GEORGE NEWS - The tidal pool in the far corner of Herold's Bay was abuzz on Saturday 22 March as the popular @poolpartycapetown social gathering rolled into town.
While the bay was wrapped in a cloak of fog, the tidal pool came alive with vibrant pops of colour as about 100 water babies and their tjommies took to the water aboard their favourite pool floats.
Colourful characters such as unicorns, dragons, frogs, a llama and even President Trump not only provided a platform for people to connect with their fellow floaties, but also helped draw attention to the safety tidal pools bring to beaches, especially along parts of our coastline where the sea can get rough.
An early start to coincide with the high tide and a full pool saw revellers brave unseasonably cold ocean temperatures.
The social gathering is held at a different tidal pool every month to create awareness, connect people, and raise funds for teaching kids water safety and the joy of swimming.
"To learn to swim is a privilege. It should be accessible to everyone, but unfortunately it's not," said event organiser Daniela Zondagh.
While entry to the gathering is free, funds are raised through the sale of print photographs of the pool floats. Proceeds then go towards teaching kids to swim. In this case, donations were made to the Garden Route Swim School (that generously assigned two lifeguards to the gathering) and the George Municipal and Relief Charitable Fund. "The support from the George Municipality has been incredible and George always has a good turnout, " said Zondagh.
The tidal pool in the far corner of Herold's Bay was abuzz on Saturday morning. Photos: Jacqueline Herbst
She said up to January this year, last year's George turnout was their best on record and this year's turnout matched that of last year.
Her favourite aspect of the gathering was that people who didn't know each other connected in the water. Families also got to spend time together and be present in the moment without cellphones. To find out where the next floatie gathering will be held, follow @poolpartycapetown on Instagram.
One of the colourful characters on the water was a llama.
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