got in at one of my favorite spots. The water was looking very fishy, and i got passed by a shoal of snoek 10min into the dive. But we continued out deeper to the deep drop off, where the vis was 6-8m.

There was a huge shoal of grunter on the bottom, but none of them were over the 6 -8 kg mark so they swam past without any sprung steel. My dive buddy got a nice one of about 3-4kg although there were bigger ones.

It was quiet for the first 30min and it was starting to get dark, but it just seemed like the fish were there. We were probably going to pack it in when wile I was on the bottom I notice the bait fish all start swimming in one direction, and not  around me. I looked to where they had come from and there was this cuta swimming onto the flasher. That was the first one.

A short while later while I was diving down my dive buddy (a nice guy) noticed two cuta coming in. I had my back to the fish and could not see them. I usually only scan once or twice while diving down and try keep streamlined. So he drops down very slowly not to spook the fish keeping his distance, just encase I dont see the fish. Any way I did my quick scan half way down and saw them just sitting next to me, amazing how cuta will just sit on you when you are not swimming at them!

I drilled the one, with my dive buddy having to watch the whole thing go down. I am sure his good manners will pay off ... what goes around comes around.

Anyway  I did not dive this morn, but some mates got in and they did see some snoek spearing one. They said the viz was about 4m, but this should improve with the west.

See you out there,

Coatesman

Dive and Surf update

Sorry for the late update,

Damn PC was on the blink ... all sorted now :-)

The week end was not to bad the water was not the greatest but there were some fish and most guys got some buggs.

This morning some snoek and cuta came out of Umhlodti and driving past La mErcy at lunch time it looked like it was getting very clean. Ballito is still a little green at the moment, with a bit of luck things will improve.

Any way I will see you out there.

Coatesman

Spearfishing and Surf Update .... Game on!

Well finally the conditions have settled and we got in for a quick one. I took my little 900 railgun thinking I would quickly grab some buggs and head off to work.

 

But as Murphy would have it we got to a 10m ledge and on Morne's first dive he got a nice cuta of about 9 or 10kg. Thats were the idea of catching buggs went out the window. We did a couple more dives, I saw a nice kingfish .... too far for my small gun :-(

 

The deeper ledge had some some snoek and I managed to get close enough to get one. Morne got one and dropped one. By then our hour was up and we had to get out.

 

So it is looking good.

 

Next week also looks like there will be some good conditions with the swell flattening out and moderate variable winds. Lets see what happens.

 

Cheers

 

Coatesman

Surf and Dive Report - Back to Normal

Finally the weather seems to be back to normal. The sea looked like its good old self for the first time in weeks. I think it might take a couple days for the vis to improve but there is some hope.

 

The one good thing about the big surf is that all the points and shallow ledges will scoured out exposing some nice crayfishing holes.

 

I will keeping an eye on things,

 

cheers

 

Coatesman

Surf and Dive Update

No Diving and No Surfing!!

 

Another day goes by and we are high and dry, I feel like an old veldskoen that got chucked out and lost somewhere in the Kalahari. ...... or something like that. Please excuse my idiot-syncro-seas I am loosing the plot here! Its been over 2 weeks with no surfing or diving, and it looks like it might be another day or so .......

 

Seriously bummed

 

Coatesman

Surf and Dive Report - Going Cold Turkey

I think every one is having with drawl symptoms, and are going cold turkey - having to face the fact that we are just not going to be getting in any time soon. Its not like the surf has been great either! One day huge and rough the next ... well huge and only slightly rough.

 

Today the off shore was blowing and the swell had cleaned up allot but with the high tide and banged up banks it was not really rideable.

 

The long term forecast does not show any solid hope of getting in before the week end. But the sea is a funny thing and we will just have to wait and see.

 

Coatesman

Swell and more Swell

Swell and more Swell,

 

The surfers are even bleak coz the swell has been huge and all over the place. This morning saw the first swell that was looking rideable. But not great ... welI was not rushing out there!

 

Durban must be firing on all cylinders, and it looks like there is more to come.

 

On the diving front not much has happened other than the odd story of some desperado rolling in the rocks trying to find the odd crayfish ... who though it would be a good idea to get out of the sea.

 

But all is not lost Andy finally gave me his story and you can go and check it out on

 http://www.salty-diver.com/spearfishing_stories/andys_black_marlin.html

This is bound to make you even more frustrated ..... sorry

 

Coatesman

Huge swell keeps the buggs safe.

The swell is still strong, slightly smaller than yesterday. But
absolutely no hope of a dive.
The sea looks like its going to take a while to come right. I have
even heard via the via that the big sea has opened the St Lucia mouth.
Good news for the fisherman.
The Salt Rock Spearfishing Club had their club evening last night.
There was a good turn out, and we great time. I did some diving
training which turned out to be quite helpfull.
Any way the east is up the swell is up. The west going to pump, so we
might as well in and watch rugby. Cheers
Chris

Huge swell protects the crayfish once again.

Well the bunny huggers will be stoked that the buggs arnt getting clubbed!! the swell has finally arrived, after threatening to pull in for over a week. I was amped to surf, but the swell was a little all over the place from the onshore winds yesterday.

 

The swell looks like it will peak some time today and dissipate as the cyclone dies. But don't hold your breath, this will be followed by a fairly strong cold front that will also generate some swell. This is going to be a bit of a muck up as the tides are high in the morning next week, so the waves for surfing wont be epic. And the swell looks like it will be to big to dive in.

 

I guess my running shoes are going to get some more time!!

 

Here is the short term forecast, interesting stuff!!

 

	Fri 2am	Fri 8am	Fri 2pm	Fri 8pm	Sat 2am	Sat 8am	Sat 2pm	Sat 8pm
WIND RANGE (knots)   GUST AVG	4 3	5 4	10 7	15 11	16 12	19 14	23 17	24 17
WIND DIRECTION	WSW	W	E	NE	NNE	NNE	NE	NE
WAVE HEIGHTS (ft)   MAX AVG	11 8.2	12 9.3	13 10	13 10	12 9.4	11 8.7	11 8.5	11 8.6
PERIOD	12	13	14	14	13	13	13	12
PRIMARY DIRECTION	E	E	E	E	E	E	E	ESE

 

Don't forget club evening tonite ... it should be fun :-)

 

Coatesman

 

The day of judgment for the Natal Rock Lobster A.K.A Buggs, postponed till second week in March

Well the sea is not great this morning. And I dont think too many guys braved the muck conditions to get their Buggs - Natal Rock Lobster.

The swell is not as big as we thought it would be by now and thats partly due to the cyclone weakening ... good news for the divers. It looks like it is still going to peak on Sunday getting rather large. So we will have to wait until next week to club the Buggs - Natal Rock Lobster.

Dont forget your licenses .. the law will be out in full force ready to bust your a#%, so go and get it ...now!

Also I am looking for some funy content for ym newsite Shooting Starfish - http://starfishys.blogspot.com/ so if you have funny stories or pics this is the place.

Also no.2 - Tomorrow is Club nite at my place, and I will be doing some training with the guys. Feel free to pull in :-)

Coatesman