Hout Bay Manor has the enviable honour of being located in one of Cape Town’s most beautiful areas – one in which there is a wide array of action adventures to be had for those who love the ocean and the great outdoors. Here are six suggestions, ranging from family-friendly excursions to activities for thrill seekers – all on Hout Bay Manor’s doorstep.
CRUISES AND BOAT TRIPS
If you’d like to see Chapman’s Peak drive from the water, have drinks and watch the sunset, or photograph the unique seal colony on Duiker Island, there are several boat trip operators who launch from Hout Bay harbour. An addition to the shorter trips on offer is Captain Jack’s Half Day Cruise which cruises to Duiker Island to view the seal colony then sails past the coastal enclave of Llundudno to reach Camps Bay. Here the vessel anchors for an hour before departing for Sea Point lighthouse – the turn-around point for the return trip to Hout Bay.
SEABIRDING TRIPS
Birding enthusiasts can book to join one of the day-long deep sea pelagic trips that leave from Hout Bay harbour to travel more than 20 nautical miles south of Cape Point – a hotspot for trawlers and resultant sea birds. Highly experienced birding guides are on hand who will track and identify seabirds and guests are likely see at least three, and perhaps as many as seven albatross species, as well as passage migrants and other pelagic species. Several species of sea mammal are frequently seen in these coastal waters.
FISHING TRIPS
For visitors who love to fish, the cold waters of the Cape offer some of the best fishing grounds in the world giving deep sea and offshore anglers the opportunity to catch a variety of fish which include Yellowfin, Longfin and Bigeye Tuna, Yellowtail, Kob, Cape Salmon, Snoek, and occasionally Marlin. Fish Tales charters vessels are custom designed, reliable and are safe in poor weather conditions. The company supplies all fishing gear needed for the day and a deckhand to assist their clients with the day’s activities. They launch from a selection of ports around the Cape Peninsula – including Hout Bay – and will track the best fishing spots on the day.
KAYAKING
Kayaking is a popular sport among Hout Bay locals, who can regularly be seen paddling in the bay. Kayaking offers a great way to experience the ocean and its inhabitants up close while enjoying some spectacular views of the coastline. The guided kayaking that offered by Cape Town Kayak Adventures, who launch from Hout Bay, is suitable for beginners or experienced kayakers. The itinerary starts with a short training session and guests will always have a guide close by to assist.
SNORKELING WITH THE SEALS
Cape Town Bucket List a ‘snorkelling with the seals’ experience that includes cruising to Duiker Island to snorkel among the Cape Fur Seal in their natural habitat. The trip is supervised by an experienced team and includes being fully briefed before undergoing a short training session. Guests spend approximately one hour in the shallow and clear water, observing and interacting with these amazing animals – considered one of the ocean’s friendliest mammals.
SCUBA DIVING
There are many dive sites in Hout Bay and outer Hout Bay waters, most of which are only accessible by boat. These include two wreck dives – one of which has been used as a training site for wreck penetration. The 340 ton, 27m long motor fishing vessel “Aster” was a South African registered lobster fishing boat which was prepared as a diver-friendly artificial reef by cleaning and cutting openings into the structure and being scuttled in Hout Bay near a second wreck, “MV Katzu Maru”. The vessel sitting upright on the bottom at a maximum of 28M is beginning to break up.
After an exhilarating ocean adventure we can’t imagine there’d be anything nicer than for you, our guest, to ‘come home’ and freshen up before relaxing with a pre-lunch or dinner drink in the tranquil outdoors at Hout Bay Manor – followed, of course, by your selection from EAT’s delicious lunch or dinner menu.
Baviaanskloof, Off Main Road,
Hout Bay, 7872
Cape Town, South Africa
Tel number: + 27 21 790 0116
Email: reservations@houtbaymanor.co.za
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