Pierneef may have chosen the old harbour site to please his patron, but by 1930, Hermanus was already a famous fishing paradise. This was largely due to the exploits of one Bill Selkirk, who, after a five and half hour battle from the rocks at Gearing’s Point, landed a 987kg shark:
Selkirk and shark
The London Illustrated News devoted a double page spread to this in 1928. The De Wets Huis Photo Museum has many other pics of fishermen and their “trophies”. But by today’s standards these examples of manly virtue may look like accomplices to a crime: We no longer subscribe to the idea of killing animals as “sport.” And there are hardly any fish to be had.
Giant Ray
Giant Ray and Boy . Watercolour 22 x 17cm .2009
Travels with Pierneef 
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01/03/2017 at 20:55
Dave Reynell
I met Bill Selkirk when I was a lad of about 12. He lived in a small wooden cottage overlooking the Kleinrivier estuary at Hermanus. A quiet, gentle man with interesting stories to tell. I have often wondered where he is buried.
Dave Reynell (Aged 76)