Catamaran Charters
With offices in Swakopmund and Walvis Bay, and operating under the new name Catamaran Charters since the merger of Catamaran Charters and Laramon Tours in March 2023, we present 3- to 4-hour sightseeing trips in the calm waters of the Walvis Bay region. The tours include a boat ride to Pelican Point, which is well known for its seal colony and a variety of sea birds. Each of our 7 catamarans has a special platform to allow seals on board. Sparkling wine, fresh oysters, some snacks and cold beverages as well as mineral water are included in your maritime adventure in the Atlantic ocean offshore the Namib desert.
Entertainment on the cruise is left to low flying pelicans, sea gulls, cormorants displaying their amazing ability to spot fish and catch them in mid air while in full flight or swoop down and pick it out of your hand without missing a beat. As we glide along, we will be joined by seals and dolphins alongside or surfing in the slipstream of the catamarans motors. Some old friends might join us onboard for their snacks while the dolphins frolic around the catamarans.
We offer multilingual sailing cruises and tours in English, Afrikaans and German. Please confirm your nationality and preference upon booking.
Activities
We also offer 4-hour pelagic birding excursions as well as 3.5-hour educational dolphin and seal cruises where you can also see Leatherback turtles and Mola (sunfish) or in season whales.
Our 8-hour marine desert adventure is the ultimate combination of viewing our marine life on a leisure sailing cruise on the Atlantic Ocean and exploring our fauna and flora with a ride in the breathtaking Sandwich Harbour Area of the Namib Naukluft Park with its stunning dunes, desert lanscape and animals as well as many photographic opportunities.
If you are looking for more activity join us at our daily expertly guided morning kayaking in the calm waters at Pelican Point where a Cape Fur Seal colony resides. Closely interact with curious seals, chill on the water or get some exercise by actively kayaking taking in the spectacular coastal scenery. This is the ideal kayaking adventure for the whole family. You can also combine this exciting outdoor activity with our dolphin and seal cruise.
Alternatively, enjoy a sundowner sailing cruise with us.
We hoist the sails of our sailing catamarans whenever possible, switch off the engines and let you experience true sailing. You can even help in putting up the sails and rigging the lines.
Private Events
Enjoy the stunning panoramic views with Catamaran Charters and spend time with your favourite people. We can host any type of function on our catamarans. Your logistical specifications will determine how we can tailor the experience to your needs. You decide how long you want to spend on board. Cruising, chilling, dancing, eating, drinking - sounds good doesn't it?
You might also want to explore the diamonds "Sperrgebiet" south of Luderitz and the Tsau //Kaeb National Park with our affiliate company Bogenfels & Diamonds Tours.
Dolphin Encountours Research Center
Since 1995, the founder of Dolphin Encountours, Angie Gullan has been sharing the magical wonder of coming face to face with the wild dolphins of Ponta do Ouro, pioneering the way in ethical, educational and responsible practice for tours with these sentient non-human persons whom she calls the "people of the sea. We, the team of this research center, cater for the discerning dolphin enthusiast and offer an intimate look into the lives of our local dolphins while funding research and conservation efforts in the marine reserve in Mozambique.
Being a culture of carers and creators who prove that ethical and educational marine mammal tourism can be achieved when merging both spirit and science, we feel that a close and moving experience with dolphins and whales in their own environment is the best way to conserve them for future generations.
We specialize in creating a safe space for intimate encounters to take place with wild dolphins while contributing to their well-being, and are happiest when we are out in the field, checking in on our finned friends and are deeply committed to our role in protecting their environment. Through our research and conservation arm DolphinCareAfrica, we have collected and maintained a long-term data set and have historical records by means of images and video archived with over 8000 entries as well as approximately 250 individuals catalogued. Lineage has been tracked on resident females, some as far as 5 generations.
We invite you to take the plunge and experience something truly magical when coming face to face with these intelligent marine mammals. The past two decades have been spent nurturing a friendship and creating opportunities for human dolphin encounters to take place that works within the realms of conscious interaction. We work with a gregarious population of dolphins affectionately called the Dolphins of Ponta who find home in the coastal shallows of the Ponta do Ouro Partial Marine Reserve which borders the iSimangaliso World Heritage Site within the Lubumbo Transfrontier Conservation Area of South Africa and Mozambique.
Our Tours
Choose between our signature full Encountour and the mini or the casual dolphin Encountours or the 3 hour whale Encountour which is dedicated to boat based, seasonal whale viewing, including listening in with our special microphone to hear the migrating whales communicating down below and to gather data.
The full tour has been specially created to accommodate the myriad of different wild dolphin behaviours, each offering a unique insight into the way of the unterwater wilds. If you seek to spend a bit more time in the company of our dolphins, this is THE tour for you. Humpback whale viewing is incorporated from July to November.
The mini tour is a no frills option of two launches to visit our local dolphins and whales in season. Depending on group dynamics and sea state two launches can be combined to make a longer launch on this tour and on the full tour.
The casual tour is a once off ocean surfari to look for dolphins and whales in season, and depending on time, snorkel over some shallow reef.
Encountours include a pre-launch presentation with an introduction to our local dolphins, our long-term monitoring efforts, the DolphinCareAfrica code of conduct, boat and ocean safety, as well as the gear use on the day (mask, snorkel, fins), snorkel tax and video of your Encountour on-line.
Hermanus Whale Cruises
A warm welcome to Hermanus Whale Cruises who offer you a "tail" you can tell others, and an incredible, up close experience of 2 hours boat-based whale watching in Hermanus on South Africa’s whale coast.
We have been operating in the Walker Bay area since the first permits for boat based whale watching were granted in 1998. All our skippers and guides are registered tour guides and come from the local community of Hawston just outside of Hermanus. Their combined experience enables us to provide you with a vast amount of local information, especially within the boat based whale watching area.
Our Tours
Our boat based whale watching company is based in the new harbour of Hermanus on the Cape south coast, a 90-minute drive from Cape Town. We can take up to 87 passengers including 5 crew members on board. There is an open top viewing deck that seats 28 passengers, while the front viewing deck seats 7. Our "Whale Cruiser" is wheelchair-friendly! We serve snacks, mineral water and soft drinks during the trip. Our seasonal operating period is from June to December.
Southern Right Whales are migratory mammals. They spend one season in one place and the rest of the year in another, and travel long distances in between these seasons. In summer (December through May), they are in the cold polar regions of the Southern Hemisphere where food (mainly krill) is present and plentiful. Winters (June through November) are spent around the shallow coastal waters of Southern Africa, South America and Australia. The shallow, sandy-bottomed and sheltered bays of our coastline are perfect for mating, calving, nursing their young and resting.
From January to May and four time s a day (weather permitting), we also offer one to two hours long eco-tours, a sight-seeing experience where you can interact with dolphins, seals, clawless otters and a variety of sea birds.
If you would like to explore South Africa’s diverse culture on land, join us for a cultural tours where you meet the local people and learn more of their history, culture and environment. We will also visit several historic fishing villages and Moravian mission stations, and gladly arrange a township tour.
Ocean Blue Adventures
Situated on South Africa's renowned Garden Route coastline, our Ocean Blue Adventures team provides visitors to Plettenberg Bay with the opportunity to sample the finest the bay has to offer, whether you are interested in the abundant marine life, magnificent scenery or the lifestyle of the locals. Our qualified and experienced staff of skippers and guides are ready to assist you to make the most of your visit to this very special area of the country, courtesy of their enthusiasm for and understanding of their subjects, which demonstrates our commitment for the community.
Our Activities
Join our permitted marine excursions with a specialist permit, and have an extraordinary intimate and up-close experience with several whale species (seasonal), dolphins, seals and a variety of birds or sharks as well as pelagic fish on one of our boat-based ocean safaris which take 1.5 to 2 hours and depart four times daily.
Also, join us for a guided hike in the coastal Robberg Nature Reserve and afterwards stretch your legs on the beach of this stunning peninsula, where the rich fauna, flora and beautiful scenery will take your breath away in more ways than one.
At a more leisurely pace, take a cultural tour with one of our resident guides, stop by our creche, at a local church service or watch the youngsters practice their musical skills.
Conservation Based Tourism
Ocean Blue Adventures is a pioneering organisation in South Africa conducting professional conservation orientated whale and dolphin marine eco-tours. In cooperation with the Qolweni Community Development Trust the emphasis of all our operations is placed on conservation through community development, education and research. We aim to give a holistic real marine experience to all our guests aimed at raising awareness of marine mammal conservation and the direct need to realistically conserve our oceans.
Offshore Adventures
Our experienced team from Offshore Adventures offers you a once in a lifetime experience in Plettenberg Bay! Explore the Indian Ocean at its best by swimming with seals and experience the ultimate free diving marine safaris. Action packed adventures with wildife encounters, not to be missed!
Swim with Seals
This one-and-a-half-hour adventure by boat starts with an adrenaline pumping beach launch into the sea, followed by an amazing boat ride along the scenic coastline to the Cape fur seal colony which resides in the marine reserve of the Robberg Nature Reserve. There you will get to snorkel and interact with the oceans most loved characters and see them playfully swimming in their natural environment.
What makes this tour unique is the seal interaction. Sightings are guaranteed. Our crew is passionate about what we do, and you will experience our knowledge and love for the ocean. So, whether you just want to see the seals or watch your friends swim with the seals this tour is for you. Plus, we provide free pictures of the tour!
Tofo Beach Accommodation
Welcome to our affordable and child-friendly self-catering accommodation, Tofo Beach Accommodation situated in the lovely, prestine holiday town, Tofo and Tofinho (small Tofo) where we invite you to make use of our 3 unique, holiday houses which offer beautiful sea views and a homely atmosphere, just a stone's throw away from a beach and close to attractions – the perfect getaway destination in Mozambique.
Our picturesque, lively beach town has wide open, sandy beaches, diving schools, lots of good restaurants, chill out places and spaza shops as well as a lively market and is ideally located in Mozambique's popular holiday province of Inhambane, a 6 to 8 hours drive north of Maputo.
Our Accommodation
Our three holiday houses offer all the necessary self-catering facilities, linen and mosquito nets in the bedrooms as well as Wi-Fi which is free of charge at Casa Derika.
Casa Derika is perfectly located in the front row of houses on Tofo beach. With the beach right at your doorstep, it feels as if you allow it inside the house when you open the front stack doors. The cottage has 2 bedrooms and sleeps a maximum of 6 people. This house is equipped for self-catering and apart from the fully fitted kitchen it has one of the best braai (barbecue) locations in the world.
The Casa Isabel is also located at the beach front, between Tofo’s main beach and Tofinho’s surfing beach. It is truly a home away from home. The two verandas offer spectacular ocean views with frequent sightings of dolphins and whales. The 2-bedroom cottage sleeps a maximum of 6 guests, has a fully equipped kitchen as well and a nice outside braai area. Wi-Fi data have to be purchased.
Our Casa Christine is close to the famous Tofinho surfing spot and was hand built during the late 1990’s. All the bricks and window frames were handmade onsite without power tools. This cottage is a showpiece of Mozambique’s local construction skills and has 2 bedrooms as well as a loft, sleeping a maximum of 8 people. The huge veranda and braai area are enjoyable areas for your vacation. Wi-Fi data have to be purchased.
The scene is set for time away from all the stresses of modern life. Come and experience our little piece of paradise!
White Shark Diving Company
Spectacular viewing and front row seats! Founded in 1998 and based near Gansbaai, join White Shark Diving Company for an unforgettable shark cage diving trip in one of the world's shark capitals. Combine a shark dive with seasonal whale watching, a scenic flight or a game drive. Explore, protect, respect: Our various conservation initiatives aim to preserve this vulnerable species.
The Dive
We have been operating Shark Cage Diving Gansbaai Eco-tours in Cape Town for over 20 years with a 100-per-cent safety record. The shark cage dive takes place out at Dyer Island, roughly 15 minutes by boat from Gansbaai. The island is home to a colony of over 50 000 Cape Fur Seals – the white shark’s favourite food and primary source of nutrition. Running between Dyer and neighbouring Geyser Rock is a channel of ocean so frequented by great white sharks that it has been dubbed "Shark Alley". The sharks move between Shark Alley and Die Dam and our boat anchors in these areas for up-close encounters with great whites.
The cage is dropped at the diving site and you will be allocated your diving gear. Participants take consecutive turns in the eight-man floating cage to experience thrilling underwater views of this majestic apex predator. When not in the cage, you or non-diving passengers can enjoy sightings of the white sharks and other sea life, such as seasonal whales, from the viewing deck of the boat. The great white shark is a surface feeder and thus all the activity takes place on or very close to the surface, so surface viewing from the boat and photographic opportunities are excellent.
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