Overview

Seal Island is a small land mass located 5.7 kilometres (3.5 miles) off the northern beaches of False Bay, near Cape Town in South Africa. The island is so named because of the great number of Cape fur seals that occupy it. It is 5 acres (2.0 hectares) in area and home to 64,000 cape fur seals. It is also home to seabirds, and it is likely that non-marine species fly there to breed as well . The island is an outcrop of the Cape granite, and rises no more than about 4 to 6 metres (13 to 20 feet) above the high tide mark. The island is long and narrow – 800 by 50 metres (2,620 by 160 feet). There is no vegetation, soil of any significance, or beach.