Jahleel Island
Close inshore, near the new Ngquru harbour development at Coega, on the north-eastern outskirts of Port Elizabeth, is the St Croix group, consisting of a main island of that name and two lesser islets, Jahleel Island just off the Ngquru breakwater and Brenton Island on the seaward side. The second group consists of Bird, Seal and Stag Islands. All six islands and their adjacent waters are declared nature reserves and form part of the Addo Elephant National Park. The islands are closed to the public.
Also worthy of mention, if only as an obstacle to navigation, is Despatch Rock, 2.4 km due east of the Port Elizabeth suburb of Summerstrand. The rock, which is submerged at high tide, is marked with a light. Further south, about a kilometre southwest of Cape Recife, the western starting point of the bay is Thunderbolt Reef. Though not in the bay, this hazard to navigation has claimed many ships carelessly entering or leaving. Thunderbolt Reef is submerged save for spring low tides and the surf crashing on it can be observed from the mainland.
St Croix Island seen from the nearest landfall at Hougham Park, just east of the Coega harbour development. From here the island is about 4 km to sea. Two disused stone bungalows, used by guano collectors and then by the local university for research purposes are visible.
St Croix Island at 33°47′58″S 25°46′11″E / 33.79944°S 25.76972°E is 3.9 km from the nearest land and rises to 59 m.[2]. The BirdLife fact sheet states the 12 hectare island is only 58 m above sea level. It adds that the island is rocky and “supports minimal vegetation”. The island runs 700 m along a northwest, southeast axis and is about 300 m wide at its broadest – along the west coast. Its highest point is halfway along the north coast.
Brenton Island (33°49′3″S 25°45′54″E / 33.8175°S 25.765°E) is equally sparsely vegetated and is less than 20 metres in elevation, and is roughly 250 m by 200 m in size with a northwest-southeast orientation. It is 5.75 km to sea from the nearest point on the mainland and 1.75 km south of St Croix. Jahleel, at less than 10 metres in height, is just over a kilometre from the closest beach and less than that from Ngquru’s 2.6 km long eastern breakwater. Jahleel is about the same size as Brenton and has a north-south axis. It is 5.75 km west of St Croix.
