Snorkelling with seahorses in Knysna

Snorkel with Knysna seahorse, Garden Route.

© Chris Marais

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When you go snorkelling with seahorses in Knysna, you'll be privileged to meet the endangered Knysna seahorse. Endemic to South Africa, they are only found in certain estuaries along South Africa's southern coastline.

Be prepared to fall in love. These greenish-brown little creatures only about 12cm long are the stuff of fairy tales. With the head of a horse, the prehensile tail of a monkey and eyes that swivel like a chameleon's, you'll be hard put to resist their charms.

It's the male seahorse that gives birth. He has a kangaroo-like pouch where the female lays her eggs. When the babies are ready to hatch, they pop out the pouch and into the water.

Knysna, South Africa's most popular coastal town, is the place to find these seahorses, and when you travel along the Garden Route, take this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to come face-to-face with one of the world's most fascinating marine creatures. If you're lucky, you may witness a courtship dance, or even see Dad give birth.

An experienced diver will take you at high tide to the places where you can safely encounter these little creatures. As they are endangered and protected by law, great care is taken not to disturb their natural habitat on the sandy floor, where they congregate round clumps of plants.

There's other abundant marine life in the waters of Knysna. The southern right whale comes to breed in these waters between August and December, and you'll get great views all along the Garden Route. If you visit the nearby Robberg peninsula, home to a colony of fur seals, you may well see dolphins leaping the waves in pods of up to a 100 strong.