Lighthouses are quite an attraction for many people...myself included.
A little background about the lighthouses in South Africa...
I found the following information on an information board at the Lighthouse, Bluff - Cooperhouse, in Durban.
Lighthouses and Navigation.
Most lighthouses have been founded on the skeletons of ships and sailors lost to the cruelty of a darkened coast. Since 1500 AD, more than 2000 vessels have been wrecked along the coast of South Africa, and yet it took years of negotiation to raise awareness and funding before each beacon of light was built. Lighthouses were often located in remote, inhospitable places making them difficult to install and maintain as well as lonely for lighthouse keepers and their families. Today, all 45 lighthouses are fully automated, and only 12 are still manned by lighthouse keepers. Many are now used as novel tourist accommodation. Each lighthouse has a characteristic flashing code and color design.
Lighthouse, Bluff - Cooper Lighthouse.
As mentioned above, I got the information about "Lighthouses and Navigation" on an information board at the lighthouse in Bluff.
I am still doing some research about the "Bluff Lighthouse". It seems to me that there are two lighthouses...one is known as the Bluff Lighthouse, and one is the "Lighthouse, Bluff - Cooper Lighthouse", which is the one I found and of which I will share some photos today.
It looked like there was a little office on the premises, but everything was locked and we could only look at the lighthouse from the road.
According to Google Maps, Bluff Lighthouse (not Cooper Lighthouse), is located right at the entrance to the harbor. It also shows a museum at the lighthouse, but it shows the route to the lighthouse as having restricted usage or private roads. I will see what I can learn about the Bluff Lighthouse...
Umhlanga Lighthouse.
Umhlanga Lighthouse is easily accessible and visible from a distance from different angles.
Over time, I have managed to get quite a variety of the Umhlanga Lighthouse.
Let's start with a view from a distance.
The first photo of the Umhlanga Lighthouse was from the northern end of Umhlanga, just below the Umhlanga Lagoon Nature Reserve. The structure you see in front of the lighthouse is the well-known Whalebone Pier.
The next photo was taken during another visit just after the sun made its first appearance for the day. With the beach in the foreground, I took this photo just as the light of the lighthouse flashed in my direction...
Another early morning photo on the same day shows some holiday accommodation in the form of the Oyster Box and Beverley Hills Hotels behind the lighthouse...catching another flash.
The following photos were taken during yet another visit on a beautiful sunny day with some beautiful clouds to complete the picture...
Approaching the lighthouse from the main beach in Umhlanga, with the Whalebone pier in the foreground.
I took this photo of the Umhlanga Lighthouse while standing on the Whalebone pier.
Zooming in, some activity is visible in the area of the lighthouse.
Walking up to the lighthouse...
Getting nice and close...
Looking at the lighthouse while standing on the beach.
An information board at the bottom of the lighthouse display some interesting fact about the lighthouse.
And with that, we come to the end of today's post, folks.
Thank you for reading my post. I do appreciate it!