Great Fish River

The Great Fish River flows through Cradock, starting east of Graaff-Reinet. The Tarka River meets its left bank further south. Then it makes a zig-zag turn to Cookhouse, before meandering down the escarpment east of Grahamstown and into the Indian Ocean at its estuary 8 kilometers northeast of Seafield.

Although the river's headwaters are in an arid region, and the natural flow can be sluggish in the dry season beyond the ebb and flow of the tidal sections, water from the Orange River system can now be used to keep the river flowing during dry periods. The river is tidal for about 20 kilometers.

The Groot Brak River, the Tarka River, and the Kap River are its primary tributaries on the left, and the Little Fish River on the right. The Fish to Tsitsikama Water Management Area includes the Great Fish River.

Rio do Infante was the name given to the Great Fish River after Joo Infante, the captain of one of Bartolomeu Dias' caravels. In the late 1480s, Infante paid a visit to the river.

Length: 730 km (450 mi)