The Wild West Coast of South Africa

The marine and coastal biodiversity of the west coast of South Africa is dominated by the cold Benguela Current, that through upwelling’s from deep waters brings with it the nutrients that sustain a myriad of life. Coastal fog and mist that forms over the cold Atlantic Ocean also sweeps inland, taking with it the moisture needed for this often dry landscape that in spring becomes carpeted in colour from spring flowers that are buzzing with the constant toing-and-froing of pollinating insects. Numerous marine fish and invertebrate species spend important parts of their life-cycle within the protected waters of the Langebaan Lagoon and the seabird breeding islands of Schaapen, Malgas and Dassen protect African penguins, Cape gannets, great white pelicans, Cape cormorants and South Africa’s rarest seabird the Bank Cormorant that all breed on these isolated islands. The West coast is definitely a place where careful exploration will provide an everlasting array of interest.

The Wild West Coast of South Africa by Conservation Photographer Peter Chadwick

1 of 15: Waves, rich in nutrients from the upwelling in the Benguela current crash against a west coast beach

The Wild West Coast of South Africa by Conservation Photographer Peter Chadwick

2 of 15: An aerial view of the Langebaan Lagoon and West Coast National Park looking out over the seabird breeding island and with Saldahna port in the distance

The Wild West Coast of South Africa by Conservation Photographer Peter Chadwick

3 of 15: The distinctive Preekstoel during a tranquil evening on the Langebaan Lagoon

The Wild West Coast of South Africa by Conservation Photographer Peter Chadwick

4 of 15: Bull Rays swimming in the shallows of Langebaan Lagoon while feeding on sand prawns and hermit crabs

The Wild West Coast of South Africa by Conservation Photographer Peter Chadwick

5 of 15: A Kelp Gulls flies down to feed on marine invertebrates on a small rocky outcrop that is exposed between massive breaking waves

The Wild West Coast of South Africa by Conservation Photographer Peter Chadwick

6 of 15: Great White Pelicans at their nest sites on Dassen Island that lies offshore of Yzerfontein on the west coast

The Wild West Coast of South Africa by Conservation Photographer Peter Chadwick

7 of 15: Cape Gannets at their nest sites on Malgas Island in the mouth of Saldhana Bay as a storm passes overhead at sunrise

The Wild West Coast of South Africa by Conservation Photographer Peter Chadwick

8 of 15: Densely packed limpets crowd a rocky boulder in the intertidal zone where they can easily reach and feed upon the kelp strands that brush against the rock

The Wild West Coast of South Africa by Conservation Photographer Peter Chadwick

9 of 15: A Cape Fur Seal bull attempts to approach a female that then warns the bull off with a loud bellow

The Wild West Coast of South Africa by Conservation Photographer Peter Chadwick

10 of 15: A Namaqua Dwarf -Chameleon moves between vegetation clumps along the upper shoreline of the Namaqua coastline

The Wild West Coast of South Africa by Conservation Photographer Peter Chadwick

11 of 15: A Cape Long-billed Lark dust bathes on the high shoreline of the Namaqua National Park

The Wild West Coast of South Africa by Conservation Photographer Peter Chadwick

12 of 15: A female Steenbok wanders through the low scrubveld along the coastline of the Namaqua National Park

The Wild West Coast of South Africa by Conservation Photographer Peter Chadwick

13 of 15: A Corn Cricket with its distinctive armor plating crawls across a coastal shrub in the West Coast National Park

The Wild West Coast of South Africa by Conservation Photographer Peter Chadwick

14 of 15: Delicate pink Strandroos flowers are a common flowering plant along the Namaqua sandy coastlines

The Wild West Coast of South Africa by Conservation Photographer Peter Chadwick

15 of 15: Purple vygies (Ruschia ventricosa) growing along the Namaqua coastline