Weather warning: Damaging waves along the Garden Route

GARDEN ROUTE NEWS - The Garden Route district can expect some high seas and damaging waves from tomorrow, Friday 2 June until Sunday.

The Cape Town weather office has issued an impact based warning for Bitou, George, Hessequa, Knysna, and Mossel Bay.

The level 2 damaging waves can result in difficulty in navigation at sea between Alexander Bay and Plettenberg Bay over the weekend.

Two cold fronts are expected over the weekend. North-westerly to westerly swells with wave heights of 3.5 to 4.5m between Cape Columbine and Stilbaai are expected on Friday night, reaching 5m between Saldanha Bay and Struisbaai on Saturday morning.

The 3.5 and 4.5m waves are spreading to Alexander Bay and Plettenberg Bay by Saturday afternoon, subsiding on Sunday.

The sea state will contribute to very rough and choppy seas that may lead to difficulty in navigation of small vessels and localised disruptions at ports.

Small boats and personal water crafts are advised to stay away from the open sea and seek the shelter of a harbour, river estuary or protected bay. The public, especially the tourists that are not familiar with the coastal routes where build-up of sand is expected, are advised to seek alternative routes beforehand. Be aware of large unpredictable waves along the coast.