Cape Town: Two coastal areas temporarily closed to the public due to sewage spills! [update]

update (05 January 2023): The City of Cape Town has reopened Small Bay and the Deep Blue section of Strand Beach. The affected section of Strand beach was closed due to an electrical fault at the pump station, but the issue has since been resolved. “Small Bay was closed due to a damaged sewer pipe. The damaged pipe section was isolated inside the manhole. Sewer flow is being diverted by means of a mobile pump that is running 24 hours,” the City said.

The City of Cape Town yesterday announced the partial closure of two coastal areas to the public as a precautionary measure until further notice. The temporary closures are due to sewage spills in the respective areas - the causes of which are currently under investigation. The affected coastal areas are the Deep Blue section of Strand beach on the False Bay coastline as well as Small Bay in Blaauwberg. The City of Cape Town's City Health is taking water samples for water quality testing until the levels are within the minimum requirement for recreational activites as determined by South Africa's Water Quality Guidelines. We'll keep you posted!

Whale watching hot spots in Cape Town and surrounds

Every year between June to November, Cape Town and its surrounding areas are becoming some of the best land-based whale watching spots of the world. It is the time when the Southern Right Whales are migrating from the heir icy feeding grounds off Antarctica to warmer climates off South Africa.
Southern Africa's coast is exactly what the whales need during this time of the year.The shallow, sandy-bottomed and sheltered bays are perfect for mating, calving, nursing their young and resting.


View Top five whale watching spots in Cape Town and surrounds in a larger map

The top spots to watch whales in Cape Town & surrounds are:

• Road between Llandudno and Bakoven
• Hout Bay area (you will need a powerful pair of binoculars)
• Chapman's Peak Drive
• Road between Scarborough and Kommetjie
• Cape Point
• Road from Boulders to Smitswinkelbaai
• Coastal road between Fish Hoek and Simon's Town
• Glencairn
• Fish Hoek
• Road to Fish Hoek to Kalk Bay
• Boyes Drive from St James to Kalk Bay
• Clarence Drive between Gordon’s Bay and Rooi Els
• Hangklip, home to the Kogelberg Biosphere
• Hermanus

Shark Cage Diving in South Africa

False Bay and Gansbaai in South Africa are two of the World’s Top Shark Cage diving destinations. It is pretty hard to say which spot to choose over the other, because False Bay is way closer to Cape Town and Gansbaai (~ 2hrs drive from CPT) is offering the better chance to meet the Great White Sharks as the seal colony on Dyer Island is attracting them in greater numbers. The drive along the coast from Cape Town to Gansbaai is also very nice - in my view even better than the Garden Route. And you can stop at Betty's Bay to see the penguin colony.



Scuba Dive or Snorkel with Great White Sharks
Join this tour for the underwater experience of a lifetime as you scuba dive or snorkel with the Great White Sharks of South Africa! Take the opportunity during your stay in Cape Town to travel to the channels around Dyer Island and get up close and personal with the animal on top of the ocean's food chain.
Travel to Gansbaai and enjoy a light breakfast before proceeding to the channel by Dyer Island, a short boat trip of approximately 20 minutes. Named after Samson Dyer in the 19th century, Dyer Island is a breeding ground for marine birdlife, while nearby Geyser Rock is home to approximately 50,000 Cape Fur Seals. As a prime breeding site for these animals, the area is a natural magnet for the ocean's deadliest predator.
Check out the sharks with a surface view, before slipping into your wetsuit to join these misunderstood creatures in their natural habitat. Choose to snorkel, or scuba cage dive (must hold a valid scuba diving certificate) with the magnificent predators in their natural feeding ground. This is a rare opportunity to share the water with the top ocean predator, and feel the ultimate adrenaline rush as it looks you in the eye with curiosity and maybe a touch of menace!
If you don't want to enter the water, you can remain on the boat and enjoy the surface viewing. Being a surface feeder by nature the sharks swim close to the boat, therefore view onboard is superb and photo opportunities are lurking everywhere. If you are lucky, you may even get the opportunity to witness a spectacular breach as these huge creatures launch themselves clear of the water surface in the hunt for the next seal meal!

The Great White shark cage diving season can be divided into three periods:

• High season : May to October
• Intermediate : April, November, December, and January
• Low season : January, February and March

book the tour online via viator.com >>

Whale Watching in South Africa

One of the best places in South Africa for whale watching is Cape Town's warm False Bay side of the Cape Peninsula. The most frequently seen whale is the Southern Right Whale, which are using the area as calving and nursery grounds and may be seen just metres from the shore. Peak season for whale watching are the months from end-July/August to mid-October. Other whales that can be seen in the False Bay (although less frequently than Southern Right Whales) include Humpback Whales, Killer Whales and Bryde's Whales. Dolphin species in the region include Bottlenose Dolphins on the east side and Dusky Dolphins on the west side.


Hermanus Whale Watching Tour
Close to the southernmost tip of Africa, Hermanus enjoys a richly deserved reputation for its fantastic shore-based whale watching, between July and November. From the excellent vantage points on the rocky cliff path that hugs the coastline from one end of Hermanus to the other, whale watchers can get within 20 meters of these magical creatures as they cruise along the coves. The area is a haven for the Southern Right Whale, but other species including Humpbacks, Killer whales plus Bottlenose and Common dolphins are occasionally sighted. The world’s only ‘Whale Crier’ alerts visitors to the location of the whales by blasting his kelp horn. Enjoy wondrous views of the Cape Peninsula as you return to Cape Town via Sir Lowry’s pass. [more info & booking]

View Whale Watching in South Africa in a larger map

Cape Town city guide >>
daytours in & around Cape Town >>
flights to South Africa >>
accommodation in South Africa >>