Swim with seals in Plettenberg Bay
Snorkel beside thousands of wild Cape fur seals at the Robberg Peninsula. No experience needed, all the gear is included and a guide is in the water with you.
Launch through the surf
Every trip starts with a beach launch, then a run along the cliffs of Robberg aboard the Robberg Express. Dolphins sometimes ride along.
Seal mountain
Robberg means seal mountain. Hunted out by the late 1800s, the seals began returning in the 1990s. Today thousands of Cape fur seals crowd these rocks.
Slip in beside them
Your wetsuit keeps you warm and floating. Your guide gets in first and stays with you while you snorkel at the surface, a short swim from the boat.
Then the seals come to play
Young seals are curious. They spiral, blow bubbles and swoop past in groups, on their terms and in their own time.
Eye to eye with a fur seal
Big dark eyes, long whiskers and small ear flaps that mark a fur seal. You float and watch. They decide how close to come.
Your turn
Trips leave Central Beach at 10:00, 12:00, 14:00. Pick a date and we will have a wetsuit waiting.
- Seal swim
- R1 295per person, R1 195 each for 4 or more
- Whole trip
- 1.5 hoursup to 30 minutes in the water
- Daily departures
- 10:00, 12:00, 14:00extra early trips in peak season
- Good for
- Ages 6+no snorkelling experience needed
- Included
- All gearwetsuit, mask, snorkel, fins, guide, photos
What swimming with seals in Plett is like
Swimming with seals in Plettenberg Bay is a guided snorkel beside the wild Cape fur seal colony at the Robberg Peninsula. You launch from Central Beach, ride along the coast to the peninsula, and spend up to 30 minutes at the surface while young seals come over to look at you.
There is no cage, no feeding and no training. The colony lives on the rocks inside Robberg Nature Reserve and its Marine Protected Area, and the seals choose whether to play. Most days they do. Juveniles in particular treat snorkellers as the morning’s entertainment.
The trip is run by Offshore Adventures, who have taken guests to this colony from their office in the Central Beach car park for more than a decade. The boat operation holds WESSA Blue Flag status, and the owner is a long-serving NSRI sea rescue volunteer.
Photo from our tripsThree ways to meet the colony
Swimmers and watchers share the same boat, so mixed groups travel together.
Swim with seals
R1 295 per person, R1 195 each for 4+
- up to 30 minutes snorkelling beside the colony
- Guide in the water with you the whole time
- Wetsuit, mask, snorkel and fins included
- Photos of your trip included
Seal viewing boat trip
R795 per person
- Stay dry and watch the colony from the boat
- Same beach launch and coastal ride
- From age 2, no swimming involved
- Photos of your trip included
Private boat
R10 995 per boat, up to 6 guests
- Nobody on board but your group
- Mix swimmers and viewers as you like
- Good for families, proposals and photographers
- Bigger groups and schools by arrangement
From the boat they look asleep. Look under.
On the rocks, fur seals lie in heaps and argue about space. In the water they are a different animal: fast, loose and curious. Drag the waterline to see both halves of the colony.
On the rocks
Under the surface
How the hour and a half runs
From the car park to the colony and back, with time to shower afterwards.
- 30 minutes before departure
Check in at Central Beach
Find the Offshore Adventures office in the Central Beach car park on Hopwood Street. We sort the paperwork and fit your wetsuit, mask and fins.
- Departure
Beach launch
Life jackets on, then the crew launches the boat straight off the sand and through the surf. It is the loudest part of the day.
- The ride
Along the Robberg cliffs
A fast run across the bay and along the peninsula to the colony, with a safety and seal briefing on the way.
- Up to 30 minutes
In the water with the seals
Your guide gets in first. You float at the surface near the boat while the seals come and go around you. Anyone on a viewing ticket watches from the boat.
- Afterwards
Warm shower and your photos
Back on the beach there are change rooms, warm showers and lockers. Your guide’s photos of the trip are included, and a custom video is R200.
Photo from our tripsA proper boat and people who know this water
You ride in a rigid inflatable with the Offshore Adventures name down the tubes, skippered by people who launch off this beach every day. Owner and skipper Jaco Kruger is a long-serving volunteer and station commander at NSRI Station 14, Plettenberg Bay’s sea rescue base.
- WESSA Blue Flag boat operator
- SATSA member
- Green Fins digital member
- Seal Snorkel and Dive Operators Association
- Plett Hope Spot committee
- Plett Tourism member
When to come
Trips run all year. Pick a month to see what the water and the seals are doing.
January
The warmest water of the year and the busiest boats. School holidays run into mid-January, so book a few days ahead.
- Seal swims
- Running daily, extra early trips
- Sea temperature
- about 20°C
- Also in the bay
- Dolphins, seal pups on the rocks
- Swims running
- Peak season, book ahead
- Swims paused, viewing trips run
What guests say afterwards
“Amazing trip and better than expected. Would definitely recommend. Really cool experience seeing the seals so close. We also got lucky and saw other dolphins (up close) and a whale (from a distance).”
“I have already been twice and now booked my third dive experience always amazing and run by lovely knowledgable people.”
4.7 / 5from 1,021 verified reviews on GetYourGuide
4.6 / 5from 467 Google reviews of Offshore Adventures
Hall of FameTripadvisor Hall of Fame 2019, plus Global Tourism Excellence awards in 2025 and 2026
Ratings checked on 10 October 2026. Quotes are from reviews on Tripadvisor.
The animal you are coming to meet
The Cape fur seal, Arctocephalus pusillus pusillus, lives only on the coast of southern Africa, from southern Angola round to Algoa Bay. It is an eared seal: look for the small rolled ear flaps and the way it walks on all four flippers.
Bulls can reach about 2.3 metres and well over 200 kilograms. The ones that come to play are mostly youngsters, which is why the encounter feels more like meeting a litter of wet labradors than a herd of half-tonne predators.
Straight answers
The six things people ask before they book.
Is it safe to swim with seals in Plettenberg Bay?
Yes, when you go with a licensed operator and follow the guide. You snorkel at the surface in a buoyant wetsuit, a qualified guide is in the water with you the whole time, and the boat stays close. The seals are wild, so we keep to a code of conduct: no touching, no feeding, no chasing.
We are open about the risks too. Read the safety page for how we handle sharks, rabies precautions and weather.
Do I need to be a strong swimmer?
No. The wetsuit keeps you afloat, flotation aids are available if you ask, and swims are short. Most of the time you are floating beside the seals rather than swimming. Tell the crew if you are nervous and a guide will stay right next to you.
How much does it cost to swim with seals?
R1 295 per person, or R1 195 per person when 4 or more swimmers book together. Seal viewing from the boat is R795 per person. The wetsuit, mask, snorkel, fins, guide and photos of your trip are included. See the full price list.
What is the best time of year?
Summer, from November to April, has the warmest water and the busiest diary. Spring and autumn are quieter with good conditions. Seal swims usually pause in June and July, when sharks follow the sardines past the colony; seal viewing trips keep running. See the month by month guide.
Can children swim with the seals?
Yes. We recommend the swim for ages 6 and up, and we carry children’s wetsuits. Younger children and anyone who prefers to stay dry can join the same boat on a seal viewing ticket from age 2. More in the family guide.
What happens if the weather is bad?
We go out in most conditions, including rain. A strong easterly wind or swell is what stops a trip. If we have to cancel we tell you as early as we can and you rebook or get a full refund.
Make a day of it
Plan the rest of your time in Plett around the swim.
Ready to meet the seals?
Trips leave Central Beach at 10:00, 12:00, 14:00 every day, weather permitting. Pick a date and we will have a wetsuit waiting.