Mossel Bay hosts longest highline in SA

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MOSSEL BAY NEWS AND VIDEO - The longest highline in South Africa has been set up in Mossel Bay. The highline, 460 metres long, stretches over the ocean below the St Blaize hiking trail, close to Cecil Shepherd Street, with a breathtaking view of land and sea.

The little cove below the line is known as Soutgat.

PHOTO GALLERY: The longest highline in SA

The highline was spanned by Mossel Bay resident Hannes Breytenbach and six fellow slackliners from across the world.

They walked on the line for the first time on Tuesday, 10 January, and will continue to do so, weather permitting, until Sunday, 15 January.

Highlining is a slackline discipline that takes place at a height that would prove fatal, should you fall without protection.

Typically, the webbing and other backup webbing are anchored between cliffs, buildings or trees.

The highliner is attached to the main webbing and backup webbing by a leash connected to a personal harness. Breytenbach, who previously lived in Cape Town, says he visited Mossel Bay during the Covid-19 lockdown and did some rock climbing.

"I got to know the area and its breathtaking views and decided to pitch the idea of a highline to the Mossel Bay Municipality."

Breytenbach has been joined by slackliners, Audrey Robitaille from Canada, Sean Chater from KwaZulu-Natal, Cary Small from Knysna and Cape Town residents, Anton Schroegendorfer, Leighton Calder and Laurence Garrett.

Breytenbach says for now the highline is a once-off, but if he can get another group together the opportunity to slackline will definitely be happening again.

VIDEO - Slacklining across the ocean in Mossel Bay (Interview: Aniké Carelse & Video: Jannie du Plessis).

Laurence Garrett from Cape Town started slacklining (a form of highlining) eight years ago. Photo: Johan Viljoen

Laurence Garrett from Cape Town started slacklining (a form of highlining) eight years ago. The cove below the line is known as Soutgat. Photo: Aniké Carelse