Seals are often referred to as “puppies of the sea”, and for good reason; they’re playful, curious and happy to frolic with visiting snorkellers.

Ten minutes from Hout Bay Harbour and home to almost 8 000 Cape fur seals is Duiker Island, a seal-snorkelling paradise due to icy ocean water and thick kelp forests, which serve as effective shark deterrents – not a single Great White has ever been sighted here.

Situated in the Karbonkelberg zone of the Table Mountain National Park Marine Protected Area, the island is home to a rare and unique diversity of marine and birdlife, a result of the cold Benguela and warm Atlantic currents converging here.

Seal snorkelling in Cape Town: how + where

After meeting at the seal-snorkelling base in Hout Bay, participants will be taken to the harbour, where you (and the guides) will be transported in rubber ducks (Zodiacs) to the snorkelling site at Duiker Island.

The tour runs for about two-and-a-half hours in total, including half an hour for meeting your guides and kitting up. Time in the water with the seals amounts to around 40 to 60 minutes.

Covid precautions

• Temperature checks and hand sanitiser will be administered on arrival.
• All staff and guests are required to wear a mask.
• Social-distancing at the office, while in vehicle and onboard vessels.
• Only six guests per time slot.
• Regular hand-washing and sanitising is required by all staff and guests throughout the tour.
• All equipment is thoroughly cleaned and sanitised. Guests are encouraged to bring their own equipment if they have.
• Guest information will be retained for tracing purposes.

Included in the cost

• snorkelling equipment and wetsuits
• transport from the office in Hout Bay to the seal-snorkelling location and back
• drinking water, biscuits and hot chocolate aboard the boat

What to bring

• appropriate face mask
• ID number for sign in
• swim suit
• towel
• sunscreen
• camera
• motion-sickness tablets (if needed)
• rain jacket

Good to know

• Trips are weather-dependent.
• Guests can choose to view the seals from the boat rather than snorkell.
• The minimum age for seal snorkelling is 10 years, and six years to view from the boat with a parent present.
• Previous snorkelling experience is not required, but you need to be a competent swimmer, and comfortable in the water.
• Underwater camera rental is available onsite. The R200 cost includes a take home 16GB memory card, or R150 if you bring your own micro SD card.
• The onsite shop is open daily, 9am – 4pm.
• Vouchers are available on request at special rates, and are valid for two years from purchase date.

So dive in – the seals are ready when you are!

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