There’s more to Cape Town than high-rise buildings, hiking trails and coffee shops!
Beneath the surface of Cape Town’s calming waters lies extraordinary marine biodiversity, waiting to be explored.
Grab your goggles and your wetsuit and go explore the magical marine wonders of the Mother City.
1. Muizenberg
Credit: Getaway Gallery
A popular tourist destination, Muizenberg is known for its soft sand and beginner-friendly breaks. With warm waters, colourful sea creatures and beautiful kelp forests, Muizenberg is your oyster!
All you need to bring is your swimsuit, sunscreen and a towel, Cape Town Freediving will take care of the rest.
Cost: from R775 per person.
Address: 1 Albert Road, Muizenberg.
Contact them at 072 879 0772 or email [email protected]
2. Simon’s Town
Boulder’s Beach. Credit: Pank Seelen/Flickr Commons
Simon’s Town is home to a colony of endangered African penguins. Aside from this, the inter-tidal zone has an abundance of marine life including sea stars, sea urchins and crabs.
If you’ve ever wanted to see Skipper, Kowalski, Rico and Private up close, then Gravity Micro Adventures is the place for you.
Cost: from R595 to R695 per person.
Address: 21 Selous Road, Claremont.
Contact them at 021 683 3698 or email [email protected]
3. V&A Waterfront
V&A Waterfront. Credit: Getaway Gallery
If you want to spot a Cape fur seal, Ocean Experiences will take you down the Atlantic seaboard, past the inshore rocky reef Strawberry rocks – home to a colony of seals.
There are over 80 restaurants at the Waterfront, with a wide range of cuisine, including local and international fare, fine dining and fast food – whatever your heart desires. So when you’re done exploring the underwater world, grab a bite or get a birds-eye view of the iconic Table Mountain.
Cost: from R1250 per person.
Address: Shop 8, Quay 5, V&A Waterfront.
Contact them at 021 418 2870 or email [email protected]
4. Hout Bay
Credit: Michiel van Balen/Flickr Commons
For a surefire way of spotting a Cape fur seal, Animal Ocean Seal Snorkelling will take you to Duiker Island, home to about 5000 seals. There’s more than just seals, at this rocky expanse you can also find the endangered Cape cormorant.
Cost: from R550 per person for locals and R750 per person for internationals.
Address: 8 Albert Road, Hout Bay
Contact them at 072 296 9132
5. Sea Point
Credit: jbdodane/Flickr Commons
If you want to see more of Cape Town’s enchanting kelp forests, look no further. Into The Blue Snorkelling has an excursion dedicated to just that. Unlike the other excursions on this list, you will start from the beach.
When you swim between the kelp ‘trees’ – which can grow over 30 metres – you will find plenty of small sea creatures such as crabs and sea urchins.
Cost: from R950 per person (without equipment) and R1300 per person (with equipment).
Address: 88 Main Road, Sea Point.
Contact them at 021 434 3358 or email [email protected]
Picture: Unsplash
ALSO READ
Doing it sideways: summitting Table Mountain from the flanks
