Boulders Beach | Beautiful but watch out for kleptomanic penguins
Boulders Beach is situated in Simonstown, in the deep south of the peninsula. It is a stunning beach on the Indian Ocean, so it sports an extra couple of degrees which makes swimming bearable. It is also one of the last breeding grounds of the African Penguin.
The penguins haven’t always lived there. When I was a child there were no penguins cruising the beaches. About 25 years ago they seemed to decide that this was the ‘in spot’ and slowly but surely the population has grown to about 3000 birds.
They picked a good spot, Boulders is one of the most beautiful beaches on the Cape Peninsula. It is sheltered from the South Easter and incredibly protected by huge boulders (hence its name). It is the ideal spot for toddlers to have their first encounter with the ocean as the water is always calm, it is perfectly safe to splash around, provided you don’t mind the penguins…just leave them alone and they will leave you alone. If you mess with them you risk a serious injury… they have very sharp beaks.
If you decide to spend the day at the beach, watch out - the penguins are fantastic kleptomaniacs… always on the lookout for things to do up their nests… they love to do off with straw-hats, sun-glasses, buckets, you name it… clearly on a mission to keep up with the Jones’s. So be warned - guard your goodies.
The only snag with Boulders beach, is that when the tide is high… there is no beach… so if it’s a day at the beach you’re looking for its best to check out tide times before you head off.
The penguins can also be viewed from boardwalks that take visitors right up to them. So if it’s penguins you’re looking for, the tide plays no part – they are there 24/7.
They are also known as Jackass penguins because of the braying sound they make like a donkey. They are truly delightful little creatures and well worth the effort. It is wonderful to see them up close and strutting their stuff.
The African Penguin is listed as ‘vulnerable’ – there has been a rapid decline in the 
overall population, the reasons being reduction in the food supply due to commercial fishing, egg harvesting, guano harvesting and oil pollution.
For a delightful children’s book, written in rhyme, about the penguins go to www.africanpenguin.co.za and get ‘Peter, Pamela and Percy in the Big Spill’. It is the true story of Treasure oil spill (June 2000), the enormous clean-up operation and 3 rescued penguins who were shipped by truck (with 20 000 other penguins) to Port Elizabeth and swam back to Cape Town with tracking devices. The book has photographs of Boulders Beach, the penguins, the aquarium, Table Mountain and really fun graphics.
Enjoy the penguins and don’t forget your sunblock!
