| Highlights of the Cape Peninsula| Boyes Drive | Cape Town and Peninsula Beaches | This website contains links to other websites solely as a convenience to you. Designed to hold 40 people, its working capacity is 30 passengers, conveying visitors every 3 minutes in each direction. No need to register, buy now! Surely it must be as the waters from Cape Point to Saldanha are so very cold, while from about Simon’s Town all the way to Gordon’s Bay and beyond we enjoy warmer waves? Two hundred kilometers away from Cape Town there is the famous cape – the southernmost point of the African continent. Even today, ships navigating the seas off the southern shores may face tempestuous winter storms and sustained spring gales, with winds of 100 miles an hour and monstrous waves. As such there is a mandatory entrance fee charged to enter this South African National Park (irrespective of whether you are dining at Two Oceans Restaurant) Further details and costs can be found at http://capepoint.co.za/visitor-info/opening-times/ TRADING HOURS South African dancer enjoys global success, Relive Ladysmith Black Mambazo’s five Grammy-winning moments, South African companies do their bit to cut water use, Young Kroonstad train tragedy heroes nominated for National Order, Remembering Hugh Masekela, South African legend: 1939-2018, Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa arrives in Davos, Brand South Africa takes part in the Eastern Cape SUV Challenge, AFRICA: OPEN FOR ALL TYPES OF TRAVEL EXPERIENCES, Brand South Africa to participate in Africa Travel Indaba 2019, South Africa to host One Young World 2013, Kirstenbosch is world’s Garden of the Year, AfrikaBurn: a festival of radical self-expression. On the west coast, the water is chilled by the north-drifting, cold Benguela Current. A Day at Exotic Cape Point - South Africa | Where two oceans meet | Places to see in Cape Town. Cape Agulhas: the place where two oceans meet. This popular view site overlooks the working Cape Point Lighthouse perched near the end of the point below and provides superb vistas over the cliffs of Cape Point and the ocean. Cape Agulhas is the southernmost tip of Africa. Selected filters. The treacherous rocky reefs surrounding the Point are home to 26 recorded shipwrecks - and probably many more. The two intermingling currents help to create the micro-climate of Cape Town and its environs. However, the residents of Cape Agulhas – over 100km east of Cape Point – insist that visitors wanting to see the confluence of the two oceans will have to travel a little further south …. Essentially, the answer is yes, the Atlantic and the Pacific Ocean meet and blend. This is a region of breathtaking scenery - mountains rising up from towering cliffs, sheltered bays, sandy shores and serene ocean vistas. Nature can be harsh to mariners but kind to the authors of tourism brochures! 2,626 views. It was built following the loss of the Portuguese liner Lusitania  on April 18, 1911. Groot Constantia Wine Estate | Frequent south-easterly gales and even rogue waves increased the measure of risk immensely. Not surprisingly, the Western Cape of South Africa has become a world-renowned tourist destination. | Short trails lead to stunning views over the cliffs - with seabirds whirling and diving between their rocky nests and the sea. The waters around this rugged headland is notoriously difficult to navigate, wi… Below: Steps ascend to the Old Lighthouse Lookout Point Gift shops in the area sell souvenirs like coffee mugs, T-shirts, collector spoons and bottles of ocean water - all emblazoned with the slogan, "Cape Point, South Africa: Where Two Oceans Meet." Map of the Southern Tip of Africa showing Cape Point and Cape Agulhas. Cape Point marks the south western tip of the African continent, with some of the most breathtaking ocean and coastal scenery in the world. “The changes in temperature along the coast bring about changes in marine life. | Chapman's Peak Drive |False Bay Attractions and Activities | The tourist brochures will have proclaimed this to be so. An estimated 800 000 people a year visit its spectacular cliffs, lighthouses and “Two Oceans” curio shops. Imagine a river 1000 miles long, 60 miles wide and more than a mile deep flowing at up to 6.5 miles an hour. If you’ve always asked yourself “where do the Atlantic and Pacific oceans meet?”, then your search is over – they meet at These two different oceans, the prevailing wind and the topography of South Africa combine to create lush forests and subtropical savanna on the east coast, gradually changing to desert or semi-desert on the west coast. The visitor touring the Cape Peninsula and ascending the funicular to the view sites overlooking Cape Point will believe in her heart that she is indeed witnessing the meeting of these two great oceans -- and yes, doesn't the ocean change in appearance from east to west? Cape Agulhas also defines the official geographic divide between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. Worth the visit to take a photo at the stone monument to … Officially Cape Agulhas is the place where the Indian and Atlantic Oceans meet, and not the "two oceans" as believed at the Cape Point, near Cape Town (for publicity reasons). Read More: Cape Peninsula | Cape Town| Top of Page. Of course, there is not an apparent difference between the waters of the oceans. So where really do the Atlantic and Indian oceans meet? The tides race each other in a display of awesome ocean strength as you stand on the bluff, buffeted by the inevitable breeze and wowed by the beauty of this spot. Thereâs also a great deal more to explore within the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve. Cape Town owes its existence to being on a decent natural harbor at a critical point on the African coast, near where the Atlantic meets the Indian Ocean. See Using Brand South Africa material. Worth the visit to take a photo at the stone monument to … Sea cliffs rise more than 800 feet above the waves crashing against the rocks far below. A Travel Guide to the countries of Africa, CAPE OF GOOD HOPE NATURE RESERVE, Cape Town'S PENINSULA, MORE ACTIVITIES AND THINGS TO DO IN CAPE TOWN, where really do the Atlantic and Indian oceans meet, South African Data Center for Oceanogrpahy, African Travel Marketing Network (LinkedIn Group), NATURE RESERVES AND WILDLIFE NEAR CAPE TOWN. Getting to Cape Agulhas, you will see the place where the two oceans meet. Although Cape Agulhas marks the geographic divide between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, the boundary between the warm waters of the Indian Ocean and the cold Atlantic migrates seasonally between Cape Agulhas and Cape Point. The funicular operates on solar powered batteries that charge the funicular via photovoltaic panels while in transit. IMPORTANT: All information provided in this website is for research purposes only. This, Cape Agulhas argues, is merely due to False Bay’s being shallow and sheltered and hence not affected by the currents to the same extent as the waters of the open sea. Cape Agulhas is the southernmost tip of Africa. All reviews cape point light house two oceans meet funicular railway southernmost point flying dutchman african continent indian ocean two oceans restaurant walk up national park spectacular views entrance fee day trip simons town false bay the atlantic ocean . The Portuguese mariner Bartolomeu Dias had a particularly bad experience rounding the Cape in 1488 and declared this to be the Cape of Storms (Cabo das Tormentas). This might be confusing but is a true remark. Two Oceans Restaurant is situated in the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve, Cape Point. What about the warmer temperature of the waters in False Bay, just to the East of Cape Point? But is Cape Point's claim to fame that it is "where two oceans meet" just tourism hype? The oceans’ meeting also causes climatic events, which shows the meeting of the seas is not calm and straightforward. 1:56. For nearly 120 years, the Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse has stood majestically as a sentinel to help protect shipping off WA’s treacherous South West coast. Imagine the dangers of running aground on uncharted reefs. May 6, 2016 - Image result for cape point where two oceans meet According to CapeInfo.com, this finding is accepted and applied by both the Hydrographic Office of the South African Navy and the Department of Oceanography at the University of Cape Town. While the junction is technically at Cape Agulcas, at the southern tip of the country, the symbolic meeting point is at the tip of the Cape of Good Hope. Whales too can often be seen between May and November on their annual migration around the Point. Here, at the top of the country, you can witness a rare and powerful thing – the meeting of two bodies of water, the Tasman Sea and the Pacific Ocean. Would you like to use this article in your publication or on your website? In a thunderous clash of water against rock, where mountain and ocean meet, Cape Point juts out like an outstretched arm, attracting an incredible diversity of life (furry, feathered and two-legged) to its pristine beaches and rugged cliffs. And for those who still try to pursue the debate for commercial reasons, the Hydrographic Office of the South African Navy accepts the findings of the IHO regarding the common boundary of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans and that they apply these findings … South Africa’s Cape coast attracts thousands of local and international tourists each year to witness the Indian and Atlantic oceans splashing together – or so they believe. Published in Johannesburg. To sail north against this powerful current, ancient mariners had to tack their sailing ships back and forth along the narrow margin separating land from the main southerly flow of the current. By subscribing you will receive continuous newsworthy information. A sweep to the left takes in Cape Maria van Diemen, the name a legacy of the Dutch explorer … Camps Bay | Cape Point and Cape Of Good Hope Nature Reserve | From the region of East London, because of the widening of the continental shelf, the current flows further offshore and the coastal waters become cooler. Officially Cape Agulhas is the place where the Indian and Atlantic Oceans meet, and not the "two oceans" as believed at the Cape Point, near Cape Town (for publicity reasons). The popular âFlying Dutchmanâ funicular railway ferries visitors from the car park up the steep slope to the foot of steps leading to the Old Lighthouse Lookout Point. The text is also printed in Afrikaans: Steil hange waar die Atlantiese Oseaan die warmer waters van die Indiese Oseaan ontmoet. This contradiction and the resulting jibes at Capetonians for bending the truth has a simple enough explanation. [Attribution: S. Lukas]. Find the perfect two oceans cape point stock photo. A common misunderstanding fuelling the controversy, argues the web site, is “the erroneous assumption that oceans and currents are synonymous”. "Sheer cliffs at the meeting of the Atlantic Ocean ... with the warmer waters of the Indian Ocean." To be updated on Brand South Africa news and events join our media list. But it is more complicated than one first anticipates. Above: Flow of the Indian Ocean Agulhas Current And the Two Oceans Marathon is run down here, nowhere near Agulhas. A wide variety of stunning dive sites, picnic sites and walks to tidal pools for the kids to explore, hiking trails, 1100 indigenous plant species, as well as baboons, antelope, ostriches and Cape zebra to spot. Diaz beach nestles in a cove below the cliffs. Hout Bay | Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens | The degree and speed of mixing of the two different oceans depend on a variety of factors. When she visits Cape Agulhas a few days later, she will be assured by locals and brochures that this is where the two oceans meet. The Lusitania foundered on Bellows Rock, just south of the Point. Cape Town's Cape Point is not the southern-most point on the African continent. Cape Agulhas residents want what they see as their rightful piece of the tourism pie – the town attracts about 250 000 tourists a year – arguing that visitors are tricked into believing the seas meet at Cape Point, and that the shops there trade under false pretences. All Rights Reserved. (Incidentally, the two oceans’ meeting point is Cape Agulhas). Bicycle at Cape Agulhas: Southernmost Tip of Africa At this point there are two oceans meeting, that could not have been more different. Businesses in Cape Point are cashing in on the misinformed tourists. Review tags are currently only available for English language reviews. A part of the reason why Cape Agulhas fails to draw many tourists than they should is because it isn’t quite as spectacular or … The interplay of ocean, land and wind off this tip of Africa is complex, with huge swirls of warm Indian Ocean waters breaking away from the powerful surge of the Agulhas current, to be carried away by the cold northward flow of the Atlantic's Benguela current. The old lighthouse was set back from the rocky point and could be seen too soon by ships approaching the Point from the west, causing them to approach too closely. According to CapeInfo.com’s Cape Agulhas web page, somebody did draw a line to demarcate where the Indian and Atlantic Oceans meet: the International Hydrographic Organisation (IHO), which describes the western boundary of the Indian Ocean as follows: From the coast of the Antarctic continent northwards, along the meridian of 20º E to Cape Agulhas (34º 50’S – 20º 00’E), the southern extremity of the Republic of South Africa, in Africa (the common limit with the South Atlantic Ocean). The presence of such a link does not imply a responsibility for (or endorsement of) the linked site, its operator, or its contents. Cape Agulhas is the southern most point of Africa where the Indian and Atlantic Oceans meet, Agulhas National Park, Cape Agulhas, South Africa Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse, at the south-western tip of Australia, where two oceans meet. Still a working lighthouse today, it’s the perfect day trip destination for all the family. Where two oceans meet. In fact, the meeting point fluctuates along the southern and southwestern Cape coast, usually occurring between Cape Agulhas and Cape Point. Says CapeInfo.com: “The Agulhas Current brings warm water from the subtropics down the east coast of South Africa. Read reviews in English Go back. Curio and merchandise shopping and the Two Oceans restaurant offer rest and refreshment before the return trip along the False Bay shore. This is where two oceans meet â the cold waters of the Atlantic Ocean on the west and the warmer Indian Ocean waters on the east. Register to receive our latest news and updates. Cape Agulhas is the southernmost tip of Africa. To see the Atlantic and the Pacific Ocean meet at Cape Horn in southern Chile, you have to take a cruise ship that leaves from Ushuaia, in Argentina, and from Punta Arenas, in Chile. This is a wave-swept pristine beach for hikers to explore. Well, not at all -- it depends! Cape Point is often mistakenly claimed to be the place where the cold Benguela Current of the Atlantic Ocean and the warm Agulhas Current of the Indian Ocean collide. Cape Point Nature Reserve: Where two oceans meet... - See 8,978 traveler reviews, 7,237 candid photos, and great deals for Cape Town Central, South Africa, at Tripadvisor. [Attribution: South African Data Center for Oceanogrpahy (SADCO)]. One example, which is there for all to see, is the prolific kelp (Ecklonia maxima) forests which prefer the colder, nutrient-rich waters of the west coast.”. Wasn’t Cape Point the place where the two oceans ‘meet’? Copyright © 2010 - 2014 FindTripInfo.com and content providers. No warranty, explicit or implied, is given in respect to the accuracy or completeness of this information by FindTripInfo.com or content contributors. Sculptured sandstone pillars, sea caves and white sands are sculptured and swept clean by wind and storms. The cold Atlantic Ocean, fed by the Benguela current never reaches more than 15 degrees celcius water temperature in summer, however due to its nourishing waters it has most ocean animals. Two Oceans Restaurant, Cape Point : consultez 2 104 avis sur Two Oceans Restaurant, noté 4,5 sur 5 sur Tripadvisor et classé #1 sur 6 restaurants à Cape Point. The working Cape Point Lighthouse can be seen, perched near the end of the Point, from the old lighthouse lookout point. Images: Elements Margaret River. I love this view and the idea of two oceans meeting at Cape Point, South Africa. 4:12. Officially Cape Agulhas is the place where the Indian and Atlantic Oceans meet, and not the "two oceans" as believed at the Cape Point, near Cape Town (for publicity reasons). by Food, Travel, Fun and Me. The most obvious locations to watch the waters of two oceans meet is at the boundaries. But in reality it’s little far from the point where 2 oceans meet. https://www.brandsouthafrica.com/.../where-south-africas-two-oceans-meet On his famous round the world voyage, Sir Francis Drake sailed into Cape Town's Table Bay in 1580 and is on record for his description of the Cape Peninsula as "the fairest Cape we saw in the whole circumference of the earth". These kelp forests, the web site argues, grow all the way along the west coast, past Cape Point in an easterly direction – only as far as Cape Agulhas. The ship rounds the Cape and if weather permits, disembarks visitors on the headland. This ânewâ lighthouse is much closer to sea level and is situated further south on the Peninsula. | Llandudno | Penguin Colony at Boulders | Silvermine Nature Reserve |. Cape Agulhas is the real point but it does not get its rightful credit, thanks to the 150 odd Kilometers or around 3 hours’ drive from Cape of good hope. Who is right, asks The Economist in a January 2002 article sub-titled “South Africa’s oceanic squabble”, noting that oceans are divided by man, not nature, and quoting University of Cape Town oceanographer Howard Waldron: “Oceans exchange water all the time, and there is never a neat dividing line.”. This huge flow of warm water is known as the Agulhas current, flowing southwards along the Indian Ocean shoreline of Southern Africa. The Indian Ocean, on the east, is warmed by the Mozambique or Agulhas Current which flows down from the tropics, while the Atlantic, on the west coast, is cooled by the icy Benguela Current which comes up from the Antarctic. In keeping with Cape Pointâs green standards, a low carbon footprint is ensured. “This fact supports the argument that the dividing line between the warm and cold waters is more often at Cape Agulhas than anywhere else … However, because of the effect of the south-easterly and north-westerly winds, the warm current can on occasion drift even as far as Cape Point.”. Above: The Flying Dutchman Funicular Railway Cape Point, an hour’s drive from Cape Town, cashes in on the visitors who flock to witness this supposed natural phenomenon. | Behauptung: This video and several related photos show the places where oceans meet and the waters do not mix. Cape Point Nature Reserve: Where the two oceans meet - See 8,979 traveler reviews, 7,247 candid photos, and great deals for Cape Town Central, South Africa, at Tripadvisor. Worth the visit to take a photo at the stone monument to …  The old light was also often obscured by foggy conditions at the higher elevation. So those who travel to Cape Point, or the Cape of Good Hope, in the hope of seeing the confluence of two oceans... you need to travel a little further south. https://www.atlasandboots.com/travel-blog/cape-point-where-two-oceans-meet Huge collection, amazing choice, 100+ million high quality, affordable RF and RM images. 1,995 views. Cape point or merely Cape of good hope is the southernmost point (South West) in the Table Mountain national park of SA.