One of the western boundary currents of the subtropical gyre in the southern Indian Ocean. It originates near 20°S where the South Equatorial Current splits east of Madagascar into a northward and a southward flowing branch. The current carries the 20 Sv (20 × 106 m3 s−1) of the southern branch southward along Madagascar as a swift, deep, and narrow boundary current. South of Madagascar some of this water moves westward to join the Agulhas Current, but most of it flows northward along the west coast of Madagascar to at least 15°S before also turning westward to join the Mozambique Current.