Cape St. Francis (Afrikaans: Kaap St Francis) is a village in South Africa, situated on a headland in the Eastern Cape Province. Today St Francis is famous for far more than just surfing; it boasts a beautiful canal system surrounded by picturesque homes in a uniform building style - black roofs and white walls. Towards Santareme and Port St Francis, the uniformity is repeated, this time with Mediterranean and Tuscan homes filling in the dune fields and fynbos. The quiet fishing haven of Oyster Bay lies some 20km to the west, while the agricultural capital of the region, Humansdorp, is visible to the north. It is popular for its clean beaches and as a surfing location.
The village is home to a Penguin Rescue and Rehabilitation Center as well as the Seal Point Lighthouse. The Irma Booysen Floral Reserve is the home to many species of flowers and plants.
Early History and Naming
Manuel Perestrelo visited Cape St Francis in 1575 and named it 'Bahia de Sao Francisco'.
Seal Point Lighthouse
Cape St Francis is known as keeping it clean and green, where you will find the century old Seal Point Lighthouse and a penguin rehabilitation facility amongst the fynbos and wild waves. The Cape St. Francis Lighthouse, also known as Seal Point Lighthouse, is a beautiful white Building that forms the focal point of Cape St Francis, in the Eastern Cape. Named after St. Francis, who is the Patron Saint of Ecology, this Architectural marvel was completed in 1878, and built to ward off ships from the dangerous reefs that stretch out more than a Kilometre out to Sea.
Seal Point is a lighthouse on Cape St. Francis in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. The lighthouse is operational, which also houses a museum. Public access to the top of the tower is allowed in the company of a guide. The Lighthouse at Seal Point, was declared a National Monument on 11 May 1984.
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Work on the lighthouse on Seal Point, at Cape St Francis, began in November 1875 and was completed at the end of 1877. It began its operations early in 1878. On July 4th 1878, the lamp of Cape St. Francis Lighthouse was lit for the first time. Since that day it has sent forth its beam of light to guide mariners along a stretch of Coast that has claimed numerous Shipwrecks!
According to a report of the; 'Coast Lighthouse Commission' dated 1 December 1871, Captain Skead accompanied by Captain Perry R.N. and Lieut. Taylor R.N. set out from Port Elizabeth on 21 November 1871 to inspect Cape St. Francis and vicinity for the purpose of selecting a Site for the erection of a Lighthouse. Travelling in a "hired van" the party stopped for the night at Van Stadens and arrived at Humansdorp on the 23rd where they were met by the Civil Commissioner, who assisted them to reach the Beach near Cape St. Francis. An ox-wagon loaded with tents and camp gear was sent ahead.
Construction of the Lighthouse commenced on 17 March 1876 when Joseph Flack, a clerk of works employed in the Public Works Department of the Cape Colonial Government, set out the works. He was not destined to see the Lighthouse completed though! Flack died at Seal Point on 14 November 1876 and he is buried in the Cemetery in Humansdorp. He who also partook in the building of many of the structures on Robben Island!
Although Cape St. Francis Lighthouse is only 30 km from Humansdorp it was, until recently, the most isolated attended Station situated on the Mainland. Only in 1957 was the ox-wagon replaced by a four-wheel drive vehicle which followed the same route. Although it was quicker by jeep, the trip on the ox-wagon was more comfortable, several of the light keepers owned horses. They were able to travel by car as far as Mostert's Farm, on Goedgeloof. From there they proceeded on horseback to the Lighthouse.
When the new Houses for the staff were completed in 1948, one of the old quarters was converted into stables. In 1964 the gravel road which ended on Goedgeloof, was extended to Seal Point and the trip from Humansdorp to the Lighthouse could be done comfortably in half an hour. A radio beacon was established at the Lighthouse in 1964. Despite its slow disintegration, the lighthouse remains standing. The Lighthouse is manned by a senior light keeper and two light keepers. In recent years a Township has been developed near the lighthouse which is no longer the lonely outpost it used to be. In the foreseeable future Cape St. Francis will, no doubt, also succumb to automation and when that day dawns the resident staff and their families will say farewell to the peace and quiet of Seal Point.
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The circular Lighthouse structure is the tallest masonry tower on the South African Coast. It is 28 metres in height and the focal plane of the light is 36 metres Above Sea Level, giving it a range of 28 sea miles. The stone for the tower was blasted from the reefs some 200 metres East of the site and it was cut and dressed to size and shape on the spot.
The original optic was a second order dioptric apparatus comprising 8 lenses with upper and lower refracting prisms and provided a single white flash every 20 seconds. It was equipped with a 3 wick burner and produced a light beam with an intensity of 15 000 candles. In May 1906 the flash rate was accelerated to one flash every 5 seconds and a petroleum vapor burner installed, resulting in the candlepower being increased to 120 000 candles. The candlepower was further increased to 2 750 000 candles in 1931 when a 4 kw incandescent electric lamp replaced the mantle burner. Power was provided by diesel electric generators and an electrically operated fog signal installed at the same time.
Until 1959 the revolving light was driven by clockwork, actuated by a set of weights suspended from a chain. The motion was regulated by a governor fitted with a brake and weighted lever attachment to keep the apparatus in revolution whilst the weights were heaved up manually. This had to be done every 4 hours by the duty light keeper. The old mechanism has fortunately been preserved as a curiosity of days gone by! The cost of the lighthouse tower was R 23 688 and that of the original dioptric apparatus R 9 954.
One of the earliest known sailing vessels that ran aground near this Cape was the D. F. I. Company ship De Noord on 16 January 1690, returning from Port Natal. On 3 November 1840 the steamship Hope, a coaster which had close ties with Port Elizabeth, came to grief here. In 1850 the L'Agile and Queen of the West went ashore on the same day, 16 June 1850, followed by the Spy in 1851, La Guste in 1858, Lady Head in 1859, Bosphorus and H.M.S. Osprey in 1867, Jason and De Nederlandsche Vlag in 1869, Niagara in 1870 and Mitford in 1875.
##Best Clip from The Endless Summer
The adjacent village, St Francis Bay, was the site of "ten-million-to-one" surfing waves seen in the 1966 surf/travel documentary, The Endless Summer. Cape St. Francis is now known as one of the best surfing locations. Given its geological location, it is susceptible to swell year round from large low pressure systems that form between Antarctica and the southern tip of Africa.
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For many of us, the first thought that jumps to mind when they hear about St Francis is the perfect wave showcased in the iconic '66 surf movie, The Endless Summer. Today Bruce's Beauties is only one of the famous surfing spots in St Francis Bay, as Seals is the place to be for the surfers from Cape St Francis.
The discovery of Cape St Francis by surfers Mike Hynson and Robert August, with Bruce Brown behind the camera, was every surfers’ dream realized. The adjacent village, St Francis Bay, was the site of "ten-million-to-one" surfing waves seen in the 1966 surf/travel documentary, The Endless Summer.
The new documentary film Birth of the Endless Summer explores a pivotal but overlooked chapter in surfing's history - the discovery of the iconic Cape St. Francis surf break in South Africa by pioneering surfer Dick Metz in the late 1950s. Director Richard Yelland's film tells the story of how Metz's fateful travels and connections helped spread surf culture from its California roots to the burgeoning surf scene in South Africa during that era.
Yelland explains that while Bruce Brown's The Endless Summer gets credit for finding Cape St. Francis, it was pioneer surfer Dick Metz who first landed there in 1958 after a 3-year surf journey around the world. When Metz returned to California, he relayed his discovery of this untapped surf mecca to Bruce Brown. This inside joke between them inspired Brown's 1964 classic surf film showcasing Cape St. Francis. Retracing Metz's steps in modern day Cape Town and Cape St. Francis forms the living story arc in the film.
Metz stood on a bluff and watched the place as it drew in beautiful lines from a point that stretched miles out to sea. This surf break, originally known by local surfers as “First Bush,” according to early Cape St. Francis surfer, Graham Hynes, later would become known as “the perfect wave” or “Bruce’s Beauties” after the release of The Endless Summer from Bruce Brown Films in 1964.
John ‘The Oom’ Whitmore, was the first person to surf on the West Coast of South Africa - at Glen Beach, Camps Bay in 1954. Bruce’s Beauties in St Francis is now one of the most iconic waves in all of surfdom. After all, he had been there first.
| Name | Event | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Manuel Perestrelo | Visited Cape St Francis and named it 'Bahia de Sao Francisco' | 1575 |
| Captain Skead, Captain Perry R.N., Lieut. Taylor R.N. | Inspected Cape St. Francis for lighthouse site | November 21, 1871 |
| Joseph Flack | Commenced construction of the lighthouse | March 17, 1876 |
| Cape St. Francis Lighthouse Lamp | Lit for the first time | July 4, 1878 |
| Dick Metz | First landed in Cape St. Francis | 1958 |
| Bruce Brown Films | Released "The Endless Summer" | 1964 |
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