Looking at my map outlining the many wrecks along the Southern Cape, it's not hard to see why this coast has such a fearsome reputation. 

The name Cape of Storms has been enough to strike fear into the hearts of many a sailor. These wrecks may be no more than names, dates and cold statistics – but if you’re a traveller who likes to explore or perhaps an aspiring diver, then it could represent a sunken adventure just waiting to happen.

Table Bay, the gateway to Africa, is said to have more than 450 – mostly anonymous – wrecks in its waters. The Cape first earned its notoriety back in the days of Bartolomeu Dias. Despite a radical name change to Cape of Good Hope, by John II of Portugal, its stormy reputation has lingered.

Possibly the most famous wreck in the Cape waters is The HMS Birkenhead, a British iron paddle-wheel frigate that was turned into a troopship in 1848. The ship sank in 1852 and survivors were rescued into an insufficient amount of rescue ships. This gave rise to the famous cry “Woman and children first!”

Another interesting wreck was that of The Joanna, an English East Indiaman of 550 tons, commanded by Captain Robert Brown. The ship sank in 1682, taking with it a stash of gold. I’d imagine that many people have tried to find this sunken treasure.

Down the coast at Noordhoek, you can view the remains of The Kakapo. It met its fatal end in the 1900s after the captain mistook nearby Chapman’s Peak for Cape Point. The following dawn at low tide, the sheepish crew stepped on to the dry land of Noordhoek Beach.

A great exploration dive is The Centaur because it is one of the most easily-accessible wrecks. This French ship, en route to Mauritius, ran aground a little west of Cape Agulhas back in 1750. What’s bizarre is there wasn’t even a hint of a storm.

The Cape Peninsula wreck route is gradually appearing as most of these sunken ships are developing into popular dive sites. John Gribble, a marine archaeologist at the South African Heritage Resources Agency responsible for setting up the route, says “The route will eventually feature about 30 wrecks, with signs on shore and on underwater plinths so divers can orient themselves and learn about conservation.”

These wrecks mark important events in the history of the Cape and should not be written off as a colonial heritage resource, says Gribble.

Other wrecks include the Thomas Tucker in1942; the Phyllisia in 1968 and the Oakburn in 1906 – but perhaps the most famous is the 1641 ghost ship the Flying Dutchman. Captain van der Decken was pleased that the trip to the Far East had been successful and they were finally on their way home to Holland. He was so deep in thought that he failed to notice the clouds looming and only when he heard the lookout scream, did he realise that they had sailed into a fierce storm. Captain van der Decken and crew knew death was a certainty. Not ready to die, he screamed "I WILL round this Cape even if I have to keep sailing until doomsday!" Or so the legend goes, for your sake I hope it isn’t true.

There are memorials and a shipwreck museum at Bredasdorp. However, most of the must-see sites are on a stretch called the Graveyard of Ships. Sounds intriguing and unlike the doomed sailors of the past, you have the safety of dry land on your side.

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