Swim with Seals Boat Trip in Plettenberg Bay

Plettenberg Bay, the heart of the Garden Route

Plettenberg Bay, usually just called Plett, is a seaside town about thirty kilometres east of Knysna, roughly thirty minutes by road, and one of the most beautiful stops on the Garden Route. A wide curve of white sand runs from the Robberg Peninsula in the south to the Keurbooms River mouth in the north, backed by the Tsitsikamma mountains. The town is known for its beaches, its calm bay and the marine life that gathers here: dolphins all year, humpback and southern right whales between June and November, and the seals of Robberg.

The swim with seals leaves from the launch beach in the town, so it fits easily into a day in Plett or a Plettenberg Bay day trip from Knysna. We can arrange a private transfer from Knysna or along the Garden Route if you are not driving yourself. Things to do in Plettenberg Bay after the swim include the Robberg hiking trails, the animal sanctuaries in the hills and a lagoon-side lunch.

Robberg Peninsula and the marine protected area

The Robberg Peninsula is a rocky finger of land that juts into the sea at the southern end of the bay, protected as a nature reserve on land and a marine protected area in the water. Its name means seal mountain in Dutch, and its cliffs, caves and middens hold evidence of human presence stretching back more than a hundred thousand years. The protected waters around it are rich in fish, which is why seals, dolphins and sharks all hunt here.

The boat follows the cliffs of the peninsula to the seal colony on its seaward side, which gives you the view hikers get from the Robberg trail but from below. Robberg Nature Reserve itself is worth visiting separately if you have time: the circular walks range from a short loop to a full peninsula hike of a few hours. On the swim trip the skipper also points out the cormorants, gannets and oystercatchers that nest on the rocks.

The Cape fur seals of Robberg

Cape fur seals were hunted out of Plettenberg Bay generations ago, and their return to the Robberg Peninsula from the 1990s onwards is one of the Garden Route's conservation success stories. The colony now numbers in the thousands and covers the rocks below the cliffs with barking, basking animals of every size. The big bulls can weigh several hundred kilograms, while the pups and juveniles are the ones that come out to play with swimmers.

Fur seals are intelligent, fast and endlessly curious. In the water they will swoop close, flip upside down, nibble gently at fins and mimic your movements, then vanish and reappear from another direction. Guides ask swimmers to float calmly and let the seals decide how close to come; touching or chasing them is not allowed. Sightings are of wild animals and never guaranteed, but the colony is resident all year.

The guided swim

On arrival at the colony the guide gives a safety briefing and helps everyone into the water from the boat. You spend up to thirty minutes floating at the surface with a mask and snorkel, fins for easy movement and a wetsuit for warmth, with the guide alongside and the skipper watching from the boat. No diving qualification is needed, but you should be comfortable swimming in the open sea, where there can be a gentle swell; the water temperature ranges from cool in winter to pleasant in summer.

Children who swim confidently love this experience and are welcome with an adult. Photographs are taken during the swim and shared afterwards, so you can leave your own camera on board unless it is waterproof. After the swim the boat returns across the bay, often with a detour if dolphins are spotted, and you are back on the beach about an hour and a half after departure.

Getting to Plettenberg Bay from Knysna and the Garden Route

Plettenberg Bay lies on the main coastal road between Knysna and the Tsitsikamma, which makes the seal swim easy to combine with other Garden Route activities. From Knysna the drive takes about thirty minutes along the lagoon and over the hills; from George airport about an hour and a half; and from the Tsitsikamma and Storms River about an hour in the other direction. Parking at the launch beach is straightforward.

The best time to visit Plettenberg Bay for the seal swim is from October to April, when the sea is warmer and visibility is usually better, although the trip runs all year and winter brings the whales. Boats cannot go out in strong wind or big swell, so your departure is confirmed on the day according to the sea conditions. Our team can combine the swim with a private transfer and other Knysna and Plett excursions on request.