| Betty's Bay | |
| Native Name: | Bettysbaai |
| Pushpin Map: | South Africa Western Cape#South Africa |
| Coordinates: | -34.363°N 18.885°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | South Africa |
| Subdivision Type1: | Province |
| Subdivision Name1: | Western Cape |
| Subdivision Type2: | District |
| Subdivision Name2: | Overberg |
| Subdivision Type3: | Municipality |
| Subdivision Name3: | Overstrand |
| Subdivision Type4: | Main Place |
| Established Title: | Established |
| Leader Title: | Councillor |
| Area Footnotes: | [1] |
| Area Total Km2: | 20.99 |
| Population Total: | 1381 |
| Population As Of: | 2011 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Demographics Type1: | Racial makeup (2011) |
| Demographics1 Title1: | Black African |
| Demographics1 Info1: | 3.7% |
| Demographics1 Title2: | Coloured |
| Demographics1 Info2: | 21.1% |
| Demographics1 Title3: | Indian/Asian |
| Demographics1 Info3: | 0.3% |
| Demographics1 Title4: | White |
| Demographics1 Info4: | 72.6% |
| Demographics1 Title5: | Other |
| Demographics1 Info5: | 2.3% |
| Demographics Type2: | First languages (2011) |
| Demographics2 Title1: | Afrikaans |
| Demographics2 Info1: | 60.5% |
| Demographics2 Title2: | English |
| Demographics2 Info2: | 36.5% |
| Demographics2 Title5: | Other |
| Demographics2 Info5: | 3.0% |
| Timezone1: | SAST |
| Utc Offset1: | +2 |
| Postal Code Type: | Postal code (street) |
| Postal2 Code Type: | PO box |
| Postal2 Code: | 7141 |
| Area Code Type: | Area code |
| Area Code: | 028 |
Betty's Bay is a small holiday town situated on the Overberg coast of South Africa's Western Cape province. It is located 100 km from Cape Town beneath the Kogelberg Mountains on the scenic R44 ocean drive between Pringle Bay and Kleinmond. This village stretches over 13 km along the coast. Tourism plays a large role in the town's economy due to its popularity with holiday makers from across the Western Cape and Cape Town in particular.
During colonial times Betty's Bay was allegedly a favourite place for runaway slaves, and in 1912 Betty's Bay became a formal whaling station running up until the 1930s. Remains of the whaling station can still be seen at Stony Point.[2]
Bettys Bay is named after Betty Youlden, daughter of the first developer of the area Arthur Youlden.[3]
Betty's Bay contains the Harold Porter National Botanical Garden as well as an African penguin colony in the Betty's Bay Marine Protected Area, which is one of the two Penguin colonies in the area of the Western Cape. The colony is situated in the Kogelberg and Stony Point Nature Reserve. When the former whaling station was closed, the endemic and endangered Southern African penguins started breeding here.[4]
Due to the town's location on the south-western coast and surrounding mountainous geography it receives near constant wind and ample rain throughout the year, With south-easterly winds bringing the occasional thunderstorm from the warmer eastern coast in summer, while winter brings persistent North-westerly to occasional Southerly frontal rain, sometimes hail, which can be very heavy at times.
Betty's Bay has a warm Mediterranean climate (Köppen: Csb) with relatively strong marine west coast oceanic climate (Köppen Cfb) influence for the region, which sees pleasant warm temperatures in summer, and mild to cool temperatures in winter with the threat of rain throughout the year.