Orcas and Penguins in False Bay this Summer

False Bay’s waters are buzzing with life. Divers head down into the depths to find the tiny, jewel-toned nudibranchs and abalone hiding in thick kelp forests. Tour boats cruise to discover pods of mighty whales breaching offshore. False Bay, stretching from Gordon's Bay through Fish Hoek to Cape Point, hosts a staggering diversity of marine species. This is largely due to the remarkable invisible forces of upwelling and ocean currents prevalent along this coastal stretch outside Cape Town.

The Secret Behind False Bay’s Biodiversity

Upwelling is one of nature’s great oceanic engines. As the persistent south-easterly winds sweep across the coastline, they push warm surface water away from the land. In its place, cold, nutrient-rich water surges up from the depths, carrying with it a dense cloud of nitrates, phosphates, and countless microscopic morsels that fuel the ocean’s food chain.

Phytoplankton flourish in these nutrient-dense waters, blooming into vast underwater meadows of life. In turn, they feed zooplankton, which sustain filter feeders, small fish, and the larger predators that follow. Add to that the meeting of two powerful ocean currents (the cold Benguela Current from the Atlantic and the warm Agulhas Current from the Indian Ocean), and you have one of the most productive marine ecosystems on the planet.

A Wonderland Beneath the Waves

Kelp forests, swaying like underwater sprites, provide shelter and food for everything from urchins, perlemoen and mud snails to shy cuttlefish and prehistoric-looking seven-gill cow sharks. These are creatures whose ancestors date back some 190 million years. Cuttlefish and mantis shrimp display an alien beauty, their skin shimmering and shifting in colour thanks to cells called chromatophores that allow them to camouflage, warn predators, or even communicate with one another.

For divers and snorkellers, False Bay is a dream. Descend into its cool waters, and you’ll find yourself surrounded by an astonishing menagerie in a world both strange and spectacular. Summertime in Fish Hoek offers ocean sports galore for young and old to try! 

The Changing Performers of the Bay

False Bay’s underwater inhabitants change with the seasons. Throughout the year, discover Cape fur seals, Bryde’s whales, four species of dolphins (common, bottlenose, dusky, and humpback), African penguins, and even the occasional sunfish drifting lazily near the surface. But every so often, the calm rhythm of the bay is shattered by the arrival of dynamic predators - the glossy, charismatic Orcas, aka 'killer whales'.

When the Orcas come to hunt, the hunters become the hunted. False Bay has become known for two notorious individuals, Port and Starboard, a pair of shark-hunting Orcas recognised by their collapsed dorsal fins. Their chilling raids on great white sharks and dolphins have sent ripples through the ecosystem, sometimes driving the larger shark species from the bay for weeks.

The Majestic Orcas

Orcas, aka killer whales, are not actually whales at all, but the largest members of the dolphin family (Delphinidae). Their name, though dramatic, is a misnomer that dates back to when ancient sailors saw them hunting large prey. Their scientific name, Orcinus orca, also reflects this identity as killer whales because "Orcinus" translates to "of the kingdom of the dead". With sleek black-and-white bodies, towering dorsal fins, and an intelligence rivalling that of primates, Orcas are among the ocean’s most formidable predators.

Males can grow dorsal fins up to two metres high, slicing through the water like sails. They communicate with a symphony of whistles and clicks - the former for social interaction, the latter for echolocation, helping them locate prey in murky waters. The effect on nearby animals is unmistakable: whales and dolphins flee, while penguins and seals dash desperately for the safety of shore.

Despite their fierce reputation, Orcas are also highly social, intelligent, and family-oriented creatures, living in close-knit groups called pods that can remain together for decades.

Life and Death at Seal Island

Winter brings a different drama. As the bay turns calm and glassy, young Cape fur seals venture out from Seal Island to hunt, often right into the hunting grounds of great white sharks. Nature’s theatre plays out daily: survival, strategy, and instinct. By October and November, the island roars with life again as the breeding season begins. Massive bulls return to claim their harems of up to twenty females, and more than 74,000 seals crowd the rocks - including around 20,000 new pups, each one adorably unaware of the dangers lurking in the water below.

Venture out to Cape Point, where sheer cliffs drop into wild seas and seabirds nest in the crevices. On calm days, you can peer through the long golden kelp strands to the seafloor below, where fish dart and urchins graze. If you’re lucky, you might even spot a shy Cape clawless otter slipping through the shallows — a rare and heart-stirring sight.

A Bay of Wonders

False Bay is, in every sense, alive, and Fish Hoek locals consider it a liquid wilderness teeming with stories of survival, adaptation, and mystery. Whether you’re watching penguins waddle ashore at Boulders Beach, diving through kelp forests, or witnessing the black fins of orcas slicing through silver waves, you’re glimpsing one of nature’s greatest spectacles.

This summer, as the waters of False Bay shimmer beneath the sun, keep your eyes on the horizon because you never know when the ocean’s most powerful predator might appear.

Book your December vacation at Seaside Cottages today!