Plettenberg Bay boat trips compared: seals, whales and dolphins

Plettenberg Bay has four main kinds of ocean boat trip: swimming with seals, seal viewing, whale and dolphin watching, and private tours. Choose by what you most want to see, whether you want to get in the water, and the time of year, because seals are here all year while whales are seasonal.

We run the seal trips ourselves and sell the others through our booking portal with partner operators. Here is how they compare.

The trips side by side

Trip	What you see	Do you get wet?	Length	Minimum age	When it runs
Swim with seals	Cape fur seals, from in the water	Yes	About 1.5 hours, with up to about 30 minutes in the water	From 6 years	All year except June and July
Seal viewing	The Robberg seal colony, from the boat	No	About 1.5 hours	2 years	All year
Whale and dolphin watching	Whales in season, dolphins, seals and seabirds	No	See the booking page	See the booking page	All year, best for whales from about June to November
Private boat tour	Depends on the trip you arrange	Depends on the trip	By arrangement	By arrangement	By arrangement

Swimming with seals

This is the one trip where you get in. The boat launches from Central Beach and rides along the coast to the Robberg Nature Reserve and Marine Protected Area, home to several thousand Cape fur seals.

You snorkel with a qualified guide for up to about 30 minutes, mostly floating while the seals come to look. All the gear is supplied and you need no experience.

It is the most active option and the most weather-sensitive. There is no swimming in June and July because of sharks. See swim with seals for times and booking, and our guide to the best time of year.

Seal viewing

Seal viewing is the same boat ride without the wetsuit. You sit on board at the colony and watch the seals on the rocks and in the water around you.

It suits families with small children, since the minimum age is 2, and anyone who wants the ride and the wildlife without the swim. Sightings are guaranteed, and the trip runs through winter when the swim does not.

Bring a windbreaker and a camera.

Whale and dolphin watching

For whales, timing matters more than anything else.

• Southern right whales: usually in the bay from about June to November.
• Humpback whales: pass on migration, heading north in early winter and back south towards summer.
• Bryde's whales: seen all year.
• Dolphins: bottlenose dolphins are resident and seen all year. Humpback dolphins keep close to shore and are shy. Common dolphins turn up less often, sometimes in very large schools.

In South Africa, a vessel may not approach closer than 300 metres to a whale unless it holds a whale watching permit. Our partner for these trips, Ocean Safaris, holds one of the country's boat-based whale watching permits and launches from Central Beach, like we do.

Whales and dolphins are wild, and no honest operator guarantees them. Outside whale season you are mainly looking for dolphins, seals, seabirds and the occasional Bryde's whale.

In 2023 Plettenberg Bay was named a Whale Heritage Site by the World Cetacean Alliance.

Private boat tours

A private boat tour gives your group the boat to itself. It suits families and small groups who want their own pace, or a special occasion.

The page explains what a private trip can include and how to book one.

What every ocean trip has in common

• A beach launch. Boats launch off the sand at Central Beach rather than from a harbour. It can be splashy.
• Weather. Trips depend on weather and numbers. Our crew cancels for strong east wind or east swell, lets you know in advance and refunds in full if no other slot suits you.
• Open sea. If you are prone to seasickness, speak to a pharmacist before the trip.
• Timing. Our seal trips leave daily at 10:00, 12:00 and 14:00, with an 08:00 trip in busy season. Arrive 30 minutes early.

How to choose

1. You want to be in the water: swim with seals.
2. You have children under 6, or want to stay dry: seal viewing.
3. You are here between June and November and want whales: whale and dolphin watching.
4. You are here in June or July: seal viewing or whale watching. The swim is paused.
5. You want the boat to yourselves: a private tour.
6. You have time for two trips: a seal trip and a whale trip complement each other.

If the sea is not for you

The Keurbooms River, about 8 km from town, offers a calm alternative. A ferry travels about 5 km upstream through a forested gorge in the Keurbooms River Nature Reserve, and you can hire canoes at the reserve gate.

It is flat water, so it suits anyone who gets seasick, and it is a useful plan B when the ocean is too rough for launches.

Beyond the bay

Each winter our crew runs Sardine Run expeditions on the Wild Coast. Closer to home, you can book canyoning and Storms River kayaking and tubing through our activities page.

For more ideas on land, see things to do in Plettenberg Bay. If you are not sure which trip fits your group, ask us.