Our guide Vincent Ward was top notch, really knows his stuff and communicated very clearly to everyone on board…
My third trip with Cape Town Pelagics and probably the best which is saying a lot as the first 2 were fantastic. I’d give it a 9/10, just missing a big Albatross !

The entire trip was a highlight. We made contact with a trawler – there were so many birds & we had such superb views! Dalton was excellent, very engaging & went out of his way, both to impart his knowledge & make sure that everyone had got onto their target birds. As a Northern Hemisphere-based birder it was wonderful to see some of ‘our’ breeding birds in the mêlée with all those great Southern Hemisphere species.

It was my first pelagics trip and the highlight was to see birds like albatrosses, prions and petrels, which added to my lifers by 13. It was fascinating seeing the birds behind the trawlers. Garret was great.  He certainly knows the subject and is very quick to pick up the specials. It far exceeded my expectations!

The trip with Vince and Alan was wonderful. Both very experienced and passionate about birds and guests. To spot different kinds of Albatross in that big cluster was a real challenge for us. We’re amazed by the huge numbers of birds on the open sea. For us it was definitely a highlight of our South African tour.

We were extremely lucky – close up of whales doing their thing with their tails; beautiful sunrise views across False Bay to Gordons Bay; three lifers; finding a trawler AND the trawler pulling its net while we were there. David was excellent – spotted birds early and the skipper was very careful in missing ‘potholes’ on way out, his birding knowledge is excellent too.

It was amazing to see the multitude of birds at the trawler, almost within touching distance, having only ever seen some of them at a massive distance through a telescope. Vanessa was professional, kind, and passionate about birding. I learnt a lot, and greatly appreciate all the help she offered for someone who was a complete novice at seabirds. The trip was worth every cent!

It was my very first pelagic trip, so the whole trip was a highlight! David is a splendid guide, extremely knowledgeable. It was a bit long for me, but then again, I can go birding for hours – there is so much to see and distance to cover that it would be a skimp to make it any shorter. The trip exceeded my expectations!

Overall the Cape Town Pelagic boat tour was a fantastic success, and I recommend it to any bird lover or bird photographer visiting Cape Town. Our bird guide Dalton was incredibly knowledgeable, and his identification came quickly – You can read about my experience in Conservation Mag