San Stefanos Online ~ North West Corfu
Welcome to San Stefanos (NW Corfu) => San Stefanos news and views => Topic started by: Woodman on June 14, 2013, 04:51:11 PM
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Hi, first post for me. I'm sitting on my balcony looking out over the amazing San stefanos bay. This is our 2nd visit and I wanted to post about the changes in the short 9 month gap in between our holidays.
The biggest of course is the shrinking beach. We were told there were big storms in Feb that shrank the beach to half its width overnight. Anyone got more info on that?
Also, I wanted to point out to visitors to be a bit careful when you walk beyond the Havana bar. I took a walk with my nearly 4 year old yesterday and noticed a fair amount of broken glass on the beach. Fortunately on the main beach the only thing to be wary of was the jellyfish washed up after the high winds on Tues and Wed.
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Thanks for the info woodman
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Welcome to the Forums Woodman. Where in SS are you staying?
Thanks for that info. There was a few photo's posted on Facebook with the disappearing beach. Can't remember who posted them though. Never seen the beach so small. Hope it does recover to it's former glory :)
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The beach is indeed around half the width, they had a very stormy winter and this has also silted the harbour again meaning the Nearchos is having to run the San Stef boat trips from Sidari, the vessel itself being berthed at Kassiopi. This has unfortunately meant that the Mathraki and Othoni trip is not running, the very one we wanted to do this year!
They were supposed to come and clear the harbour in April, this colud be the marine equivalent of the bypass saga!
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Great info all, interesting about boat trips, we're hoping to take one while we're here. Are they all going from Sidari?
Jules - we're on our honeymoon in Delfino Blu! Very spoilt! Kostas explained the storms and how he's tried to protect Mango from the storms. Hasn't put us off at all though!
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I believe the reason that the beach has become narrower has been caused by "Long shore drift". This would explain the small lagoon
and sandbar we could see on the webcam a few weeks ago and the fact that the river appeared to have changed it's course.
No wonder the JCB was so busy trying to sort it all out.
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I believe the reason that the beach has become narrower has been caused by "Long shore drift". This would explain the small lagoon
and sandbar we could see on the webcam a few weeks ago and the fact that the river appeared to have changed it's course.
No wonder the JCB was so busy trying to sort it all out.
Sounding a bit like Jimbo!!!
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Sacrilege! It is hubris to claim godhood.
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Hi, first post for me. I'm sitting on my balcony looking out over the amazing San stefanos bay. This is our 2nd visit and I wanted to post about the changes in the short 9 month gap in between our holidays.
The biggest of course is the shrinking beach. We were told there were big storms in Feb that shrank the beach to half its width overnight. Anyone got more info on that?
Also, I wanted to point out to visitors to be a bit careful when you walk beyond the Havana bar. I took a walk with my nearly 4 year old yesterday and noticed a fair amount of broken glass on the beach. Fortunately on the main beach the only thing to be wary of was the jellyfish washed up after the high winds on Tues and Wed.
Yes, beyond the Havana Bar the beach is littered with rubbish inc. broken glass so beware, it's not local or holidaymakers that drop this stuff most of it is washed a shore having been thrown overboard by idiot boat and yacht owners. I found several empty outboard motor oil containers which is a bit of a give away as to where it came from!
If any boat owner is caught throwing rubbish into the sea I think the authorities should torch his boat while the owner watches.
Andy
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We found more glass on the beach generally when we got there early May but the constant clearing by the digger and the restaurants raking the sand made a huge difference. We still kept finding finding the odd bit and had to watch when barefoot but it had all but gone when we came home. did'nt walk past mango myself but husband did and he said lots more glass further along.
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I hope the situation improves or many may not return - - which would be tragic
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A few days of hot sunny and windless days have seen some improvement to the beach width. I guess a hot July and August will continue this improvement.
As before, San Stefanos was everything we wanted it to be, it's sad to be going home, but we're already making plans for a return at the end of May 2014, and if our numbers come up, maybe sooner.
Hope all you regulars have a lovely summer.
Yammas!
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Thanks for that Woodman :)
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The beach will grow back quickly now the storms have stopped, some people said the beach may not come back which is rubbish as San Steph beach will have been around since the last Ice Age and grown and shrunk repeatedly depending on the severity of the winter storms.
Calm winters in Corfu between 1998 - 2007 led to a huge beach by 2008 but the winters since have been much stormier.
Andy
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How does this work? Either the sea is higher, or the beach is lower? Do the storms wash the beach away?
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San Steph beach will have been around since the last Ice Age
Tony Cox has got pictures to prove it!
Sand acts like a fluid, so it washes around. Heavy storm surges from the north east will move the sand from the shore region down to the south and around the harbours.
The gentler action in the summer moves the sand towards the beach, and creates the "lagoon" with one or two sand-bars farther out. But a quick summer storm will shrink the beach.
Spurn Head, near where we live on the Humber, has come and gone for a very long time because of similar action.
The beach is a living and wonderful thing at Ag Stef. Without these tides and wind, life couldn't exist, and there wouldn't be any sand, no tavernas, and a severe lack of Mythos!
Yammas to the beach. :-)
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So the beach is lower. QED
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I'm not so sure Rover?
Every time I go into the sea it comes up to my waist. If the beach was lower would it not come up higher?
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If I went into the sea with loftyscot and it was up to his waist, I'd drown.
Yes - sand at certain points will be lower. But it will be higher elsewhere. The sea can't destroy the sand - it's a billion dumper trucks shovelling it from here to there.
Nice description here:
http://www.marinebio.net/marinescience/03ecology/sbprocesses.htm (http://www.marinebio.net/marinescience/03ecology/sbprocesses.htm)
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Loftyscot is correct. When he goes into the sea the sea level will rise. Hence the beach will seem to be lower. The more water displaced, the higher the level, as when we get into a bath.