Maritime Museum

About Maritime Museum

View a life-sized replica of the caravel that brought master mariner and explorer Bartolomeu Dias to the shores of Mossel Bay from Portugal.

Diaz is reputed to be the first European explorer to set foot on South African soil in Mossel Bay on 3 February 1488. He named Mossel Bay ‘The Watering Place of Saint Blaize’ after collecting fresh water from the spring on the day of the patron Saint Blaize. Today the spring still flows and can be seen in the Diaz Museum complex grounds.

The caravel replica sailed into Mossel Bay in 1987 with much festivity, a gift from the Government of Portugal. Another treasure is a 1595 map of Mossel Bay by the early Dutch sailor, Cornelius de Houtman. Also on view are interesting artefacts and displays of maritime history during the time of the early Portuguese, Dutch and English navigators.

Monday to Friday 09:00 – 16:45
Public Holidays and Weekends 09:00 – 15:45

1 Market Street, Mossel Bay
+27 (0) 44 691 1067