Some Facts about Seal Island (Duiker Island), It is a small land mass located 5.7 kilometers (3.5 miles) off the northern beaches of False Bay, near Cape Town in South Africa. The island is so named because of the great number of Cape fur seals that occupy it. It is 5 acres (2.0 hectares) in area and home to 64,000 cape fur seals.[1] It is also home to seabirds, and non-marine species are likely to fly there to breed as well. The island is an outcrop of Cape granite and rises above the high tide mark no more than 4 to 6 meters (13 to 20 feet). The island is long and narrow – 800 by 50 meters (2,620 by 160 feet). There is no vegetation, soil of any significance, or beach.
A radar mast was built on the island during World War II by a crew who lived in prefabricated huts for the duration of the construction but this tower gradually succumbed to corrosion and was blown over in a winter storm in 1970. All that remains of it is rusty, twisted metal. The ruins of a few huts and other structures from the sealing and guano-collection era (first half of the 20th century) have remained on the island. Some rock inscriptions made by sealers in the 1930s are still evident.
Times & Prices
Cruise times
- 08:45
- 09:45
- 10:45
- 12:00
- 14:00
- 15:15
Prices
- R 130.00 per adult
- R 70.00 per child younger than 12
Drumbeat Charters
How to get there
Follow Victoria Road (the M6) out of town – the road that goes along the sea front to Camps Bay & Clifton all the way to Hout Bay town. Pass through the town and at the roundabout, take the 2nd exit onto Princess Street. Continue onto North Shore Drive which becomes Hout Bay Harbour Road. Turn right onto Atlantic Skipper Street and left again to stay on Atlantic Skipper Street. Take the 1st right onto Rhode Vos Road and you are at Hout Bay Harbour.
GPS Coordinates: Latitude – 34°S 2min .943sec Longitude – 18°E 20min .509sec
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