Name and Location

Cape Columbine Lighthouse is an active coastal light station located at Cape Columbine, R399, West Coast Peninsula, Saldanha Bay Local Municipality, Western Cape, South Africa. The coordinates are 32°49′40″ S, 17°51′20″ E (decimal: –32.8277168, 17.8555341).

Construction and History

Cape Columbine Lighthouse was constructed between 1936 and 1937 and first lit on December 1, 1936. It was built in response to frequent shipwrecks on the nearby rocky outcrop known as “The Mulberry Rocks.” The lighthouse is a Provincial Heritage Site of the Western Cape (South African Heritage Resources Agency).

Architecture and Materials

The lighthouse was designed by H. M. Davis, Chief Lighthouse Engineer, Department of Transport. It has a functionalist style with Neo-Classical detailing. The tower is made of cast-in-situ reinforced concrete, while the lantern room is cast-iron. The exterior finish is white with a red lantern dome.

Light and Navigation

The lighthouse has a tower height of 21 meters (69 feet) and a focal plane height of 80 meters (262 feet) above mean sea level. The light characteristic is Fl W 15 s (0.2 seconds flash + 14.8 seconds eclipse). The nominal range is 30 nautical miles. The original optical apparatus was a second-order Fresnel lens, which has been converted to electric motor in 1974.

Accessibility and Visiting

The lighthouse is open to visitors on weekends and public holidays (weather permitting) and offers guided tours only. Advance booking can be made via the Paternoster Tourism Office or TNPA website. The entry fee is ZAR 50 per adult and ZAR 25 per child (under 12). Facilities include a small museum in former keepers’ quarters, interpretive displays, picnic area, and coastal walking trails.

Notable Views and Landscape

The surrounding environment features a granite headland rising abruptly from sandy coves and rocky platforms. The landscape is part of the West Coast Strandveld biome, with regular sightings of Cape fur seals, dolphins, southern right whales (seasonal), and seabirds such as gannets, cormorants, and kelp gulls.

Anecdotes and Folklore

The cape was named after the Roman Catholic brigantine “Columbine,” which was wrecked here in 1829. A frequent tale tells of the “lighthouse cat,” a black-and-white feline that reputedly guarded the light through the 1940s.

Technical and Operational Details

The lighthouse is managed by Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA), Lighthouse Division, and was automated in 1974. It has remote monitoring from Cape Town Maritime Operations Centre and features radar reflectors and a RACON (radar transponder) installed in 1982.

Further Information

For further reading, refer to Potgieter, J. L. (1990). The Lighthouses of South Africa. Cape Town: Maritime Heritage Publications. Additionally, see Smith, A. (2005). Guardians of the Sea: South African Lighthouses. Johannesburg: Bluewater Books.