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Swimming in Cape Town
Beaches and Pools
South Africa’s Mother City offers an array of beautiful, white, sandy beaches and a refreshing, crystal-clear ocean set against an azure sky. The Cape Peninsula separates two of the great oceans of the world, the cold Atlantic Ocean and the slightly warmer Indian Ocean which meet officially at Cape Aghulas.
West might be best…
The western or Atlantic side extends from Melkbosstrand in
the north, past the harbour-side shopping Mecca of the V&A
Waterfront, all the way to the Good Hope section of the Table
Mountain National Park at Cape
Point.
The beaches on the western side are ideally suited to long, lazy afternoons and slow evenings coloured by magnificent sunsets. Beaches include Blaauwberg, Sunset Beach, Sea Point, Clifton, Camps Bay, Llandudno, Hout Bay, Noordhoek, Kommetjie, Scarborough and more.
The protected Clifton beaches offer the best option for sheltered sunbathing when Cape Town’s southwesterly wind is howling.
… but there’s a feast in the east
On the Indian Ocean side or eastern coast you’ll find flat, wide beaches
that are ideal for family outings, swimming and surfing. Most beaches here
are preferred by the locals and are manned by lifeguards, which makes them
relatively safe. Eastern beaches include Kogelbaai, Gordon’s
Bay, Strand, Muizenberg,
St James tidal pool and beach, Fish
Hoek, Simon’s
Town’s Long Beach, Boulders
Beach and Windmill Beach.
Within reach you’ll find a beach
Cape Town’s beaches are a premier attraction for visitors and locals
alike. The more popular beaches are Clifton, Camps
Bay, Sunset Beach, Three Anchor Bay, Fish
Hoek, Long Beach and Hout
Bay. Most of these beaches offer a range of activities, including swimming,
snorkelling, boating, kite-surfing, kayaking, diving and surfing. A bonus
for those without transport is that most of these beaches are on public transport
routes. Cape Town boasts a number of blue-flag beaches: Camps Bay, Muizenberg, Clifton
Beach, Bikini
Beach (Gordon’s Bay) and Mnandi Beach. Blue-flag beaches earn their
status due to their facilities, excellent water quality and safety standards.
Naughty but nice
Naturists visiting Cape Town are welcome to call in at its famous nudist
beach, Sandy
Bay, by walking along a coastal path from the parking lot at Llandudno.
Take refreshments with you, as there are no kiosk facilities provided.
Note that there are no ablution facilities at Sandy Bay.
Swimming pools
If the salty bite of seawater and the feel of sand between your toes holds
no appeal, there are many public, hotel, club and resort pools open to
tourists, including:
• Bellville Swimming Pool (Bellville)
• Camps Bay Tidal Pool (Camps
Bay)
• Cape Town Swimming Pool (Cape Town)
• Long
Street Baths (Cape Town)
• Elsies River Swimming Pool (Elsies River)
• Hanover Park Swimming Pool (Hanover Park)
• Mnandi Resort Swimming Pool (Strandfontein)
• Sea Point Pavilion Swimming Pool (Sea
Point)
Take note!
• You’ll need sunscreen, sun hats and bottles of water
• For your own safety, listen to lifeguards
• Do not go swimming alone or at isolated beaches
• If conditions are rough, exercise caution
• Don’t leave valuables unattended on the beach
• Take your litter with you when you leave the beach – leave only
footprints behind.
Find more information about swimming in Cape Town... click here