Walker Bay (South Africa)
| Walker Bay Walkerbaai |
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.jpg) Walker Bay with Hermanus and Klein River Lagoon |
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| Waters | Atlantic Ocean | |
| Land mass | Overstrand South Africa
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| Geographical location | 34 ° 30 ′ 0 ″ S , 19 ° 20 ′ 0 ″ E | |
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| surface | 200 km² | |
| Coastline | 37 km | |
| Tributaries | Klein River | |
 Grotto Beach in Walker Bay |
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The Walker Bay ( Afrikaans Walkerbaai ) is a large bay in the South Atlantic . It is the largest bay between False Bay near Cape Town and Cape Agulhas in the southeast, the southernmost point of the African continent . The adjoining coastal areas belong to the district municipality of Overberg in the South African province of Western Cape .
The bay is a marine reserve and part of the adjacent mainland is part of the Walker Bay Nature Reserve . The fish and the use of boats is prohibited in much of the bay.
Stretches of coast
Walker Bay is in the area of influence of the cold Benguela Current , so that even in midsummer the water is barely more than 15 ° C. The often rough sea makes bathing in the bay dangerous in many places.
The northernmost point of the bay is at Hermanus , the southernmost is Danger Point . Inside the bay is Grotto Beach , a beach that has been awarded the Blue Flag . Directly afterwards is The Plaat , a 12 km long sandy beach, from the lagoon Klein River Lagoon in a southerly direction to by De Kelders runs. The Klein River flows from the hinterland through the Klein River Lagoon into Walker Bay.
Observation of marine animals
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The city of Hermanus , located in Walker Bay, is one of the best whale watching spots in the world. Hermanus also has the only whale crier in the world. During the whale season, he calls for whale watching from land with his horn made from seaweed . The southern right whale , and Southern Right Whales named come from the Antarctic to South Africa to calve here and prepare their children for the long journey back to Antarctica. Walker Bay and especially the stretch of coast in front of Hermanus are among her favorite places. The whales can be seen from August to November.
Located on the southeastern edge of Walker Bay, Gansbaai is known for cage shark diving. Great white sharks live in large numbers around the nearby Dyer Island .
At Walker Bay, dolphins and seals can often be spotted from the beach year-round.
climate
There is a moderately warm climate in this region. There is considerably more rainfall in winter than in summer. The annual average temperature is 16.2 ° C and rainfall reaches 570 mm per year.
economy
The vineyards in this area, since by the ruling here cooler air and at an ever increasing market maritime climate especially the grape varieties Pinot Noir and Chardonnay find good growth conditions. The main source of income is tourism , which annually attracts many visitors through whale watching and shark diving.
Attractions
- "Klipgat" near De Kelders on the southeastern edge of the bay is a cave in which people first lived in the Middle Stone Age , around 65,000 to 85,000 years ago. The finds are among the oldest of Homo sapiens. 2000 years ago Khoisan lived here .
- Walker Bay Nature Reserve
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e Walker Bay Dream Beach near Hermanus.Retrieved July 9, 2018
- ↑ Your-South Africa: Top Beaches.Retrieved July 9, 2018
- ↑ SA-Venues: The Plaat Accessed July 9, 2018
- ↑ Overberg.co.za: Cape Overberg.Retrieved July 9, 2018
- ↑ Stern: Where whales swim on the doorstep.Retrieved July 9, 2018
- ↑ Discover Cape Town: Watching whales off the coast of South Africa. Accessed July 9, 2018
- ↑ SA-Venues Whale Crier. Accessed July 9, 2018
- ↑ Intaba: Whale Watching Accessed July 10, 2018
- ↑ Climate data: Climate and weather in Hermanus.Accessed on July 9, 2018