CAPE SWIMS

DANGER POINT

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GENERAL INFORMATION

Danger Point, approx. 2 hours' drive from Cape Town, is situated on the Southern point of Walker Bay near the village of Gansbaai, a small fishing village on the Atlantic side of Cape Agulhas. Gansbaai is the world capital of the Great White Shark, with Dyer Island presenting the best place in the world to discover, observe and dive with these elusive and wonderful animals. An unspoilt fishing village which boasts a modern harbour and a canning and fishing factory, Gansbaai is renowned for good fishing, fine boat-based and land based whale watching. The village itself has quaint fishermen's cottages and a number of interesting shops and restaurants. The area is rich in atmosphere and legends, and its people are friendly, generous and quite interesting!

About 9km from Gansbaai lies Danger Point - a dangerous, rocky peninsula with a lighthouse on it, extending for about 8 kilometers out to sea. The many reefs and sunken rocks along its shoreline make it one of the most dangerous places in the world for ships coming too close inshore. To make things worse, a hidden rock lurks just below the surface off the Point: Birkenhead Rock was named after the Royal Navy Troopship HMS Birkenhead, for ever associated with the maritime tradition of “women and children first” in an emergency. The ship sunk on 26 February 1852, after hitting this uncharted rock off Danger Point. 445 of the 638 people on board perished, but all women and children were saved. Some of the men (and horses) who tried to swim to shore drowned, while many were claimed by sharks in the water.

THE DANGER POINT SWIM has only been achieved on one occasion, by Capetonian swimmer Carina Bruwer on 11 August 2004 as part of South Africa's Women's Day celebrations. Carina swam a distance of 11km from Romansbaai, around Danger Point to Kruismansbaai. During her swim when she swam past the famous lighthouse, the foghorn was sounded for the first time in many years, and crowds of locals were urging her on, and waiting for her at the finish.
The boat support for the swim is provided by Gansbaai Scuba and Adventure. The crew includes a pilot, a professional paramedic, and a safety diver. A Shark Shield can be provided by the CLDSA.