The west coast is influenced by the cold Benguela current and the east coast by the warm Agulhas current. These currents give rise to different communities of marine life along the west, south and east coast. This coast supports a rich fishing industry. Inshore there are large kelp forests and many limpets, mussels, perlemoen and rock lobsters. Large concentrations of seabirds breed on the offshore islands.
Seals breed both on the islands and the mainland.
Langebaan lagoon is the only national park and an important feeding ground for birds that migrate to the Northern Hemisphere to breed. Sanctuaries have been established to protect bird islands and rock lobsters. This section of the coast extends from the Cape Peninsula to East London, and experiences much pressure from land usage and tourism. The Cape Point nature reserve is of special interest for comparison of the west coast and south coast communities. Smaller protected areas occur in False Bay and at Betty's Bay where perlemoen are abundant.