He was born in 1450 in Algarve Kingdom of Portugal he died 29 May 1500 at the age of 50 years he was part of the Portuguese royal household he sailed the southernmost tip of Africa in 1488 he reached the Indian ocean from the Atlantic he was the first European known to do that. He is mostly known for sailing around the southernmost tip of Africa ,Bartolomeu Dias was …show more content…
Dias brother Pero was the captain of the ship. The expedition sailed south along the west coast of Africa. Extra food and water were picked up on the way at the Portuguese fortress of Sao Jorge de Mina. After having sailed past Angola, Dias reached the Walvis Bay by December, Continuing south, they were hit by a violent storm. Thirteen days later, from the open ocean, he searched the coast again to the east, discovering and using the westerlies winds but finding just ocean. Having rounded the Cape of Good Hope at a considerable distance to the west and southwest, he turned towards the east, and taking advantage of the winds of Antarctica that blow strongly in the South Atlantic, he sailed northeast. After 30 long hard days without seeing land, he entered what he named Bay of Saint Blaise(later renamed Mossel Bay on 4 February 1488.) Dias expedition reached its furthest point on 12 March 1488 when they stopped at Kwaaihoek, near the mouth of the Boesmans River, where a padrao—the Padrao de Sao Gregario—was erected before turning back]Dias wanted to continue sailing to India, but he was forced to turn back when his crew refused to go further. It was only on the return voyage that he actually discovered the Cape of Good Hope, in May 1488. Dias returned to Lisbon in December of that year, after an absence of sixteen