Southern Africa is a riot of life and colour. But if it was not for two great ocean currents that sweep around and shape the continent's Great Cape it would be a desert. This film celebrates the rejuvenating powers of the ocean. To the east, the warm Agulhas current flows south, generating clouds that roll inland creating the wettest place in southern Africa. Home to a magical fairy-tale butterfly ballet, the area is known as the 'Google' rainforest as it was only discovered using satellite images in 2005. In the sea, the warm current sustains shoals of giant kingfish and creates some of the most beautiful seascapes ever seen - the Bazaruto Archipelago. To the west is the cold Benguela current. It is home to more great white sharks than any other sea on Earth. Although the current provides little rain, it delivers instead moisture laden fog to the land, and supports an incredible desert garden, where monkey beetles sleep in a bed of petals. But perhaps most impressive is where the two currents meet. The clash of warm and cold water creates one of the world's most fabulous natural spectacles, South Africa's sardine run. This is the greatest gathering of predators on the planet, including Africa's largest, the Brydes Whale.
There is no doubt the Cape has captured the imagination of travellers for many decades. Its history, as well as its variety of landscapes, flora and fauna need no introduction. Or at least, this is what we thought before watching the 4th episode of Attenborough’s Africa which shows that there is still so much to learn even about places that have been explored for centuries.
The thread is the impact of the Agulhas and Benguela currents on the landscape and life, both in the ocean and on land. From the iconic Table Mountain to the remote Gorongosa in Mozambique, their powerful action creates a variety of ecosystems in places that in their absence would turn into desert. Following the currents we meet turtles hatching and struggling to reach the ocean while predators merciless attack them, we observe the mysterious migration of kingfishers and the spectacle of springboks gracefully jumping for joy.
When warm and cold current meet in the ocean, a theatre of incredible spectacle is created. In my favourite sequence the Africa team follows millions of sardines trapped by a barrier of warm water. This is the perfect chance for whales, dolphins, penguins, sharks and birds to stock up on food. The Byrne’s whale, the biggest predator in the ocean, is filmed spectacularly jumping out of water to capture the sardines while other predators rush around her to get their fair share: a feast for them and an incredible treat for us to watch.
There is no doubt the Cape has some of the most varied wildlife and landscapes on earth: from the big game of Kruger, to the whales in Hermanus, from the wine regions and Garden Route to the Drakensberg Mountains where “the vultures soar so high they can see into the future”,
There is no doubt the Cape has captured the imagination of travellers for many decades. Its history, as well as its variety of landscapes, flora and fauna need no introduction. Or at least, this is what we thought before watching the 4th episode of Attenborough’s Africa which shows that there is still so much to learn even about places that have been explored for centuries.
The thread is the impact of the Agulhas and Benguela currents on the landscape and life, both in the ocean and on land. From the iconic Table Mountain to the remote Gorongosa in Mozambique, their powerful action creates a variety of ecosystems in places that in their absence would turn into desert. Following the currents we meet turtles hatching and struggling to reach the ocean while predators merciless attack them, we observe the mysterious migration of kingfishers and the spectacle of springboks gracefully jumping for joy.
When warm and cold current meet in the ocean, a theatre of incredible spectacle is created. In my favourite sequence the Africa team follows millions of sardines trapped by a barrier of warm water. This is the perfect chance for whales, dolphins, penguins, sharks and birds to stock up on food. The Byrne’s whale, the biggest predator in the ocean, is filmed spectacularly jumping out of water to capture the sardines while other predators rush around her to get their fair share: a feast for them and an incredible treat for us to watch.
There is no doubt the Cape has some of the most varied wildlife and landscapes on earth: from the big game of Kruger, to the whales in Hermanus, from the wine regions and Garden Route to the Drakensberg Mountains where “the vultures soar so high they can see into the future”,
Category
📚
Learning