Conditions on the continental shelf off the Natal coast are described in terms of the effect on fluctuations in currents, temperature, and (to a limited extent) sea level. The results of measurements made at four mooring points along the coast are then analyzed for fluctuations in the 2- to 20-day period range. The longshore wind component is shown to play a major role in the circulation dynamics; however, the effect of topographic variations and the associated flow of the Agulhas Current also serve to produce markedly differing regimes. Thus in the northern region it is found that the currents are almost entirely wind dominated, while further south, nonlocal signals propagating into the regions produce a different form of response. The measurements are not comprehensive enough to allow more detailed investigations as to the nature of these signals.