Splash of reality: Influencer’s ‘favourite swim spot’ is in fact sewer water

An influencer’s quest for the perfect ‘favourite spot’ in Cape Town took a decidedly unpleasant turn when it was revealed that the picturesque location was, in fact, polluted sewage water.

What was intended to be an aesthetically pleasing social media post, quickly became a cautionary tale about misidentification and hidden realities behind seemingly idyllic scenes.

Michelle Sky Hayward, former professional kitesurfer and content creator, was enjoying her usual morning dip at a popular beach in Cape Town recently when she noticed the water looked different than usual.

Despite her initial doubts, the 33-year-old content creator decided to go in anyway.

In the video, Hayward is seen enjoying herself in the murky water. "Let's go swimming. This is my favourite spot. It is so beautiful," she says as she continues to swim. At one point, she even appears to accidently ingest the water. "That is salty," she was quick to say.

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A post shared by Michelle Sky Hayward (@michelleskyhayward)

However, as soon as she posted the clip on social media, her followers flooded the comments section to share the disturbing truth.

They mentioned to the unusual colour and texture of the sea, and revealed that she had been swimming in what was likely ‘sewage-polluted water’.

A user commented, "That foam is sewage, I hope you know that."

"Can someone please tell her that she is swimming in sewage foam,” another said.

However, to her relief some users claimed that it was just natural oceanic foam and not from a sewer.

"It really depends. It could be just regular seafoam. You would know if it's foam from sewage overflow/runoff," one user said.

"Ocean can also form a Foam naturally, too," remarked another.