The new lighthouse sits down on Diaz Point rather on the top of taller Cape Point since Cape Point is often covered with clouds.

Cape Point is 249 meters above the ocean, while Cape Diaz is only 87 meters high. The original lighthouse was at the top of Cape Point, but it is often covered in clouds and mist. After the wreck of the Portuguese ship the Lusitania in 1911, the lighthouse was moved down to Diaz Point. Note that the Portuguese Lusitania is not the same ship as the Cunard Ocean Liner Lusitania that was sunk off the coast of Ireland in 1915.