Coastal Plain

Where land meets ocean in raw, natural beauty

The Namaqua Coastal Plain stretches along the West Coast, alive with seabirds, seals, and the cool breath of the Benguela Current. 

A coastal zone region represents the transitional area between land and sea where terrestrial and marine activities significantly interact, encompassing the coastline, coastal waters, and adjacent inland areas influenced by the sea.

These zones feature diverse ecosystems like beaches, wetlands, and forests, are critical for human habitation and trade, but also face threats from development.

The coastal zone includes both the landward side (areas on land affected by the sea) and the seaward side (coastal waters affected by land-based activities), spanning approximately 20 km wide with red and white sand.

It's an area where the environment is a complex mix of terrestrial (e.g., coastal forests, dunes, wetlands) and marine (e.g., kelp forests, rocky shores, coral reefs) systems.

• The area is part of the Benguela upwelling system, one of the world’s richest marine ecosystems.

• Seals, dolphins, and migrating whales are often seen just offshore.

• Its foggy mornings help sustain desert plants that would otherwise not survive.

• Diamond mining once shaped this wild coastline — many old camps still remain.

• The rocky shores glow orange at sunset against the cold Atlantic waves.