Those penguins sure are cute!!! And I found the whole set-up at Boulders to be substantially improved since I was last there (in 2000), now that it falls under the SANParks umbrella.
I was perhaps fortunate in that I missed the first turnoff (Seaforth Road), which is where all the tour groups go. That entrance has two boardwalks that lead down to viewpoints over Foxy Beach. I did go there later, but I first went to the Bellevue Road entrance, which is the entrance for the actual Boulders Beach and seemed to be where all the locals go. There is a small swimming beach, surrounded by impressive boulders, and several private homes right above the beach.
The penguins climb about and sun themselves on the rocks and often swim amongst the people. They are clearly used to all the human activity and don't seem at all bothered by being in such close proximity to people in and out of the water.
I couldn't resist this rock that to me looks like a seal
It was such fun to watch both the people and the penguins that I stayed far longer that I'd expected to, waded a bit (the water was
freezing!!, tho plenty of people were swimming), and found a great perch atop a rock.
Later I enjoyed the antics of the penguins in a breeding area between the Bellevue Road car park and the park's entrance — it's easy to see why they are called "Jackass Penguins" as they really do "bray", apparently part of the courtship behavior — and eventually found the Seaforth Road entrance, where a system of boardwalks leads to two viewing platforms and keeps visitors and penguins apart. This was a quite different viewing experience, but interesting to watch "waves" of penguins emerge from the water and make their way up the beach.
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