Quick answer
How was this voyage completed?
Dias's expedition sailed south from Portugal in 1487, left a supply ship on the southwest African coast and then lost sight of land in stormy offshore sailing. Turning north in early 1488, the two main ships found the coast near Mossel Bay and realized they had passed Africa's southern turn. They continued east toward Algoa Bay before crew pressure and provisions forced a return.
- Years
- 1487—1488
- Command
- Bartolomeu Dias
- Ships
- São Cristóvão, São Pantaleão and a supply ship
- Objective
- Find a navigable connection around Africa toward the Indian Ocean
- Result
- Proof that the Atlantic route continued around southern Africa, without reaching India
Itinerary
Principal route stops
Stops come from verifiable voyage records. Open-ocean segments show sequence; daily coordinates remain unknown.
- 01August 1487
Lisbon
The expedition departs
- 02December 1487
Southwest African coast
The supply ship is left behind while two vessels continue
- 03Early 1488
Off southern Africa
Storm and offshore sailing carry the coast out of sight
- 04February 1488
Mossel Bay region
A northward turn brings land back into view beyond the continental turn
- 05March 1488
Algoa Bay and Great Fish River region
The expedition reaches its eastern limit and turns back
- 06Homeward leg
Cape of Good Hope
The famous headland is observed more directly on the return
The decisive manoeuvre took place away from the coast
Dias did not trace one continuous shore around a visible headland. Weather drove the ships offshore; after sailing without land, they turned north and met a coast running east and west. That direction revealed that the continental turn lay behind them.
The breakthrough combined risk with growing Portuguese knowledge of Atlantic winds. It also shows why a plotted modern line can look more certain than the crew's experience actually was.
Crew and provisions set the route's eastern end
Dias wished to continue, but the ships had been away for months and the distance to India remained unknown. Exhausted crew members demanded a return. Water, food, hull condition and collective tolerance—not command alone—defined the possible voyage.
On the way back, the expedition recovered its supply point only to find most of those left there dead. Ocean logistics carried dangers even before the crossing into the Indian Ocean began.
The voyage delivered evidence, not a complete India route
South-coast landfalls, eastward sailing and a return view of the cape formed a chain of proof. Portugal could now plan past Africa's southern end.
India still required East African ports, pilots and monsoon knowledge. Da Gama connected those further stages nine years later. Dias's route was decisive because it made the next problem visible.
Route reading
What is known—and what remains uncertain?
Reliable waypoints, disputed details and the voyage’s effects on trade, empire and local societies form separate parts of the record.
The south coast confirmed the passage
After offshore sailing, the ships found Africa's south coast and continued east toward Algoa Bay before returning.
Daily tracks and naming details remain uncertain
Major stages survive, not modern coordinates for each day; the Cape of Storms story also contains later narrative layers.
This was proof of access, not a completed India voyage
A full route still needed East African harbours, Indian Ocean pilots and favourable monsoons.
Questions
Common questions
When did Dias round the cape?
In early 1488. The ships regained the coast on southern Africa's far side in February.
Why did the fleet turn back?
Crew exhaustion, diminishing provisions and the growing risk of an unknown onward distance outweighed Dias's wish to continue.
Did Dias see the Cape of Good Hope as he passed it?
The ships probably passed the crucial turn while offshore. They observed the famous cape more directly on the homeward leg.
Why did he not continue to India?
The expedition had proved the rounding but lacked the supplies, time and route knowledge for an additional Indian Ocean passage.
Sources
Sources and further verification
The museums, archives, research institutions and international organizations below support this account.
- Bartolomeu DiasThe Mariners’ Museum and Park
- Bartolomeu DiasSouth African History Online
- Vasco da GamaThe Mariners’ Museum and Park
- Portuguese Oceanic Expansion, 1400–1800Cambridge University Press
Age of Seas editorial research records verifiable route sequence while leaving unknown daily coordinates unresolved.Editorial standards and corrections ↗