Port Elizabeth's Shark River

Did you know that the little stream that flows through Happy Valley is called the Shark River?  The river valley actually extends up through the old Boet Erasmus Stadium and Forest Hill.  Back in the early days of Port Elizabeth the Shark River was one of the town's water sources with the Frames Reservoir being built in 1864 (and still there today).  The Shark River has never been a big river and unless there was rain it usually just kinda sunk away into the sand on the beach.  Thus the Dutch referred to it as the Sak River (sak meaning to sink away).  The English misunderstood what the Dutch were saying and started talking of the Shark River, hence the name.  A bit lost in translation.

The pipe at Pipe

Pipe at Pollok each is probably Port Elizabeth's best known and most popular surf spot.  But have you eve wondered where Pipe got it's name from? The perfect barrel (like a pipe) to surf?  Piping hot waves?  Waves piping in one after another? (Is there even a saying like that?) Nope, it's very simple.  There is a storm water pipe covered in concrete that flows out in the sea at the surf spot and right in the middle of the break at high tide. Bang! There you have it. Not a lot of imagination used in naming this one like most of the other surf spots around town.  

I really like the description of Pipe that is on the Miller's Local website.   

PE's most consistent spot that handles most tides, all swell directions and picks up any sniff of swell around. Mostly mediocre, but can get good, and on occasion great. Where you'll find most of PE's hot surfers lurking about, splitting the peaks and dodging the crowds of learners, boogers, paddleskiers, SUP's, malibu's, surf ski's, and pretty much anything else that floats!

Kings Beach and Fence surf spot

I wonder how many PE people have ever walked all the way down Kings Beach right up to the harbour wall.  I did it a little while ago on a beautiful day and took this picture looking back along the beach from on top of the wall.

Right next to the harbour wall is a surf spot called Fence.  Why is it called Fence?  The answer I got from local surf blog Millers Local.

Back before all the sand built up against the wall this left hand surf spot used to produce really great surf.  Although it doesn't go as big as it used to it apparently still has a very dedicated following.  But lets get to the name.  There used to be a big fence that ran along the harbour wall to stop people from climbing onto the wall from the beach to go fishing.  Nobody can really say when the fence was put up or disappeared again but according to local surfer Gary Cooper it was there when he started surfing fence in ’64.  Apparently the barbed wire fence was located about 150 - 200m from the harbour wall and ran right out into the water at Spring High tide.  There were signs on it saying Property of the SA Harbour and Railways - Keep Out!  Not that the surfers worried much about it.  When the harbour wall was extended the sand started building up with the result that the fence eventually got covered up by sand completely.

Where did Pollok Beach get its name?

Have you ever wondered where Pollok Beach got its name from?  For a start, it is supposed to be spelled Pollok without the "c" so it definitely wasn't named after Graham Pollock.  I found the source of the name on the Millers Local blog.  Pollok Beach was named after the Pollok Hotel that used to stand where the present Summerseas is today.  The Pollok Hotel later became the old Summerstrand Hotel which was demolished and made way for Summerseas.  The original building dated back to the 1890’s, when the sand dunes were reclaimed and allocated for use of a hotel.  The hotel was built by a guy called Pollok who came from Scotland and named the hotel after himself.  So there you go, now you know.

Denville's

The little beach on the south side of the McArthur Swimming pool complex is generally part of Kings Beach, but amongst the local surfing community its known as  Denville's.  The name came from a couple of guys, Dennis Buchman and Neville Mandy, that used to surf here around the 60's.  Its still a favourite surfing spot, specially with beginners. 

Jellyfish at Fence

The surf spot at Kings Beach next to the harbour wall is called fence.  Apparently years ago when there wasn't as much sand against the wall the place used to cook as a surf spot.  Today its but a shadow of its former self.  So where does the name come from?  There was a big fence that ran along the harbour wall to stop the fishermen getting up onto the wall from the beach to go fishing.  The fence was about 200 meters from the wall but it didn't stop the surfers from catching the big waves closer to the wall.

Pipe

Pipe, next to Pollok Beach, is probably the most popular surf spot in Port Elizabeth.  It wasn't named because the there is a barrel that you can ride like a pipe (because there isn't), but because of a storm water pipe that runs into the sea right in front of the break.  Pipe is probably PE's most consistent surf spot and you can be sure to always find a couple of okes out there on any given day.  

Shark River lily

The little stream that flows through Happy Valley towards Humewood Beach is actually known as the Shark River and used to be one of early Port Elizabeth's main water sources.  The name have absolutely nothing to do with sharks though.  Even in the early years the little stream never reached the sea and disappeared into the sand on the beach.  In Dutch (and Afrikaans for that matter) the term used to describe the river sinking away into the sand is "sak" and they called it the Sakrivier.  The British misunderstood the word used by the Dutch thinking it was called the Shark River and hence the name which stuck.  

Polok Beach

When we were small we spent many Sundays splashing in the natural "tidal pool" behind the big rock at Pollok Beach and passing there the other day it seems that not much has changed.  We may have grown up, but another generation of kids now swim there.  I've never been very sure where the name Pollok Beach (often mistakenly spelled Pollock Beach) comes from.  I found the explanation on the Port Elizabeth surf website Millers Local.  Pollok Beach was named after the Pollok Hotel that used to stand where the present Summerseas (the buildings with the greenish roofs in the middle of the picture) is today.  The Pollok Hotel later became the old Summerstrand Hotel.  The original building dated back to the 1890’s, when the sand dunes were reclaimed and allocated for use of a hotel.  The hotel was built by a guy called Pollok who built it came from Scotland and named the hotel after himself.

Denville's Surf Spot

Millerslocal is a fantastic website for all surf related aspects of Port Elizabeth and, although I've never surfed in my life, I often pop over to have a look at some of the surf pics the guys post on there.  Not to long ago they had a couple of posts on where Port Elizabeth's surf spots got their names from and I had the idea to go and take a photo of each one and post it here on PEDP.  I haven't actually been around to go take the photos, but snapped this one for a start the other day.

The little bay next to McArthur swimming pool is called Denville's and is a favoured spot with beginners and surf schools. The name came from a couple of dudes that used to surf here around the 60's, Dennis Buchman and Neville Mandy.