Sources of meteorological information available to the mariner include the following:

• Maritime coastal radio stations (Walvis Bay, Luderitz, Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, East London, Durban). These provide storm warnings and weather forecasts.
• Cape Naval Radio (Silvermine, Cape Town). They provide facsimile weather maps and weather forecasts on behalf of the SA Weather Service.
• “Navtex” stations (Walvis bay, Cape town, Port Elizabeth, Durban). They provide an MF service giving weather bulletins and navigation warnings in Narrow Band Direct Printing (NBDP) format.
• Satellite (GMDSS “Safetynet” – on “Inmarsat C”). They provide the same information as the “Navtex” stations. Inmarsat C is an international communication satellite system.
• SA Weather Service (Pretoria). They provide weather information by telephone.
• Port Meteorology Offices (situated at the main airports in Durban and Cape Town).
• Port Control Office/Centre.
• The meteorological instruments carried onboard vessels.
• The watch-keepers’ observations of the conditions of the atmosphere and sea conditions.
• Weather atlases (for climatic information and weather patterns).
• Regional and national commercial radio stations.
• National television stations.
• Local newspapers.
• The internet.