Historically, St Helena Bay is the location where Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama first set foot in South Africa on the 7th of November 1497, and today a monument marks the actual site. In the 1700s the English used St Helena Bay as a soldiers’ outpost. Some of the original barracks is still in existence today. However, St Helena Bay should not be confused with Saint Helena, the island belonging to the United Kingdom. (The island lies some two thousand kilometres west of the coast of southwestern Africa in the South Atlantic Ocean. It was named after Saint Helena of Constantinople and is one of the most isolated islands in the world – the place the British used to imprison first Napoleon, then Dinuzulu kaCetshwayo along with more than 5 000 Boer prisoners during the Second Anglo-Boer War.) Coincidentally the bay was named Bahia de Santa Helena (Portuguese for its current name) after Saint Helena (a devout, influential Christian and mother of Constantine I).
At first the fishing industry in this remote, calm and tranquil village revolved around the drying and salting of fish. Locals nicknamed the bay Agterbaai (‘Bay at the Back’) because of its location. Over the years it evolved into a thriving business exporting fish around the world. Now the greater area consists of other developments like Britannia Bay, Duyker Eiland and Shelley Point (a very secure and luxurious golfing estate). Past the Shelley Point peninsula southward to Cape St Martin in the west, it actually comprises a total of 18 small bays with intriguing names, such as Hannasbaai, Vioolbaai and Stompneusbaai.
Today St Helena Bay is a major fishing village and home to Sandy Point Harbour. In winter it is host to many fishing activities, e.g. the ‘snoekloop’ when snoek (an extremely tasty white fish) is in season, as well as an endangered species of rock lobster and crayfish, for which you need a permit. Other attractions include surfing, birding, and dolphin and whale watching. St Helena Bay is the only area along the South African West Coast where the sun rises across the bay because the town itself faces northeast and almost north. The dual character of the town is a contrast between the older cottages in the original parts with its village lifestyle, and the modern spacious homes along the Golden Mile of bays with new developments offering wonderful sea views, a real sense of exclusivity and elegance, combined with the relaxed atmosphere of West Coast living.
