33 False Killer Whales shot on Kommetjie beach, Cape Town, South Africa. Causing grief and despair...

A tragedy unfolded on the beach of Kommetjie today 55 False Killer whales had beached themselves early morning False killer whales travel in groups called pods consisting of 20-100 individuals, although pods of several hundred have been recorded.

I went late afternoon and saw many beached whales, some had died out of sheer stress, others had been shot in the head as this was deemed to be the kindest way to release them from certain but painful death they were bleeding but I saw some still alive in the water too

This poor chap didnt make it.... I found it a rather distressing scene

False killer whales are fast, active swimmers. They are very intelligent and highly trainable, which is why they are displayed in many marine parks
They have large, conical teeth as you can see in the above photo (click on the photo to enlarge)

The first appearance of the False Killer Whales in South Africa was on Cristmas Eve, 1928. A school of about a hundred flung themselves on to the beach at Kommetjie

Kindly people tried to save some by carrying and guiding them back towards deeper water but as soon as they regained their strength, they would simply leap on to the beach once more.

Officials and volunteers have been struggling throughout the day to help the whales back into the sea mostly to no avail they kept making a u-turn and re beached themselves

Some solitary false killer whales have become "friendly" around humans, following vessels. One such animal, nicknamed "Willy", became resident in Barkley Sound, B.C. and "adopted" a vessel, the Lady Rose. When the Lady Rose was brought to Vancouver for a steamship festival, Willy followed along and must have lost her amongst all the boat traffic. Willy stayed around Vancouver Harbour for many years and became well-known to sailors and vessel captains. In 2003, Willy travelled north to Juneau, Alaska and back - and the B.C. Cetacean Sightings Network was able to track his travels via regular reports from observers up and down the coast.

These people must have felt frozen, it was already cold for me standing in my 3 layers of clothes on the beach it certainly shows their dedication

What a stunning place to die

but how cruel yet how exquisitely beautiful is our Mother Nature

By March 2010 the Green Point Common will be the green lung of Cape Town

On the left side of the stadium you can see how they have progressed with the construction of the outside trusses on to which the PVC membrane will be attached

The new soccer stadium is not the only place that is being worked on,the land immediately surrounding the stadium is also being revamped at break neck speed to create a new golf course and sports fields like soccer, athletics, rugby, cricket, tennis and bowls. Even the beachfront and promenade will be upgraded

I have been watching the way they lay the new turf down on the golf course its very clever and quick In every roll of top layer turf which they took from the old golf course is a pipe A small tractor with 2 thongs in the front sticks them in the pipe on either side and lifts the big roll of turf then rolls it out while slowly driving forward Usually 3 men do this One on the tractor and 2 helping with the positioning of the roll of turf

The common will have various water points, catchment dams for storm water on the golf course and a catchment dam with water from Table Mountain.
The stream and the dam will be next to a footpath connecting the new stadium and the Mouille Point lighthouse. The water will be used for watering of the golf course, sports fields and the park.
I really enjoyed reading the history of the Green Point Common here

View of Camps Bay

Camps Bay is a 15 minutes drive from Green Point with about 20 restaurants along the palm lined boulevard this is where the seriously wealthy people live I like it because it has a permanent holiday atmosphere and its a great place for people and car watching while enjoying a sundowner or dinner but I tend to avoid it in the summer because the cars are bumper to bumper and the beaches packed with bodies


"Blues" a rather famous restaurant which you can see in the middle of the below photo, used to be the place to go to in Cape Town for a special dinner, it has huge panoramic windows with views of the beach where you can hear and see waves crashing over big boulders and watch stunning sunsets I have been twice end enjoyed the setting but the food and the service is not what it used to be anymore I much prefer Tuscany Beach which is almost next door

I would like to brag a little and tell you that another photo essay
of mine was published today on the official Cape Town Tourism website

View from the Granger Marina,Cape Town

A few more shots to share from my walk around the private marina in Granger Bay

Click the title to read more about Granger Bay and the accomodation you can find here

Breathtaking views of Cape Town 2010 new Soccer Stadium, Table mountainand the sea from the Radisson Hotel

I had forgotten how nice it is to have a sundowner in the Radisson Hotel, its awarded “Best Seaside Bar” by Conde Nast’s House and Garden the problem is that there are too many nice things to do in Cape Town :) but the setting is superb and it is always buzzing I also like the little marina right in front of the bar and terrace
In case you had forgotten.... thats Table Mountain on the left and Signal Hill on the right

A Cape Town sunset from your own terrace

Thats not difficult in Cape Town and this one was from my terrace
Click photo to enlarge The small light patch on the horizon is the last remnant of a stunning sunset

and thats ofcourse the Ritz hotel with stunning views all around and has the only rotating restaurant in Cape Town

Green Point and the Cape Town 2010 Soccer stadium at sunset

click photos to enlarge

If you enjoy my blog please click on the "follow" button on the right, believe me I get very excited when I see another person has become a "follower" of my blog !
and I love to get your feed back, the more comments the better :) and I would like to thank the people who have complimented me on my blog So far I know that its seen from far away like Canada India Sweden Egypt USA UK The Netherlands of course South Africa just to name some which come to mind Oops I forget ....also from Moscow,Russia !

David in California when you come to Cape Town I promise I will personally show you the stadium !

The Ritz hotel is the tall building on the left

What a stunning sunset it was again last night It started off with this big blue gap and holes in the clouds and then it was just one long changing palet of spectacular colours I really didn't know how to quickly turn every which way to shoot this ever changing scene ! Then in the middle of it, it rained for about 3 minutes with heavy drops, so I and my cam had to dive for cover

There are more to come tomorrow !

The V&A Waterfront is behind the clock tower on the right.

The Catamaran is one of the many tourist boats you can choose for a short trip
Mouille Point
The little island in the distance is Robben island where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned

Cape Town Soccer Stadium sails into 2010

Click on photos to enlarge

The first (white) trusses have been installed I could only see 3 finnished so far, this is where the PVC membrane will be attached to

I was surprised to learn that Zoliswa Gila (31) has an "office" at a dizzying height of 80 metres (262 feet) She is a crane driver and helps build the new Green Point Stadium to host some of the 2010 football World Cup matches

Sunset view of Capetown, South Africa

Click photos to enlarge

I always get excited when I see clouds it almost always means we get an awesome sunset Last night was not disappointing :) it was so mild what a lovely evening I saw many people dining outside

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The tall building on the left is the Ritz hotel which is a 2 minutes drive from my home

Table Mountain and Lions Head

Although the Green Point Stadium is 55 meter high at its highest point, it looks very small here

It was gorgeous sunny and warm in Cape town today

I went to the beach of the Milnerton Lagoon to get my toes in the sand and my trousers wet :) and ofcourse to shoot some photos This is at the estuary with a view toward the Mother city and its most famous landmark Table Mountain

Construction work on the 2010 world cup soccer Green Point Stadium isabout 70% complete

Construction work on the Green Point Stadium is about 70% complete, and is on track for completion in December this year less then 400 days ahead of schedule !

The major concrete work has been completed, and only finishes to the structure, such as external cladding, cabling, seating and lighting, need to be completed.

The focus of construction work at present is the state-of-the-art roof structure, which has been designed to meet strict environmental constraints. The roof slopes inwards and incorporates the pitch lighting, making both of these invisible from the outside. It is also designed to minimise noise and disturbance in the surrounding areas.

The inner tension ring and outer compression ring of the roof have been installed, and the installation of the steel roof trusses is halfway to completion.

The first panels of the glass roof have also been installed.
Construction of the roof is progressing well and is scheduled for completion in September this year

Green Point Stadium on May 19 2009

After days of mist and rain finally a beautiful day again
Click on photos to enlarge

Sunset from Mouille Point, Atlantic Seaboard, Cape Town

Click photo to enlarge

This is just down the hill from me, Mouille Point has a superb wide sea vista a long spectacular beach front promenade and is most famous for the Green Point light house

More and more restaurants are feeling the pinch

This is the V&A Waterfront my stomping ground I tend to do my food shopping here, see movies in one of the many cinema's, go for a wander watch people... enjoy the free entertainment use some of the restaurants not so much because of the high quality of food you will find much better away from the tourist spots but more for the atmosphere the view and the convenience, since its 5 min. by car from where I live.

Its worrying that more and more shops and restaurants disappear overnight
and I heard in the local grapevine that the Dubai company who owns 75% of the Waterfront are trying to sell their part

Cape Town hit by the 1st winter storm

Thats a chinese fishing boat ....the captain doesnt seem to be too bothered by the weather.

We are being battered by gale force winds and horizontal rain and there is wide spread flooding reported
But I am high and dry and love watching the weather from here
I saw a red ship venture out it went past the Stadium but had to return because of the rough seas The waves are growing higher by the hour