Snorkelling with seals in Simon’s Town

Eye to eye we faced each other. Then he, or perhaps I should say she, cocked her head, angling one of those red rim eyes at me. Under the water, those eyes appeared as large as saucers. I let out a small scream into my snorkel as she came right at me. Snapping away she turned at the last minute, only wanting to play. Overhead one of her siblings shot clear out the water jumping over the other seals which darted all around, leaving a trail of bubbles in their wake. My heart was pumping but the biggest smile was plastered on my face. I was snorkelling with seals in Simon’s Town!

Arriving in Simon’s Town

It was a cold wintery day as we drove along the coast towards Simon’s Town. The sea stretched out before us, flat as a mirror, effortlessly reflecting the moody clouds overhead. We were ready for our seal snorkelling adventure with Pisces Divers.

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The chilly afternoon had nothing on our nerves which already had us trembling in our boots. As we zipped up our thick diving wetsuits, watching the learner divers making bubbles in the pool, our snorkelling guide gave us an intro as to what we could expect in the water. We were forewarned that the seal pups wouldn’t be afraid to get in our faces. However, little did we know just how playful they would be!

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Into the water, we go

A quick boat ride from the launch spot at Miller’s Point saw us bearing down on a rock packed with seals. The big boys sat right at the top, shouting at the young ‘uns as they launched themselves one by one into the water. We approached a small group of pups as they played in the swell. Then it was time to jump in!

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Almost immediately we were surrounded by seals of various sizes with the little ones being the most inquisitive. Little effort was required from our side as we drifted back and forth with the swell, seals all around us. The visibility shifted with the swell and we went from hardly seeing past our hand to a full view right to the bottom of the seabed where the older seals lazily kept an eye on the cheeky pups overhead.

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Swimming with seals

The minutes passed in no time as we swam with these sea dogs who aptly reminded us of our naughty doggie back home. When it came time to jump on the boat and head back to Simon’s Town, the sun had come out, its rays guiding us back to the shore. And the seals stuck their finned feet out the water, seemingly wishing us a fond farewell. Until we return again once more to play with these puppies of the sea!

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