Mossel Bay

Mossel Bay opens onto the southern coast of Africa, where a freshwater spring drew visitors to its shore. Khoikhoi herders lived in this country long before Portuguese ships arrived. In February 1488 Bartolomeu Dias anchored here after passing the southern tip of Africa. His sailors went ashore for water without the permission of the Khoikhoi, and their encounter ended in violence. Later fleets also used the bay as a watering place on voyages around the Cape.