Boat-based False Bay sightseeing from Simon’s Town, running north to Seal Island for the Cape fur seal colony or south along the Peninsula to round Cape Point, with seasonal whale and dolphin trips from June to November.
Two boat trips run out of the same private marina in Simon’s Town, and between them they cover most of what False Bay has to show. The Seal Island cruise heads eight nautical miles north to the real Seal Island, a two-hectare rock carrying a large Cape fur seal colony along with seabirds and a small penguin population. The boat circles the island close in, which is where the trip earns itself: bull seals hauled out on the rocks, juveniles surfing the swell at the southern end, the whole colony audible before you see it.
The Cape Point cruise goes the other way, south along the Peninsula shoreline for roughly twelve miles, hugging the coast past a seaward view of the Boulders penguin colony and a small seal colony before rounding the Point itself. On calm days the boat noses into a sea cave. Looking south from there, the next landmass is Antarctica.
Whale and dolphin watching runs as a separate seasonal trip from June to November, when Southern Right, humpback and Bryde’s whales move through the bay. Sightings are never guaranteed, and these Seal Island trips are neither geared nor licensed to seek out great whites.
The Cape Point cruise departs twice daily at 10h30 and 14h00 and runs about two hours. The marina has a seated waiting area and boarding is wheelchair friendly, which is unusual for a small-boat trip.
Highlights
- Circles Seal Island at close range
- Rounds Cape Point by sea
- Seaward view of the Boulders penguin colony
- Departs a private marina, not the public harbour
Tips
The Cape Point cruise runs to a fixed twice-daily schedule at 10h30 and 14h00, so it is worth calling ahead. The whale and dolphin trip only runs June to November; outside that window choose the Seal Island or Cape Point cruise instead. False Bay is calmer than the Atlantic side, but this is still open water on a small boat.