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Cape Town Beach Guide | Diaz Beach | CAPE POINT
Most visitors to Cape Town will at some time during their stay take a tour of the Cape Peninsula, pausing at Cape Point ("where two oceans meet") to marvel at the ocean and coastal vistas from high atop the cliffs. To the west, they gaze down on the white sandy crescent of Diaz Beach, bounded by cliffs and Atlantic breakers. This remote cove separates Cape Point and Cape MacLear.
Beaches of Cape Town's Cape Point Nature Reserve
Diaz Beach
Diaz beach is a beach for hikers to explore. There are several reasons however why this beach is not a good choice for tanning/swimming/surfing activities.
- Swimming in the ocean is dangerous and there are no lifeguards (or other bathers) to render help when needed
- The weather here at the south-western tip of Africa is extremely fickle. The beach is unprotected from South-Easter gales, so a calm and idyllic morning can become extremely unpleasant by late morning or afternoon.
- The beach is reached from either Cape of Good Hope or Cape Point car park, and is accessed via a steep flight of wooden steps descending from the trail running along the top of the cliffs. You are strongly advised not to take food or backpacks with you down to the beach.
The reason: Baboons. They are intimidating, extremely strong and quite fearless. Never try and fight them off when they jump up onto your backpack or grab at what you're carrying! - There are just so many other beautiful beaches around the Peninsula to choose from.
Diaz Beach is included for discussion here, not because it's a recreational beach (it definitely is not), but because any visitor to the beach should be fully aware of what to expect. There's no question however that it is a beautiful spot and can be worth the hike on any fine and baboon-free day.
Diaz Beach (above) as seen from the Cape Point side
Aerial view of the cliffs of Cape Point
At low tide, it is possible to hike across a rocky shelf and around the bluff on the eastern end of the beach. There is a cave at the end of the sand below the cliffs - but not welcoming enough to want to explore. The tidal rocks are covered in mussels, but this is within the Nature Reserve, so don't be tempted to harvest any! This cave and cliffs can be seen at center of the above photo. Take utmost care not to get cut-off by wind and tide.
Cape Town to Cape of Good Hope[2:42 min] [Attribution: Bradshawhall]Amazing views over Llandudno Bay on the road to the Cape of Good Hope. Lighthouse at Cape Point. Beautiful Diaz Beach hidden between Cape Point and the Cape MacLear. Ostriches in Table Mountain Nature Reserve. Boulders Beach: swimming with Jackass penguins. Simon's Town. Chapmans Peak. |
Historical Note:
At midnight on April 18, 1911 the Portuguese ship SS Lusitania (not to be confused with RMS Lusitania) foundered on Bellows Rock, south of Diaz Beach. The ship with lights ablaze sat firmly on Bellows Rock throughout the night, allowing a sea rescue of passengers and crew from the drifting lifeboats and those still on board. Two lifeboats however tried to make a safe landing at Diaz Beach. Unfortunately one capsized in the rough surf, with the loss of three lives.
The next morning, the ship slipped off Bellows Rock and sank.
What remains of the Lusitania lies to the east and north of Bellows Rock - anchors, boilers, valves and engines. Parts of the hull and other wreckage can also be seen on the ocean floor. The Lusitania is a renowned deep-dive site (35-40m) for Cape Town scuba divers. This is a boat dive from Millers Point, not from Diaz Beach.
More: Cape Town| Top of Page
| COLDER OCEAN TEMPERATURES |
| TABLE BAY BEACHES: |
| Blouberg Strand | Milnerton |
| ATLANTIC SEABOARD BEACHES: |
| Clifton's Beaches | Camps Bay |
| Llandudno | Hout Bay |
| SOUTH ATLANTIC BEACHES: |
| Noordhoek | Kommetjie |
| CAPE POINT NATURE RESERVE: |
| Diaz Beach |
| WARMER OCEAN TEMPERATURES |
| CAPE HELDERBERG BEACHES: |
| Gordon's Bay | The Strand | FALSE BAY BEACHES: |
| Muizenberg | St James and Kalk Bay |
| Fish Hoek | Boulders Beach |
| MAP: Cape Town beaches and Peninsula |
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