IN BRIEF:

What: Crayfish Diving in Cape Town.

When: 15th Nov to 15th April.

Where: Mainly Cape Point Nature Reserve, but also near Kommetjie, and near Boulders Beach. Here is a map showing popular southern Cape Peninsula crayfish dive sites.

Cost: Nothing, if you have your own equipment.

License: R79 for a season.

Equipment Hire: Orca in Claremont (tel. +27 21 671 9673)

Contact: Telephone: +27 82 820 0521 for guided crayfish dive trips to Cape Point on weekends. R280 for a day outing.

Rules/quotas for West Coast Rock Lobsters remain unchanged from previous years. See THIS PRESS RELEASE.

Diving for and catching a crayfish (otherwise known as lobster) in Cape Town isn’t that hard, but it’s not the simplest thing to learn either if you have no idea where to start.

So here’s is a quick summary plus an offer of accompanied diving outings from Cape Town Crayfish Catchers, to teach any eager people who want to learn how the easy way.

Cape Point - Great for Crayfish Diving

 
In a nutshell:

• The crayfish season usually starts sometime in November and ends around mid-April.
• You are not allowed to catch crayfish with scuba gear, only snorkelling.
• You should be comfortable with basic snorkelling before attempting to dive for crayfish.
• You need a crayfish diving permit or license. Get your permit from a Post Office. Phone them first to check if they actually have the permits/licenses. When I went to get a permit this year, sea fisheries or whomever, hadn’t delivered the permits to the Post Offices. I had to try three or four Post Offices, until I found that Tokai had a permit. Apply for the West Coast Lobster on the permit.
• Equipment
  • Wetsuits: You need a 5mm long john and 5mm top with hood and gloves. Booties are advisable although I go without. Yep, I’m tough (Or just stupid).
  • Weight Belt
  • Fins
  • Mask and Snorkel
  • Special bag to put the crayfish in
  • Crayfish sizer

  All the equipment can be hired from Orca in Claremont (tel. +27 21 671 9673). They are not expensive.

• Get some seasickness tablets (bought over the counter at any pharmacy). Yep, I find that sometimes if the sea is rough and the kelp is in my face, I do get queasy. It’s not a big deal, but why spoil the fun?
• Where to dive.
  • Places around Cape Point (entry fee into Cape Point is around R70. Wild Cards don’t count if you’re going diving). Some areas are sanctuaries and reserves and others aren’t.
  • Kommetjie.
  • Various other places on the coast.
• Doing the actual dive.
• There is an art to deciding where to launch. It is tricky and challenging.
• Update your license/permit before you do your dive. Fill in where you are and the time.
• You usually dive amongst kelp. It doesn’t hinder or trap you at all. It is actually very smooth and just slides off you.
• Swim out to the selected spot.
• Snorkel around and then have a go at diving down to the bottom. The easiest way to get to the sea bed is to haul yourself down using a kelp strand. It is by far the most energy efficient way.
• You have to look really carfully and slowly into deep rocky crevices to spot the crayfish. Normally you see their feelers.
• When approaching one, realise that you will have to grab it about 20 times faster than you are imagining now. They are incredibly fast.
• Don’t try and grab their feelers or limbs. The only way to get one is to grab its back or body really fast and firmly.
• When surfacing, look up above you and choose a gap in the kelp to swim through.
• Surface and measure the crayfish. If it’s too small, you HAVE to throw it back.
• On completion of the dive, update your permit/license again. Fill in the time and number of crayfish/lobster you caught
• Don’t go alone, and have someone with experience show you the ropes. You need to know how to judge the weather, the wind, the tide, the currents, the entry and exit points. It can be daunting and dangerous if you don’t know what you are doing.
• Crayfish Diving Outings: If you are keen, but have no one to show you where to go, call +27 82 820 0521 for guided crayfish dive outings. It’s R280 for a day’s outing. You bring your own kit (hired from Orca if you need to). Cape Town Crayfish Catchers go out on Saturdays or Sundays weather permitting leaving from Claremont. You can catch a ride with them (if you call in time as there is limited space in their car).
• Cooking the crayfish. I’ll leave that as a post for another day. Suffice to say, try and at least catch one first before thinking about cooking it!