Popular seafood restaurant, the Brass Bell, has started clean-up operations after massive damage was caused by freakishly large waves over the weekend.
Videos and pictures doing the rounds on social media showed the full might of Mother Nature as waves pummelled the Atlantic coast.
Establishments close to the shoreline stood no chance as the combination of spring tides and the new moon phase recorded waves of up to nine metres high.
The Kalk Bay restaurant was one of the places affected, reeling from the cost of having to replace smashed windows and part of the restaurant’s roof.
The Brass bell 🔔 pic.twitter.com/zXZY3UgzIN
— Greg Davies (@the_gregdavies) September 16, 2023
The eatery let patrons know that although the ocean deck remained closed, it will be business as usual for their other venues, including the Pavilion and Oyster Deck.
In a video shared on their Instagram page, staff could be seen trying to clear out water still gushing in.
“We are so lucky to have such hands-on staff,” noted the owners.
“The waves were crazy, but it's all part of the Brass Bell experience, after all!”
While speaking to Eyewitness News, manager Chand’ni Eddie said, "There were big sells out at sea, massive high-pressure zone, so we knew we were in for a big weekend.
“We anticipated it, obviously, it was bigger than we thought it was going to be. We haven't had waves like that in the last ten years."
The South African Weather Services said the weekend’s storm surge was caused by a strong low pressure system in the Atlantic ocean.
“These winds blew over a long time, causing the ocean’s waves to be bigger and stronger,” forecaster Wayne Venter told IOL News.
While many are urging people to avoid the beaches and coastlines, Venter added that no storm surges have been predicted for the coming week.
“The SA Weather Services had issued a storm surge warning on Thursday for the Western Cape coastline and on Saturday for KZN,” he said.
IOL