Plan your charter
Explore trips, destinations, weather, and your booking account.
Our story · Cape Town, South Africa
More than a boat ride.
A love letter to the sea.
Hey Charlie Charters was born from a simple belief — that the best view of Cape Town is the one from the water, and that everyone deserves a day on the Atlantic they'll be telling stories about for years.
- Years on the Cape coast
- 15+
- Signature experiences
- 6
- Of Peninsula coastline
- 360°
- Crew that treats you like family
- 1
Years on the Cape coast
Signature experiences
Of Peninsula coastline
Crew that treats you like family
Where it began
Born on the Atlantic
“Hey Charlie” is the name of the boat — and a nod to the easy, open-armed spirit we wanted every charter to carry. What you're really booking, though, isn't a boat. It's a feeling: the moment Cape Town drops behind you, the engines settle, and the Atlantic opens up in every direction.
.jpeg&w=3840&q=75&dpl=dpl_2UjkvHuLcRRuemjASqgTmkgUU1Lp)
The long way round
Behind the wheel is skipper Gareth Bew, who has spent over fifteen years reading this coast in every mood it has — flat calm dawns, a south-easter that turns Table Bay to corduroy, the long Atlantic swell that rolls in past Robben Island. None of that came from a textbook. It came from showing up, season after season, until the water stopped being a place he visited and became a place he understood.
What started as a personal obsession — being out at every chance, learning the reefs, the fishing grounds and the rhythms of the Peninsula — slowly turned into something bigger. Friends wanted to come along. Then friends of friends. Then visitors who'd only ever seen Cape Town from a cable car or a café table, and walked off the boat changed by it. The same thing happened every single time: people arrived as passengers and left as part of the story.
That's when it stopped being a hobby. We realised that too many people see this city from the land and never meet its second, wilder face — the one you can only reach from the swell. So we built Hey Charlie Charters around a single, stubborn promise: a genuinely local day on the water, run by people who love it, for people who'll remember it. No scripts. No conveyor belt. Just the Atlantic, a good crew, and time well spent.
“We don't want to give you a tour. We want to give you a day you'll still be telling people about in ten years.”
Where we are today
Today, Hey Charlie Charters runs the full sweep of the Cape Peninsula from our home at the V&A Waterfront, Cape Town. Sundowner cruises along the Atlantic Seaboard. Whale and wildlife watching in season. Deep-sea fishing over grounds we know by heart. Crayfish diving in the kelp. Private charters built around birthdays, proposals and the kind of family days that end up framed on a wall. One boat, one tight crew, and a coastline most people only ever dream about.
We've deliberately stayed small. It would be easy to pack more people on, run more trips, shave more corners — and lose the exact thing that makes a day with us feel different. Instead we've doubled down: better briefings, better gear, better local knowledge, and the kind of welcome that makes a first-time guest feel like a regular before the lines are even off.
Where we're going
We're not interested in becoming the biggest charter operation on the Cape — we want to be the one people remember. The road ahead is about depth, not just numbers: new routes and experiences along the Peninsula, a steadily growing crew of skippers and guides who share our standards, and an even sharper focus on running the cleanest, safest, most responsible operation on the water.
The ocean has given us everything — a livelihood, a life, a front-row seat to the most beautiful coastline in the world. As we grow, our commitment is to give back to it: fishing within the rules, diving sustainably, keeping a respectful distance from wildlife, and protecting this coast so the next generation gets to fall for it the same way we did.
💛
Our promise to you
From the first message to the last wave goodbye, you are the whole point. Everything we do is built around making your time on the water effortless, personal and worth every minute.
- ●A real person who answers your questions and helps you choose the right trip — not a booking robot.
- ●Honest advice on timing, weather and what you'll actually see, even when that means telling you to wait for a better day.
- ●Your pace, your day — whether that's chasing fish hard or simply drifting with a drink in hand.
- ●Small groups and a warm welcome, so you're a guest with a name, never a number on a ticket.
- ●A fair, transparent weather policy — your safety and your experience always come before a departure slot.
⚓
The standards we hold
A great day out is built on the things you never have to think about. We sweat the details so the only thing on your mind is the view.
- ●A qualified, experienced skipper on every charter — and a full safety briefing before we cast off.
- ●Well-maintained vessel and equipment, checked and prepped before every single trip.
- ●Life jackets for everyone aboard and safety kit that meets the conditions of the day.
- ●Constant reading of sea, swell and weather — we'd rather reschedule than push our luck.
- ●Responsible, by-the-book operation: licensed, compliant, and respectful of the ocean and its wildlife.
What we do
Six ways to fall for the Cape coast
Every charter departs from the V&A Waterfront and heads out along the Atlantic Seaboard and around the Peninsula. Pick your adventure — or let us design one.
🌅
Sundowner Cruises
Glide along the Atlantic Seaboard as Table Mountain turns gold and the sun drops into the sea. Drink in hand, salt on the air, the city glittering behind you.
🐋
Whale & Wildlife Watching
In season we follow the giants — Southern Right and Humpback whales, playful dolphins, Cape fur seals and seabirds wheeling over the swell. Nature on nature's terms.
🎣
Deep-Sea Fishing
We know the reefs, the drop-offs and the fishing grounds off the Peninsula. Tuna, yellowtail, snoek and game fish — bait, tackle and know-how all aboard.
🦞
Crayfish Diving
A true Cape experience. We run you out to the kelp forests and clear coves where West Coast rock lobster hide, and bring you back with a story and a catch.
🥂
Private Charters
Birthdays, proposals, corporate days or a family on holiday — the boat is yours. Tell us the day you're dreaming of and we'll build the route around it.
⚓
Cape Point & Coastal Runs
From Clifton's bays to the dramatic cliffs of Cape Point, we cover the whole Peninsula — drop-offs, scenic cruises and the routes you can't see from land.
How we do it
The things that make a day unforgettable
Anyone can run a boat from A to B. The magic is in everything around it — and these are the things we never cut corners on.
🧭
Local knowledge, earned the slow way
We didn't read about this coast — we grew up on it. Every cove, reef, current and shift in the weather is mapped in muscle memory. That's the difference between a boat ride and a day you remember.
🛟
Safety is the quiet priority
A thorough briefing before we cast off, well-maintained kit, life jackets for everyone and a skipper who reads the sea before it speaks. We watch the conditions so you can relax completely.
👥
Small crew, personal welcome
You're never a number on a ticket. We keep groups intimate, learn your names, and run the day at your pace — whether that's chasing fish or simply chasing the light.
🌊
Respect for the ocean that gives us everything
We fish responsibly, dive within the rules, keep our distance from wildlife and leave the water exactly as we found it. The Cape coast looks after us — we look after it right back.
The people behind the boat
A crew you'll be glad you met
Charters live or die on the people running them. Ours are Capetonians to the core — skippers, deckhands and dive crew who'd be out on this water on their day off anyway. They're calm in a swell, quick with a story, and quietly obsessed with giving you the best version of the day.
From the warm welcome on the dock to the last wave goodbye, you're in the hands of people who genuinely want you to fall for this coast the way they did.
Gareth Bew
Owner & Skipper
Run right, by the book
We operate from the V&A Waterfront, Cape Town with safety and compliance at the heart of everything we do — so the only thing you need to think about is the view.
- ✓SAMSA Certified Skipper
- ✓Fully Insured
- ✓NSRI Supporter
.jpeg&w=3840&q=75&dpl=dpl_2UjkvHuLcRRuemjASqgTmkgUU1Lp)
Come see Cape Town from our side of the rail
Whatever the occasion, we'll turn a few hours on the Atlantic into the highlight of your trip. Let's get you on the water.