Annual beach lowering has begun at some Cape Town beaches. The City commenced with the programme in Fish Hoek, Muizenberg, Gordon’s Bay and Bikini Beach, from Wednesday, 1 October 2025. The Deputy Mayor and Mayoral Committee Member for Spatial Planning and Environment, Eddie Andrews, says the re-profiling or beach lowering is important in maintaining highly altered coastal systems along the False Bay coastline. He says this will aid in mitigating and managing windblown sand from impacting adjacent infrastructure during the windy summer season.
“The City uses manual and mechanical measures to undertake beach levelling by pushing the sand from the beach to the low water mark. Wave action then transports the sand back into the coastal system.”
Annual beach lowering has begun at some beaches
Andrews says the beaches will remain open to the public. He is, however, requesting visitors to keep a safe distance from the machinery at all times. City officials say beach lowering has no measurable impact on the environment. It has been done as standard practise before summer for decades. Andrews added that beach lowering mimics a natural scour event, which is common on our shorelines. It puts the sand back into the sea, where it returns to circulation within the oceanic system.
“By lowering the beach sand levels, we ensure greater areas of the beach become wet during high tides. In doing so, we limit the potential for windblown sand to blanket or smother adjacent roads and infrastructure during summer when Cape Town experiences high southeasterly winds.”
The photos illustrate what the beach at Muizenberg looked like before and after the City’s Coastal Management branch conducted the beach lowering in 2024 to mitigate the impact of windblown sand during the summer season.
This is where the beach lowering will take place:
- Fish Hoek beach: From Jager’s Walk (in front of the Galley Restaurant) to the lifesaving building
- Muizenberg beach: From the Zandvlei River mouth to the wheelchair access ramp
- Gordon’s Bay beach: From the Spur restaurant to the end of the parking area in the north
- Bikini Beach: The entire length of the beach
- Work will commence on Wednesday, 1 October 2025, if all goes as planned
- The provisional completion date is mid-November 2025
Andrews added, “We are aiming to complete the work ahead of the festive season. I want to ask beachgoers to keep a safe distance from the work areas and to also keep their pets on a leash.”
