Pearly Beach

Pearly Beach
Pearly Beach Pearly Beach
Coordinates: 34.665°S 19.501°E / -34.665; 19.501
Country	South Africa
Province	Western Cape
District	Overberg
Municipality	Overstrand
Area
• Total	3.92 km2 (1.51 sq mi)
Population  (2011)
• Total	1,042
• Density	270/km2 (690/sq mi)
Racial makeup (2011)
• Black African	48.2%
• Coloured	11.9%
• White	39.0%
• Other	0.9%
First languages (2011)
• Afrikaans	45.5%
• Xhosa	44.3%
• English	9.1%
• Other	1.1%
Time zone	UTC+2 (SAST)
Postal code (street)	7220
PO box	7221
Area code	028

Pearly Beach is a village in Overberg District Municipality in the Western Cape Province of South Africa.

An area where the southern right whale (Eubalaena australis) comes to calve and mate along its migratory route (June – October). These whales can be seen with their young all along the coastline with Walker Bay just a short distance away. The area is home to the threatened African oystercatcher which can be seen on the rocky coasts, beaches and at lagoons eating limpets and mussels. It is close to Bantamsklip which was a proposed site of a nuclear power station. However, Thyspunt in the Eastern Cape seems to be the most likely location.

Geography

Not far from Pearly Beach is Dyers Island, a breeding colony for jackass penguins. Not far from Dyers Island is Geyser Island, a breeding ground for seals.

As the area around these islands teems with an abundance of sea life, it has become a notorious feeding ground for the great white shark which frequents its waters in large numbers.

Dyers Island is named after Samson Dyer, an American who came to the Cape in 1806, and who lived on Dyers Island where he collected guano for fertilizer.