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Throughout the year there is a reasonable chance of seeing
Black-browed, Shy and Yellow-nosed
Albatross; Giant and White-chinned
Petrel; Sooty Shearwater; Wilson's
Storm Petrel; Cape Gannet and Subantarctic
Skua.
In the Southern Hemisphere winter you may get Pintado
and Soft-plumaged Petrel and Antarctic
Prion. Summer brings Great-winged Petrel;
Cory's Shearwater; European Storm
Petrel and Sabine's Gull.
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Black-browed Albatross
Photograph courtesy Mr Sture Persson,
Sweden
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In winter, the number of albatrosses increases dramatically.
If one is lucky enough to find a trawler pulling its catch
aboard, it is not unusual to see upward of 500 albatross behind
the trawler. These giants are accompanied by a host of Petrel,
Shearwater, Prion, Storm
Petrel, Skua, Gull,
Cormorant and Tern. If the
trawler produces enough offal, this "cloud" of seabirds
can easily number 2000. Those fortunate enough to experience
this magnificent spectacle from within the "cloud",
with views of seabirds from as close as 2 meters, competing
for scraps with each other and with Cape Fur Seals will never
forget their experience.
During winter, irregular sightings of Wandering,
Royal, and Grey-headed Albatross,
Antarctic Fulmar and Flesh-footed
Shearwater do occur. In summer, irregular sightings
of Manx Shearwater, Parasitic,
Long-tailed and Pomerine Jaeger
as well as Arctic Tern are reported.
Regular pelagic trips take place
from Simon's Town on most Saturday's
of the year, with Sunday an alternate
day in case of bad weather. They
travel up to 30 nautical miles
(55 km) from the shore. Current
cost per person on scheduled pelagics
is available on request.
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