Join one of our deep sea pelagics trips - we travel 20 nautical miles south of Cape Point - a hotspot for trawlers. We use high speed recreational speedboats and navigate to fishing shoals and trawlers using radar. Thanks to our highly experienced guides who'll identify seabirds for you. You're likely see at least three and possibly as many as seven albatross species, passage migrants and other pelagic species. Cetaceans and other sea mammals are frequently seen in the coastal waters.

Email us for the cost of a trip. For trip dates please check our 2023 & 2024 trip calendars.

If you have a group we might be able to arrange a trip for you outside of our scheduled dates, please e-mail for details.

News

23 September 2023: Large flock of Black-bellied Storm Petrels and a Soft-plumaged Petrel seen on yesterday's trip.

13 September 2023: Good to see another Southern Royal Albatross again yesterday.


Exciting to see a young Southern Royal Albatross on 12 September 2023 !

5 September 2023: We had 3 pelagic boats out at the trawling grounds yesterday and enjoyed good views of a Southern Royal Albatross.

25 January 2022: The year is off to a good start - Cape weather allowed 2 out of 3 scheduled trips to go ahead. We ticked some good species such as Parasitic and Long-tailed Jaegers, a handsome Spectacled Petrel, several Albatross species, Sabine's Gulls, Humpback Whales and more... Trip reports with species lists: 15 January & 23 January.

6 January 2022: Highlights from our 19 trips run during 2021 include 2 Northern and 5 Southern Royal Albatross. A rare Salvin's Albatross and a Salvin's Prion. Other good sightings were a pair of Red Phalaropes. The Spectacled Petrels were sparse with only 2, but we had 3 Southern Fulmars. Other species of interest were 2 Green Turtles. It was a good year for Humpback Whales with 30 animals over the 19 trips.

1 January 2022: Best wishes to all our clients for a fantastic 2022! May it be filled with plenty of birding highlights!

23 May 2021: Highlights from Saturday 6 January's trip - 4 Albatross species, Spectacled Petrels, Great-winged Petrel, Manx Shearwater, Parasitic & Long-tailed Jaegers, & a Sperm Whale. Click here for trip report & species list.

7 August 2020: Good News !! We are please to announce we can run our pelagic trips once again. We will be following COVID-19 health protocols to keep our guests and crew safe. First trip scheduled for Friday 14 August. Please email info@capetownpelagics.com for details.

12 January 2018: Highlights from Saturday 6 January's trip - 4 Albatross species, Spectacled Petrels, Great-winged Petrel, Manx Shearwater, Parasitic & Long-tailed Jaegers, & a Sperm Whale. Click here for trip report & species list.


Exciting to see a Sperm Whale on 6 January 2018 !


Lots of highlights on our 6 February 2017 trip, including this special bird - Spectacled Petrel

5 October 2016: A Wanderer plus a Southern Royal Albatross on Saturday's trip. Black-bellied and Soft-plumaged Petrels, and a couple of whale species.

25 September 2016: Close-up views of Killer Whales yesterday, and some great birds too!



19 September 2016: 5 Albatross species, including a Wanderer and Southern Royal; and a Flesh-footed Shearwater seen at sea on 18 September.

18 February 2016: 29 species recorded on our trip today. 4 Albatross species, a Southern Giant and a Spectacled Petrel, Pomarine and Parasitic Jaeger, Sabine's Gull, Grey (Red) Phalarope, ±100 Bottle-nosed Dolphins.


Black-browed Albatross (immature) - seen on 18 February 2016


Indian yellow-nosed Albatross photographed during the 11 April 2015 trip.


Orcas photographed during our 12 January 2015 trip.


Wandering Albatross (immature) seen during our 20 September 2014 trip.


1000's of birds around our boat in the vicinity of a trawler.


Leaving Cape Point behind as we head out to the trawling grounds on 24 March 2014 Cape Town Pelagics trip.

21 January: We start 2014 with TWO rarities: Grey-Backed Storm Petrel and Spectacled Petrel - both seen on our exciting 11 January trip. Click for the trip report and full species list.


Grey-backed Storm Petrel on 11 January 2014 with Cape Town Pelagics.







16 September: New Trip Reports from 1 September: Highlights include Southern & Northern Royal Albatross, Great-winged Petrel, Sabine's Gull and Humpbacked Whales, Wandering Albatross, Great Shearwater, Great-winged Petrel, Atlantic and Indian Yellow-nosed Albatross. Click to continue.


Blue Petrel - © Barrie Rose on 2 September 2012 with Cape Town Pelagics.


Southern Royal Albatross - © Barrie Rose on 22 August 2012 with Cape Town Pelagics.

Southern Giant Petrel - © Marine Drouilly on 4 August 2012 with Cape Town Pelagics.



Juvenile Wandering Albatross - seen on the Cape Town Pelagics trip of 12 February 2012 © Jon Hartley.


Sabine's Gull - seen on the Cape Town Pelagics trip of 29 January 2012 © Dalton Gibbs.


Blackbellied Storm-Petrel - an unusual winter visitor.


Flesh-footed Shearwater - a local rarity, seen on Cape Town Pelagics trip of 23 January 2010 © Barrie Rose.


Grey-backed Storm Petrel - photographed on 27 December 2009 during a Cape Town Pelagics trip © Rob Leslie.
Only the second recorded sighting in Southern Africa!

Southern Royal Albatross - on the Cape Town Pelagics Trip of 16 August 2008 © Jan Kube