In winter, seawatching is best on the western side of the Peninsula when a strong northwesterly is blowing. Try to find a position elevated enough to preclude your quarry dipping infuriatingly behind the wave troughs, and if possible sheltered from light rain squalls. The best spots are at the Cape of Good Hope (find a sheltered vantage point on the cliffs above the parking area; see map p.14), Cape Point (take the path from the old lighthouse to the new one; p.22) and Kommetjie (from the shore near the lighthouse; p.22). Even the casual seawatcher is bound to see a sprinkling of Cape Cormorant, Cape Gannet, White-chinned Petrel and Sooty Shearwater just offshore. If there is a strong wind, Shy and Black-browed Albatrosses may also be seen, with regular appearances made by Sub-Antarctic Skua, Northern and Southern Giant Petrels, Yellow-nosed Albatross, Wilson’s Storm Petrel and Broad-billed Prion.

In spring, summer and autumn, the persistent southeasterly winds produce good seawatching, and the best vantage points are Glencairn (made famous by seawatching expert, Dr Mike Fraser) and Cape Point. Glencairn is a small suburb on the east coast of the Peninsula, between Fish Hoek and Simon’s Town. Stand next to the railway station, or at the whale-watching site 1 km north of the railway station. The seawatching is best in spring and late summer (October and February–March) on the first or second day of the southeaster. Birds are blown into False Bay and are best viewed in the late afternoon as they move south, out of the bay. Most common are Cape Gannet, Arctic Skua, Sooty Shearwater and White-chinned Petrel. Less common but regular nonetheless are Pomarine Skua and Cory’s Shearwater; scarcer still are Soft-plumaged Petrel, Great Shearwater and Long-tailed Skua.

In summer, scan offshore from the Mouille Point lighthouse (just west of the V&A Waterfront, see p.31) for distant flocks of Sabine’s Gull (October–April), as well as Cape Gannet, White-chinned Petrel, Arctic Skua and Swift Tern.