Diary

Otterly Amazing! Surprised by a Cape clawless otter

An otter holds a fish in its paws
With the lockdown regulations in South Africa being eased somewhat, many have taken to getting back into the ocean to surf, freedive and swim... Owner of Animal Ocean Steve Benjamin encountered this old Cape clawless otter on one such occasion after a day at sea - and then found him again the next day! Sharing a moment in an otters den for the… Read More
Posted in: Articles, Photographic, Video
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Seal Snorkeling Surviving COVID-19

Navigating the effects of COVID-19 on the Tourism Industry Looking forward! Animal Ocean needs YOUR support! With the emergence of COVID-19 the 2020 winter (quiet!) season in Cape Town arrived unexpectedly, forcing tourism businesses to close 3 months earlier than usual. The Tourism Industry worldwide is experiencing massive losses, and… Read More
Posted in: Articles, Giving Back, Seal Snorkeling
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The History of Animal Ocean

Seals swim together about a reef bed
Seal Snorkeling since 2009! Animal Ocean was founded in Cape Town in 2009 by Steve Benjamin, after spending time in the warmer waters of Kwazulu-Natal working with a marine expeditions company. Having previously studied Zoology and Ichthyology (fish science) Steve’s natural interest and curiosity about the natural world paired with this… Read More
Posted in: Articles, Expeditions, Seal Snorkeling
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SEAL RESCUE – Animal Ocean Saves Baby Seals!

Animal Ocean Seal Snorkeling Saves Seal Pups
A real Animal Ocean Archive story – Cape fur seal pup rescue December 2014 It has become legend amongst the staff of Animal Ocean that the period between Christmas and New Year’s is a week (or at least a few days) that will most likely mean a break from the rush of the summer Seal Snorkeling season. Why is this so, when it is a period that… Read More
Posted in: Articles, Giving Back, Seal Snorkeling
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Stranded seal on the beach? Here’s what to do

“Recently when I was walking along the high tide mark on Muizenberg Beach with my family, our dog ran ahead of us and sniffed at something in the distance. As we got closer, we saw that she had found a seal! The seal looked quite weak and thin and wasn’t moving at all. No one else around seemed to have noticed it yet. We didn’t know what… Read More
Posted in: Giving Back, Seal Snorkeling
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Buffel on Buffels Bay Beach, Cape Point.

Southern elephant seal finds a beach to moult. Buffel, the famous Cape Townian southern elephant seal, has chosen Buffels Bay beach to moult this year. I would too if a beach was named after me! On the 7th February 2020, Buffel tried to come ashore on the rocks at Sandy Bay, but returned to sea. On the 13th Feb he climbed out the water onto… Read More
Posted in: Elephant seal
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New Elephant Seal arrival to Hout Bay Beach

Elephant seal hout bay, Animal Ocean, Seal Snorkeling, Cape Town
Barney on Hout Bay beach. Photographer: Unknown. The week before South Africa was recently put on lockdown, an unexpected arrival appeared in the waters around the Cape Peninsula… Images first emerged of what appeared to be a lone elephant seal at the famous V & A Waterfront in Cape Town during the evening of 19th March 2020. The… Read More
Posted in: Elephant seal
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