Mossel Bay is a coastal town in the Western Cape with all-year-round attractions like swimming, surfing, fishing, and for the adventurous, a zip-line over the ocean. The coastal hiking route runs 13.5km along a steep cliffside which was the setting for our largest highline project. We aimed to establish South Africa’s longest highline across a 460-meter-long gap, and send it!
Here’s All The Info, Fast
Too long, don’t want to read the whole story? Here’s the information you’re interested in.
Location:
Saint Blaize Trail Mossel Bay, Western Cape, South Africa.
Length of line:
460 meters, 9 connected segments (most 50m some 100m) of Great White, Y2k, Dyneemite, Helium, and Edge.
Exposure:
+25 meters when I rappelled from the middle, I estimated the anchors to be 70 meters above sea level.
Anchors:
P-shaped stainless steel twisted bolts, three bolts and a boulder on one side and four bolts on the other side were used with static rope equalized into a BFK.
How did you get the line across:
A team of five cautiously walked a thin diameter rope along the coastal path, releasing sections into the void to establish a connection between our two anchors.
How long does it take to walk across:
Depending on the conditions and the highliners ability, it took between 20 and 45 minutes to cross the line without falling.
A Dream To Bolt the Line – Saturday 7th
Following the green light, and months of anticipation, Anton and Hannes set out with the help of Deon’s cordless drill to set the bolts. We opted for glue-in 6mm P-shaped twisty bolts made from stainless steel. Arranged in a triangle, the three bolts on each side would provide us peace of mind.
Gear Arrives from Cape Town – Sunday 8th
Stepping out of my car, I immediately felt nervous seeing the expansive ocean and the huge gap we planned to conquer. Leighton and Anton walked along the path and managed the first part of the tagline, while I continued along the path to help get the line cleanly across the gap.
To establish the curtain, we pulled across the first tag attached to the dyneema and an additional tagline. The dyneema is spliced through the eye of an 11mm static rope which we tension slightly to the one side of the line. With the curtain established we headed home, and I washed off the day’s drive and labour with a warm water boardshort surf at the point during sunset.
Living the Dream – Monday 9th
We take the day to avoid thinking about the daunting highline ahead. A snorkel in the warm water followed by an ice cream overlooking the dramatic zip-line which sends people (often with legs shaking) along 1100 meters.
Pushing across to the dilapidated skate park, Leighton hurls himself confidently towards the concrete bank to land a crooked grind along the rail. Approaching the same bank with curiosity, I am reminded of the hours of practice which is required to make skateboarding look ‘relaxed’.
Hauling, Tie-off, and Unclipping – Tuesday 10th
Threading the three anchor points with sheathed Stealth Fibre rope, we tied a BFK and prepared the Sea Horse weblock and Mighty Lock to receive the main and backup webbing. Attaching the webbing with line slides to the 3mm 12 strand Stealth Fibre rope tensioned across the chasm made it possible for one person to comfortably pull the segments of webbing across.
Leighton then leashed in and travelled across the line disconnecting the curtain from the webbing preparing it for the first ‘walk’. Cary walked across with one fall at the last segment (40m out). He rested and then sent the line on his way back! Hannes headed out on the line before mounting and taking a stand with an exhilarating whip.
The wind picked up, consistently blowing east as Audrey tied in and crossed with only a handful of falls. We watched in awe as she persevered, winced with pain from her recent ankle injury.
A small crowd had developed on the static side with Mossel Bay’s Johan Viljoen capturing some stunning photos through a 600mm long lens. Jannie and Anike from the Mossel Bay Advertiser interviewed me with various questions about our new South African record. “What do you enjoy about highlining?”.”I love the feeling of flow and adrenaline while being incredibly high.”
After congratulating Audrey on her incredible walk, I set off feeling comfortable and stood in exposure at the first segment to take in the view before continuing to the last segment, when I fell. Near to the end of the line gusts of wind made it challenging, forcing me to fight for each step.
Reaching the end, I felt elated and received love and positive energy from the spectators at the tensioning side. Our team’s enthusiasm was contagious, leaving a shared palpable feeling of joy in the air. How lucky are we to experience this tremendous occasion?
As the sun began to set, we met with the security company that we had arranged to stay overnight at the anchor. The climbers in the area warned us of people living in the caves nearby, and cautioned us not to leave valuables in the area overnight. While discussing the details with the security we met one of the ‘culprits’ who loitered around us while we packed up.
A Rising Tide – Wednesday 11th
Audrey and I awoke at 5:00 to catch the rising sun moving from the ocean to a position behind the clouds. We relieved the security from his role, and checked both anchors before I set off to clean the line. This entailed moving across the entire line while untwisting backup loops.
Below me a pod of dolphins surfed the large swell into the bay. Moving with grace through the water, before sharply turning and breaking the surface of the wave. A group of 9 Blue Stingray hung around the bay, picking up speed when pursued by the pod of dolphins. After a great day of walking we derigged the line and left the curtain up.
Taking a Rest Day in Mossel Bay
Heading into the water with a snorkel and goggles was a refreshing start to the morning. While exploring along the rocky cove Anton pointed out a puffer fish, and an octopus. I felt incredibly fortunate to meet Mathieu who traded me a breath workshop in return for my design services. With his guidance I explored my diaphragm and breathing muscles which felt sensational.
Mathieu explained the practices of Dirgha Parnayama (3-step breathing), Kapalbhati (exhaling from the belly while keeping the rest of the body still), and Nadi Shodhana (alternate nostril breathing). The exercises left me feeling invigorated and my awareness of my breath continued to grow as I headed down to the beach that afternoon for a second snorkel.
Send it! It’s Friday the 13th
5:40 wake up! 6:15 meet at the anchor to get the line rigged by 9:00. Cary was the first to walk across, taking moments to sit down as he unclipped the curtain. I was next to walk across and had a fall at the start, helping to take any pressure away from needing to send on this go. It felt incredible to reach the anchor where I was greeted by a supportive crowd.
Mathieu was there to greet me and stuck around to do a breathwork session with me at the anchor. He demonstrated Bhastrika Pranayama (the breath of fire) and Ujjayi (ocean breathing). I believe this session helped to prepare me to send the line later this same afternoon.
Verooshen arrived with copies of the Mossel Bay Advertiser. We made it onto the front page with all of our names diligently included. Sitting in a state of elation, we watched as Andy crossed the line with only a handful of falls. I went to greet him on the static side with his shoes before leashing up to walk on the line towards the setting sun. Feeling confident and calm I managed to send the line!
Arriving to an elated group of friends who were all kept on the edge of their seats in anticipation. We worked seamlessly to derig by 20:00 despite our large buckets used to store the gear having been taken. This lowlight soon paled in comparison to the many highlights we shared during the dinner Andy prepared.
Spending time on the line – Saturday 14th
Waking up at 5:45 we met at the anchor by 6:20 and had the line rigged by 9am. It was my turn to walk across while unclipping the curtain. It proved to be an enjoyable process, as the task gave me something other than the length of the line and exposure to think about.
During another breath work beneath the sweet smelling frangie pangie flowers Mathieu showed me the Bhramari Pranayama (humming bee breath). I am deeply grateful for his guidance on my breathwork journey and was able to continue practising thanks to the instructions and feedback he provided me via email. You can visit Mathieu’s page here.
Hannes and I returned to the line, each with a pair of goggles in hand. We harnessed up and proceeded to rappel 25 meters into the ocean to get a closer look at the rays below. I removed my prusik before rappelling off the end of the rope and into the water. Katherine was next and made it down smoothly, while Hannes unfortunately got caught by a wave while stopping to tie the tagline to the rope’s tail.
To retrieve the rope, Audrey rolled out on the line while we clambered back to the anchor over huge boulders and up the steep hillside to help with the derig. With another calorie-intensive day of highlining we headed to Patrick’s to celebrate a successful project with a beer and pizza.
Setting off towards the sunset – Sunday 15th
I awoke at 6am feeling elated after the past few days of highlining and breathwork. The trade of time and sharing of skills between humans is something I admire. In return for the three breathwork classes with Mathieu, I designed the logo for his business ‘Breathe’. Presenting the work to him, I felt fortunate to see his exuberant response in person.
Wrapping up the project, we derigged the curtain at 11:00, and were finished by 12:30. After packing out all the gear we divided it into our cars and started the journey back to Leighton’s cabin in Muizenberg.
Thanks to All Who Helped to Make this Dream A Reality
Our team would like to thank the Mossel Bay Municipality and Mossel Bay’s Gerrie Bosman from Huijs te Marquette. In addition we appreciate the support of the locals Dëon Van Zyl, Katherine, and Verooshen. A special mention must be made to Andy Court, Sean Chater, and Anton Schroegendorfer for contributing photos and video.
Watch the longest highline in South Africa
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