Wildlife Recorded on Ocean Safaris in Cape Town

On an Ocean Safari with Animal Ocean, a remarkable range of marine and terrestrial wildlife can be encountered along the shores of Table Mountain National Park. Exploring the Atlantic coastline by boat offers a unique opportunity to experience the meeting place between land and sea, where rugged mountains, kelp forests, rocky reefs, offshore islands, and deep ocean currents combine to create one of the richest wildlife environments in South Africa.

The goal of an Ocean Safari is simple: to explore. We head out looking for wildlife both above and below the surface, snorkelling through kelp forests, searching for marine mammals, seabirds, fish, sharks, and all the unexpected encounters that the ocean may provide. Some days focus on playful seals in the kelp forests close to shore, while others lead us offshore in search of dolphins, whales, feeding seabirds, or rare oceanic species.

What makes this coastline so special is the incredible overlap between terrestrial, inshore, and pelagic ecosystems. Within a single trip it is possible to encounter mountain birds on the cliffs, endemic dolphins along the coastline, giant kelp forests beneath the boat, and migratory seabirds arriving from across the Southern Ocean.

The oceans are unfenced and endlessly connected, and because of that, every Ocean Safari is different. Rare species can appear unexpectedly, seasonal migrations shift the wildlife constantly, and unusual sightings are always possible.

The following list represents just some of the wildlife species recorded during our time exploring the waters of Cape Town. These species are divided into commonly seen, occasionally seen, and rarely seen animals, all personally encountered during Ocean Safaris with Animal Ocean.

Commonly Seen Species

Mammals

• Cape Fur Seal

• Heaviside's Dolphin

  
  

Birds

• Cape Gannet

• Swift Tern

• Common Tern

• Sandwich Tern

• Cape Cormorant

• White-breasted Cormorant

• Crowned Cormorant

• Bank Cormerant

• Hartlaub's Gull

• Kelp Gull

• White-chinned Petrel

• Sooty Shearwater

• African Oystercatcher

• Cape Wagtail

• Red-winged Starling

• Rock Pigeon

Fish, Sharks & Invertebrates

• Kelp

• Cape Sea Urchin

• Kelp Louse

• Kelp Limpet

• Dark Shyshark

• West Coast Rock Lobster

• Red Rock Crab

• Hottentot Seabream

• Rocksucker Fish

• Common Octopus

• Ocean Sunfish

Occasionally Seen Species

Mammals

• Common Dolphin

• Dusky Dolphin

• Bryde's Whale

• Humpback Whale

• Southern Right Whale

• Southern Elephant Seal

• Cape Clawless Otter

• Rock Hyrax

Birds

• Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross

• Northern Giant Petrel

• Southern Gient Petrel

• Cory's Shearwater

• Sabines Gull

• Wilson's Storm Petrel

• African Penguin

• Little Egret

• Grey Heron

Fish & Sharks

• One-fin Electric Ray

• Kingklip

• Pyjama Shark

• Leopard Catshark

• Streepies

• Southern Mullet

Rarely Seen Species

Mammals

• Orca

• Risso's Dolphin

Birds

• Giant Kingfisher

• Booted Eagle

• Black-necked Grebe

• Knob-billed Coot

Fish, Sharks and Marine Life

• Blue Shark

• Spotted Gully Shark

• Lesser Guitarfish

• Barrelfish

• Bluebottle Fish

• Mediterranean Shore Crab

• Yellowtail Kingfish

• Kingklip

• Atlantic Bonito

  
  

Reptiles

• Leatherback Turtle