The western boundary current in the Indian Ocean south of 30°S. The southern Agulhas Current flows southwestward as a narrow jet along a steep continental slope, and is normally pinned to within 10-15 km of its mean position at latitudes 28. 5-34°S. Large meanders - called the Natal pulse - can sometimes occur within this region. These extend an average of 170 km offshore with downstream propagation rates of about 21 cm s^-1, with the rates decreasing to 5 cm s^-1 as the continental shelf broadens near 34°S. At this point the current separates from the coast and continues southwestward along the Agulhas Bank, where many meanders, plumes and eddies exist. The maximum transport of the Agulhas occurs in the vicinity of Agulhas Bank, where transport estimates range from 95 to 136 Sv. The core of the current has been defined as where surface velocities exceed 100 cm s^-1, with the core averaging about 34 km wide with a mean peak speed of 136 cm s^-1 (with a greatest peak speed of 245 cm s^-1).

At around 36°S the Agulhas leaves the continental shelf and develops oscillations of increasing amplitude, eventually retroflecting back toward the Indian Ocean in the region of 16-20°E as the Agulhas Return Current. The retroflection loop usually encloses a pool of Indian Ocean surface water south of Africa whose temperature is more than 5° warmer than South Atlantic surface water at similar latitudes. The core of the Return Current infrequently passes over the Agulhas Plateau.