Dassen Island Lighthouse

About Dassen Island Lighthouse

The Dassen Island Lighthouse, commissioned on 15 April 1893, is a critical maritime beacon situated on South Africa's most isolated manned lighthouse station. Located on Dassen Island, roughly 11 km offshore from Yzerfontein and 55 km northwest of Cape Town, the tower stands 28 metres tall and is instantly recognisable by its circular cast-iron structure painted with distinctive white and red bands. The lighthouse was built by the Chance Brothers from Birmingham, England. It features a circular cast-iron tower bolted together on a solid foundation of granite quarried directly from the island. It emits two white flashes every 30 seconds. On clear nights, its powerful 1,400,000 cd light—reaching up to 26–27 nautical miles—can be seen as far away as Signal Hill in Cape Town.