Cape of Good Hope is the most south-western point of the African continent — but not the most southern, which is Cape Agulhas. It’s best known for the tourist pictures of the signs with the GPS coordinates on it 🙂
What it’s not so well-known for (as we rather arrive by plane, than by sailing boat) is the fact that there’s many sharp rocks protruding up towards the water surface… Since back from the early settlements at Cape Town there have been lighting fires to welcome & warn ships and keep them off coast.
As a tourist one learns a lot of things, some useful even; one is, that as late as 1911 was the last major ship wreckage off the Cape of Good Hope, which spurred the creation of the New Lighthouse — at a lower point, so that it is seen later, i.e. at a farther distance south.
Second is, this wreckage of the SS Lustinia, only 8 out of 774 persons died — when a life boat sunk. The captain and crew did a great job of getting everyone off the job in an orderly fashion: The Captain coined the phrase “Children and women first”.
New Lighthouse at Cape of Good Hope.
There are two strong currents, the warm Agulhas current from North East from the Indian Ocean and the cold Benguala coming from West from the Atlantic Ocean.
On Wikipedia it is even suggested, that the warm Agulhas current transports twice the water and warmth than the Gulf Stream which dominates the climate of Northern Europe. These currents meat around the Cape of Good Hope and that’s why there is such a diversity on marine wildlive — and whale-watching.
PS: Yes, that picture is back then, with my trip to Muizenberg/the Cape; when the shot of the Ostriches below was done. And yes, I walked up the hill to the old light-tower — didn’t take the fernicular 🙂