Seals at Duiker Island, Cape Town

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Duiker Island is a small island with seals on it. The island is the main spot of interest in a 30 minute boat tour which is offered from Hout Bay. There’s no possibility to get off the boat to get close the seals – and also no space as the small island is so packed with the seals that you can’t even see the bare stone. You get a lot of chances to take pictures of the seals, but be careful when everybody shifts to one side of the boat – you’ll see how it inclines. With some luck, you’ll see some other animals like dolphis or whales. You see, it’s a touristy thing and perhaps not a must-do. But it’s OK.

It takes about 20 minutes to reach the island and the boat stops fairly close so you get a really good view of all the thousands of Cape Fur seals. There are so many of the you can hardly see the rock they are lying on. Many come close to the boat and swim along the sides. The island is most densely populated between January and March - moulting season.

We took the trip to Duiker Island with Drumbeat charters. They leave from the wharf at Hout Bay. Ample parking is available , walk around the back of mariners wharf and you will see many ticket offices for various boats. They leave fairly regularly and cost R50 per person

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Hey guys , while you at Hout Bay you can take a boat ride to Duiker Island and go and checkout the Seals.

For the Adventurers , Seal dives take place around Duiker Island near Hout Bay. Duiker Island is the home to around 7000 Cape Fur Seals. The island is surrounded by a large kelp forest which makes snorkelling and diving safe and fun.

The dives are generally done on the west side of the island as depths of up to 10m can be reached here. The seals are quite playful and tend to mimic your behaviour. For the non diver, organised snorkelling trips can also be arranged which prove to be a lot of fun with the children.

Well, we walked all the way from Hout Bay to the Duiker Island. You can see the seals quite close even without being on a boat. It takes about 1 hour to walk from Hout Bay. The path is quite adventerous and only recommended at low tide. But I felt quite uneasy a few times because some strange people hang out there.
For tourists I recommend to catch a boat. They leave in Hout Bay harbour. Like this you also get very close to the seals! But it's quite smelly...

Take a boat trip and visit the seals in their natural environment on Duiker Island. You see dozens off them resting on the rocks or playing in the ocean.

For more information and photos see my travelogue: A daytrip in the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve

Take a scenic drive up to Camps Bay. From here, you can catch a magnificent view of the rocky peaks of the Twelve Apostle mountains. I have only one word to describe my feeling from up here - 'WOW!'

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Is the best place to watch the cape seal colony. Most all the seals are males, growing, the island is not good for reproduction due to the high waves.

Many many seals down here. Worth a visit ! You have to take a boat, because you cannot land on the island. But it is truly fun, to see the seals taking sunbaths and playing in the water.

From Hout Bay (a 20-minute drive from bustling Cape Town), embark on a boat ride/ excursion to Seal Island to see some interesting seals...