Location: Duiker Island Seal Colony and the Cape Peninsular coast

Season: All Year

The Dive: Snorkeling in the Kelp

Minimum experience required: No experience necessary

Dive Depth: Surface on snorkel

Water temperature: 12 – 18º C

Water visibility: 3 – 20 meters

Dive time: Approximately 2-3 hours

What can I expect on this Ocean Safari? ​​

On this 4 hour Ocean Safari, you’ll start with a boat tour along the coastline, where you’ll have the chance to spot wildlife like seals, dolphins, African penguins and Sunfish. Afterward, we’ll head to snorkeling in the kelp forests, where you’ll spend 10 to 40 minutes in the water, depending on the conditions. Our experienced team will guide you through the experience to ensure you feel safe and comfortable.

​To join, you need to be at least 10 years old, weigh less than 120kg, and be able to swim. Please note that the trip may be adjusted based on weather, swell, and animal behavior to ensure your safety and enjoyment. No prior snorkeling experience is required.

Can I snorkel in the Kelp Forest on the safari?

Yes! For confident swimmers there is the option to snorkel in the Kelp forest. Equipment included upon request. Sizes need to be provided. You will be snorkel between 10-40 mins conditions depending, topside viewing for the rest of the trip

Do Fur Seals bite? ​

A normal Cape Fur seal is not aggressive and is completely safe to snorkel with however some individuals can become ill due to rabies and show abnormal aggression. We do not snorkel at the seal colony for this reason.

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Are there sharks?

​Yes, it is possible to see four species of small endemic sharks in the kelp forest: the Pyjama shyshark, Dark catshark, Leopard shyshark, and Puffadder shyshark.

​We are often asked about Great White sharks, but they have never been seen on our snorkeling trips. The cold Atlantic waters around Cape Town are not their preferred habitat. Duiker Island, in particular, is shallow, surrounded by kelp, and has few young seals—offering little incentive for a Great White shark to visit.

Common sightings >90% ​

• Cape Fur Seal 

• Heavisides Dolphin 

• Cape cormorant 

• White Breasted cormorant 

• Bank cormorant 

• Hautlaubs Gull 

• Kelp Gull 

• West Coast rock lobster 

• Red rock crab

• Cape urchin

• Spiney starfish 

• Cape Bream 

• Swift tern 

• Common tern 

• Sandwich tern 

Fairly often  < 50% 

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• Southern Elephant seal

• Pyjama catshark

• Leopard catshark 

• Dark shyshark 

• Hagfish 

• Sunfish 

• Giant petrel 

• Sabines gull 

• African penguin 

• Humpback Whale 

• Dusky dolphin

• Common dolphin

• ​Common Octopus 

• Pied Crow

• Red-winged starling 

Rare sightings <10% 

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• Orca 

• Blue Shark 

• Leatherback turtle 

• One-finned Electric ray 

• ​Southern Right whale 

• Brydes whale 

• Rock Hyrax 

• Giant rocksucker fish 

• Yellowtail Kingfish 

• Atlantic bonito 

• Black Eagle 

• Booted Eagle

• Devil Ray 

• Slender sunfish 

• Snoek 

• Kingklip