Whenever people find themselves on the coast they come across a wide variety of boats that are used by South African anglers.  These range from ski boats, bay boats, inflatables, ski-vees, etc. etc.  Yet there is a unique little craft, that apart from a handful of people that fish off the Durban beachfront, few people are even aware of its existence… the Durban Paddle Ski.

The original “Crocker Ski” was a peculiar, flat-bottomed banana-shaped contraption, being supported by a meranti beam frame, covered in canvas and coated with an epoxy paint to make it watertight.  Later, anglers started making them out of masonite, then marine ply and finally maintenance-free fibreglass.  Although “luxuries” such as hatches, rod-holders skegs and transoms were added, the original shape of the craft has hardly changed.

As anglers started to enjoy incredible catches of both game and reef fish, more and more anglers were attracted to this new, exciting and fairly inexpensive mode of fishing.  In 1945 an angler called Hayden Grey improved the design of the Crocker Ski and built himself a boat that became the first ski boat to be launched not only inSouth Africa, but in the world!  This 11-foot craft was built out of plywood and was powered by a 5 Hp Bendix outboard motor.  Soon after, others such as Ted Holgate, George van Reenen, Ernie Comley Doc Hulett and Joe Mara followed suit, and a totally new form of fishing emerged inDurban.  The efforts of these pioneers eventually led to the formation of the Durban Ski Boat Club in 1951.

Over the next few years, the lucrative catches made by these anglers attracted many others to the scene, some designing and constructing their own ski boats, while others persevered with the original Crocker Ski for the sake of affordability and just plain simplicity.  For the next two decades, the paddle skiers remained an unorganised lot launching up and down theNatalcoast whenever and wherever they pleased and showed total disregard for all safety regulations and lack of respect for any authority.  By the late sixties, the numbers had increased substantially and the need to form a club was recognized.  This did not happen until 1971 with Tim Driman being hugely influential in this process and elected as the first chairman of the Durban Paddle Ski Club.  The fact that this club was, and still remains, the only one of its type in the world, makes all past and present members something of which to be really, really proud.  Crocker Skis are not used anywhere else in the world. Since those early days paddle ski angling has gone from strength to strength and until today this club has maintained a membership of well over 300.

When visitors and tourists view the Crockers for the first time, they normally give us one long sceptical look, which basically questions our sanity and make remarks such as “surely you guys don’t go out to sea on THAT!”  This is where club legislation comes in, and under the authority of The Harbour Master, the club enforces a strict safety code of conduct.  Flares, life jackets, 1^st aid kits, anchors etc are carried at all times as well as operating a beach safety duty system for all the members, ensuring a 100% safety record throughout this club’s history.

The introduction of the “long skis” during the mid 1990s, revolutionized paddle ski angling. The speed these craft can generate enabled anglers to launch and beach their craft through the surf off most beaches and not being confined to only operating from recognized sheltered launch sites. It also provided access to the open sea without the use of expensive motorized craft. Today hundreds of “long skis” can be seen operating along the entire coast ofSouth Africa, and boating large pelagic fish, such as king mackerel, tuna, wahoo, sailfish and other various types of billfish which until now were only accessible to ski boaters. This industry has shown phenomenal growth attracting dozens of extremely competent manufacturers, who are forever redesigning and producing many exceptional craft. 

Club launches take place directly in front of the clubhouse, which is situated next to the northern harbour breakwater (North Pier).  These craft may operate between the North Pier and theUmgeniRiver, with the tip of the South Pier being their most seaward limit.

Although the immediate area around the clubhouse is most definitely over-fished by paddle ski, ski boat and surf anglers, as well as the dreaded and most indiscriminate fishing method of seine netting, it still has several features to offer the paddle skiers.  A five-minute paddle takes one to a fascinating man-made reef known as Vetch’s Pier, which was constructed way back in the 1860s. This structure was intended as the northern breakwater of the thenBayofPort Natal, in the attempt to get rid of the dreaded bar that lay across the entire estuary.  After being declared a total failure, it was later dismantled and today only the foundation rubble remains.  It extends at right angle to the beach reaching approximately 300 metres offshore.  As far as the fisherman is concerned, it is the home of millions of marine creatures that set off the food chain attracting many predatory species to the area.  It is also the largest sub-tidal mussel bed on the entireNatalcoast hosting an approximate 85 tons of mussels and is a declared Marine Reserve.  It is extremely disturbing to think that Durban Metro and its developer allies intend to construct a hotel on top of this sanctuary and extend a pier alongside the reef to form a small craft harbour.

Towards the end of Vetch’s Pier, a natural, underwater limestone reef runs parallel to the beach in a northerly direction for several hundred metres.  It is here that shoals of shad congregate in the winter and spring months making Limestone Reef a prime target area for all paddle skiers.  Deeper out lie small pocket-sized reefs, which are home to numerous rockcod and other bottom-dwelling species.

A further fifteen minute paddle to the north, just behind the backline, lies a shipwreck in barely four metres of water often breaking the surface during a calm low tide.  These are the remains of a cargo boat named the Ovington Court, which ran aground during a storm in 1942. It is now known amongst the paddle skiers as The Wreck and it acts as a natural fish magnet.  The rest of the seabed in the area and up to the Umgeni River Mouth is covered with sand and many species of foragers are caught here, particularly close to the shark nets.

Spotted Grunter off Addington

 10kg Cuda

 Snoek

 Cuda Darts

A wide variety of fish are caught in this area by paddle skiers.  In the summer, gamefish such as king mackerel (cuda), queen mackerel (natal snoek), kingfish, queenfish, prodigal son and springer are caught regularly, while in the winter months, shad, garrick and the odd kob provide the thrills.  Other fish such as spotted grunter, stumpnose, snapper salmon and rockcod can be caught all year round.  Baitfish such as mackerel, “redeyes” and maasbanker are extremely plentiful in the basin and most paddle skiers hardly ever need to spend much money on bait. The Umgeni River Mouth (Blue Lagoon) in particular produces queen mackerel throughout the year and garrick during winter and spring months, often making the long paddle (6 km) to this area worth the effort, although this should only be undertaken by reasonably fit paddlers and in good weather only.

The weather plays an important part in the life of the paddle skier, as he is probably more vulnerable to the elements than any other angler.  The south-westerly buster is his greatest enemy and it is best to avoid launching when the barometer is low, a sure sign that a buster is indeed on the way.  The best conditions are usually to be found after the south westerly has blown itself out, as this wind tends to flatten the swell and the surf zone.

Coming in to beach can sometimes be a little problematic particularly during strong north-easterly winds, which tend to increase the swell and stir up the backline.  The trick of the trade here is to shift the weight of the anglers to the stern (Crocker Skis) to prevent the nose “digging in” and to keep the craft pointed towards the beach at all times.  Unfortunately, like everything else in life, things are not as simple as they sound, but as long as rods and hatches are well secured and you have a spare change of clothing, it all adds to the fun.  The club even awards an annual trophy for the most spectacular “wipe-out”!

The Durban Paddle Ski Club strongly advocates a strict code of conservation amongst its members in an effort to protect our marine resources for future generations. We are however extremely concerned and have been for many years, on the seine netting activities by commercial businessmen off AddingtonBeach. This indiscriminate and destructive form of fishing has been in practice since the 19^th century and we believe that it has no place in today’s world, where the scientists keep telling us that so many of our marine species are under so much pressure and several are on the point of total collapse. We have been advocating ending this practice for years, but not only has this plea fallen on deaf ears, the netters are now applying for permission to operate at night and have abandoned their old traditional rowing boat having acquired the use of a motorized duck. The Vetch’s/Addington area is marine haven for many juvenile species, which in turn attract the larger predators, but as soon as they stray close to the shore inside the shark nets, they get scooped up by the seine netters. While the netters claim that they “release” all under-size fish, most fish do not survive the ordeal of being dragged through the surf zone onto the beach and have their scales and protective slimy coat removed in the net as well as having their gills choked by sand. It is difficult to see any sense of having so many restrictions on the recreational angler, while a commercial businessman in the same area is given total freedom to destroy whatever he wants.

Joining the Durban Paddle Ski Club is a lot easier and less expensive than most other sea-going organizations.  No courses or exams to pass, with the only requirements being the possession of a paddle ski, various safety equipment and a fair respect and knowledge of the sea.  The club’s doors are always open on weekends to visitors and new members, so if you’re thinking of joining this breed of anglers, or you’re just visiting our city, pay us a visit and see these unique little craft in action.

The future of the club has been somewhat uncertain for the last few years, due to the proposed small craft harbour on the Point. From the onset, the developers made it abundantly clear that the clubs would all be evicted should we not sign the one and only offer they would make. The “offer” was for the clubs to purchase a 4500 m² site for R873 000 (They claimed the value of the land was R12 million) and then construct a combined clubhouse to cater for the Durban Ski Boat, Durban Undersea, Point Yacht, and the Durban Paddle Ski Club. The cost was estimated at R15-R20 million. It took us approximately 2 years to discover that part of the site earmarked for us was below the high-water mark, making it public land and not for the developers to be attempting to sell to us.

"This is what will replace the beach, if the Small Craft Harbour is approved

  Another Shopping  Centre!"

This offer would include a small craft harbour, which would mean that apart from a 100 metre stretch of sand, the entire beach would be smothered in concrete, with a 5½ metre seawall and a 24-storey hotel alongside Vetch’s Pier and several apartment blocks to be built on the inside edge of the North Pier. The Vetch’s Basin would also undergo extensive dredging, with the construction phase being estimated at 10-12 years. This would mean that the entire beach would be a construction site making out of bounds to the general public. We have no doubts that the ravages of heavy construction would have a catastrophic effect on all marine life in the area, particularly that on the reef, upon which our sport so heavily depends.

Furthermore, constructing and operating such a clubhouse which would be rated by the municipality and also levied by the developers, would take membership out of the reach of the average citizen, making it affordable only to the elite. For us, signing the agreement would lead to financial suicide. The other clubs, in our view, capitulated to the pressure and signed the agreement in fear of being evicted. As soon as the developers realized we would not sign the agreement, they served eviction papers onto our club in June 2008 despite not being authorized to commence any construction. This was just punitive and vindictive measures for us opposing their small craft harbour.

Three years and after much unnecessary expenditure, the judgment was that they did have the right to evict us from our site, but only after their building plans would be approved. This was however, exactly what we offered them in the first place. The judgment also stated we were liable for their costs. We were then refused leave to appeal, leaving us with no option, but to take our case to the Supreme Court of Appeal inBloemfontein.

The developers in the meantime are facing huge challenges particularly as far as land ownership below the high-water mark goes as well as its exact position, which has been intentionally and artificially manipulated by sand pumping by the city. The city has even attempted to lease the beach and seabed from the Dept. of Transport, in order to sublease it to the developers, of which the municipality is a 50% shareholder! The Save Vetch’s Association has objected to that and has taken the issue as far as parliament. In October 2011 we discovered that the developers, having become extremely frustrated at the lack of progress, were pursuing “political intervention at a high level” to try and fast-track this development. Our legal opinion is that constructing the small craft harbour as envisaged, cannot and will not happen as it is unlawful. This has occurred as a result of the legal action taken by the Save Vetch’s Association and our club.

The boating fraternity on the Point contributes over R500 million to the city’s GDP, providing wonderful facilities that take care of all the safety issues on behalf of the port authorities. This contribution comes at no cost to the rate or tax payer, as neither the government nor the municipality have contributed one cent to the industry. Everything that we have today, was financed, built and still run by the people and for that reason alone we believe the boating fraternity deserve a far better deal than the one they were coerced into signing.

It is extremely sad that the other clubs have been sitting on the fence “waiting to see what happens” while we, the smallest club, have had the courage to fight to save the beach, where so many others, including these clubs themselves, have so much to benefit.  We can proudly and rightfully claim that had it not been for our efforts, today there would be no beach. We hope that sanity will eventually prevail and a development is agreed upon, that would take care of the needs of the developers without destroying the wonderful outdoor lifestyle that this unique beach has given so many people for such a long time.