At the tip of the Cape Peninsula – 60 km south of Cape Town – steep and rugged cliffs cut deep into the ocean to split False Bay from the colder waters of the western seaboard. This outcrop of the Table Mountain National Park is called Cape Point. If ever you wanted to see the deep and dark ocean waters from a high vantage point, then Cape Point is a must.

Many seafarers and explorers rounded Cape Point during the 13th and 14th centuries, which led to the establishment of the Cape sea route. This meant more regular sailings and also resulting in numerous casualties along these unpredictable shores. Today, shipwrecks and stone crosses bear testimony to the treacherous and challenging historic sea route.

Lighthouses

The lighthouse at Cape Point is the most powerful on the South African coast. It has a range of 63 kilometres, and beams out a group of three flashes of 10 million candlepower each, every 30 seconds.

A lighthouse was built in 1857 – on Cape Point Peak, 238 metres above sea level. However, because of its high position, clouds and fog often obscured the lighthouse. In fact, for an alarming 900 hours per year on average, its light was invisible to ships at sea at a certain angle. After the Portuguese liner Lusitania ran aground on 18 April 1911, the lighthouse was moved to its present location above Cape Point, only 87 metres above sea-level.

Work on the site commenced in 1913. Transporting the building material there proved difficult. They had to use cranes, dynamite, trolleys and trucks. The sand was mined from a nearby cave. Labourers carried it in bags up a zigzag path. Water was also carried about half a mile and then sent down a pipe. The weather also played its part in delaying the project: the men had trouble staying on their feet when the strong southeasterly wind was blowing.

The lighthouse was eventually brought into operation after the First World War – on 11 March 1919. The light had a candlepower of 500 000 cd. Electricity was introduced in 1936, which increased the candlepower to 19 000 000 cd.

Shipwrecks

Of the 26 recorded shipwrecks, the following bear a mention.
On the night of 18 April 1911, the Lusitania, a ship of 5 500 tons, with 774 people aboard, struck the Bellows Rock below the lighthouse.

TheThomas T Tucker was an American Liberty Ship, built in 1942 and was intended for carrying troops and supplies during World War II. Relying on a faulty compass, she hit a rock in thick fog near Olifantsbos just off the Point.

The Phyllisia, 452 ton Cape Town trawler, struck the jagged rocks just 100 m off the rugged coast of the Cape Point Nature Reserve at about midnight on 3 May 1968. Eleven of her crew reached the shore in life rafts, but 14 still remained on the trawler. Two South African Airforce helicopters lifted them from the craft.

The Nolloth, a 347-ton Dutch trawler, ran aground, surround by jagged rocks in rough seas after an unidentified underwater object struck her. It is believed to be the Albatross Rock.

Global Atmosphere Watch Station

The South African Weather Bureau, together with the Fraunhofer Institute in Garmisch, Germany, maintains a research laboratory at Cape Point to monitor long-term changes in the chemistry of the earth‘s atmosphere, which may impact upon climate.

The laboratory, which was architecturally designed to blend into the western slopes of Cape Point, is one of the World Meteorological Organisation‘s 20 Global Atmosphere Watch (GAW) stations.
It monitors environmentally important air components, including trace gases like ozone, methane and carbon dioxide, as well as solar radiation and various meteorological parameters. The air at Cape Point is regarded as being particularly pure for most of the time, thereby providing insights into such phenomena as stratospheric ozone depletion and climate change.

Marine Life

The strategic position of Cape Point between the two major ocean currents ensures a rich diversity of marine life. There is a big difference between the sea life on either side of the Point due to the markedly differing water temperatures.

The South African Marine Living Resources Act is strictly enforced and disturbance or removal of any marine life is strictly prohibited. However, certain demarcated areas allow for recreational diving or angling activities. Please refer to the Marine and Coastal Management regulations.
The great vantage point offers excellent whale viewing. Between June and November the Southern Right Whale is the species most likely to be seen. Other species are the Humpback Whale and Bryde’s Whale. Seals and dolphins are in abundance.

More Cape Point Attractions

• Breathe the freshest air in the world – straight from the Antarctic.
• It’s where the cold Benguela current on the West coast and the warm Agulhus current on the East coast merge.
• One of the highest sea cliffs in the world – 249 m above sea level.
• Bird watcher's paradise – at least 250 species.
• Approximately 1 100 indigenous plant species, some of which occur nowhere else on earth.
• Numerous scenic walks and trails.
• Excellent angling and diving spots.  
• Historical monuments including the Diaz and Da Gama crosses.  
• The funicular – scenic trips to the old lighthouse.  
• The Two Oceans Restaurant offers world class cuisine and spectacular vistas over False Bay.
• Two curio shops, each with an impressive range of high quality South African curios, and Cape Point merchandise.  
• A million points of view.