The Plett pansy: local charisma, uniqueness, nerve, and talent

Why hello... is it me you're looking for? No, I'm not Adele, and this is not a series of puns. It is I, the Plett Pansy, sashaying your way.

Over time, I have heard the human rumours of how to find me, where to find me, and when to find me and my comrades. And let me tell you, many of these are baseless lies. However, there's an occasional dog-walker, or crusty fisherman, who I've come to know over time - and when they have tips, I'll reluctantly give it to them that they may be right.

Instead of relying on human gossip and conjecture, I thought I'd share my point of view of looking for, and finding, the elusive pansy shell, and how not to do it.

Do not become a Pansy Gloater

No discussion on pansy hunting would be complete without addressing the ostentatious elephant in the room: the Pansy Gloater. If you are one of those people who finds a pansy, and then masquerades the beach holding it proudly for all to behold - let me tell you, that that unleashes my curse on you - the Naysayer Curse - to find pieces, but never a full pansy again for 7 years - akin to mirror-breaking. Pansy Gloaters who suffer the Naysayer Curse can only break it through the Pansy Shanty Sailor Antidote, and a swift change of behaviour to be more humble on the beach.

Do become a Pansy Shanty Sailor

There are these humans out there that have come up with a rhyme and ritual when they find a piece of pansy - it goes something like this:

Piece of pansy in the sea
Please bring a whole one back to me

We pansies find these people quaint, wholesome and charming. They find a piece of us, yet they throw it back into the ocean to give them more chance of finding a whole one. Now, physics-wise this has no effect, however me and my comrades have kept an eye on the Shanty Sailors and generally return them a full one within a year, like coins returned when recycling glass bottles, for their form of cottage-core that they bring to the beach. Whimsy, my dear humans, gets rewarded by us pansies.

Why do surfers have a higher chance of finding pansies?

One of the reasons people think surfers find us regularly is due to their knowledge and interest in the tides. This is only a partial truth.

In reality, surfers are on the beach more often than most - coming for what they call a "spot check", desperate for the waves that break our shells. When they arrive, oft-disappointed at the shore, they sometimes take a walk - and that's when they happen upon us. We see their sullen expressions, and seek to cheer them up, some would say, bringing the stoke to the stokeless on a South-Easterly day.

When is it best to find us?

Truth be told, low tide increases your odds at finding a pansy. And by low tide, in particular, we mean spring tides. See that full moon? That's around the best time to find us, when the water retreats lazily, leaving plenty of sandy bays for us to awash into.

And where is best?

Now Ren says it better than any of us can - he speaks to sea shells, and the supply and demand. All of you humans looking for pansies, you are the demand. It's much less about the beach you're looking at, and more about the amount of fellow humans you'll find doing the same thing on that beach. As you know, we pansies are scarce. If it's you versus others, we'd say your odds are lower. Secret beaches, with gentle breaks, are the perfect spots for us to wash onto. Early riser? That's another perfect time to look for us.

The lesser-known local wish

As you may know, the pansy is an emblem of the town of Plettenberg Bay. And you could say, that we pansies have a soft spot for this community, and all it has tried to do in the name of conversation of our beaches - and through them, of us. And so, we generously bestow a pansy wish valid for 24h to each person who retrieves a full pansy from the beach - with one twist, if the wish could potentially cause harm to the Plett community, you will instantly be cursed with the Naysayer Curse.

 

Now, human Plett visitors I leave you with this - can you find a pansy without bringing your charisma, uniqueness, nerve and talent?