Currents of contrast

Southern Africa's coast is the meeting place of two ocean giants - the Benguela current of the Atlantic ocean and the Agulhas of the Indian ocean.

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Currents of Contrast - Life in Southern Africa's Two Oceans introduces the marine and coastal life associated with the oceans that surround southern Africa. Two dominant currents feed these oceans, the cold Benguela in the west and the warmer Agulhas current in the east. The book is divided into two main parts, the first dealing with the colder waters of the Benguela and the second, with the realm of the Agulhas. A feature of the Benguela current is the water's most feared predator, the great white shark around which many myths abound. Also found here are rich forests of kelp that are nourished by the nutrient-rich waters; seabirds thrive on offshore islands and along the coast shoreline predators - jackals, lions and hyaenas - interestingly turn to the cold ocean for food along Namibia's desert coast. In the realm of the Agulhas (southern and east coasts), readers are introduced to the Knysna estuary and its magical and threatened seahorse; the phenomena of the sardine run; to the Tembe Tonga people, a group that lives in careful harmony with the ocean, to timeless turtles and the enigmatic coelacanth - a fish that time forgot.
An accessible and informative text is supported by superb colour photography throughout.