Speed, wildlife, adrenaline, nature at it’s finest: all courtesy of a Waterfront Charters RIB adventure!
The Waterfront Charters range of vessels allows us to approach cruising in the Atlantic from a wide variety of perspectives. Some guests like to ease into the luxurious catamaran lifestyle, while others prefer the more technical aspects of sailing. We have another great alternative available too: for the adrenaline seekers and the wildlife buffs, we have two really suitable speedboats, just waiting for their outboards to be fired up.
Not just any speedboats, either. Both are RIBS, which is the obvious acronym for Rigid Inflatable Boats; boats that have rigid hulls with inflatable sides, which make them ideal for sea-conditions. They are the choice of marines, divers and ecologists worldwide, and whilst we don’t use them to land commandos, we do utilise all their advantages to give our guests exceptional experiences. With twin 200 hp Yamaha outboards, both Spectre (at 8.2 metres) and Jet Boat (at 7.8 metres) are capable of speeds up to 40 knots. That’s close to 75 kilometres per hour in landlubber terms and believe us – when your rear end is that close to the water, 40 knots is immensely exciting. The rigid hulls make the boats incredibly manoeuvrable too, and they can twist and turn in perfect safety, carving up the Atlantic in a welter of spray.
But it’s not only the speed aspect that Waterfront Charters love to utilise. As mentioned above, ecologists and other lovers of the oceans use RIBS extensively, as they are so adaptable. We market Ocean Safaris aboard both Spectre and Jet Boat because they are ideal for getting up close and personal with the denizens of the ocean. The outboards don’t only roar – they purr gently when needed, and our skippers are highly sensitive to respecting the fact that we are only visitors; the amazing array of sea creatures live their lives in and on the ocean, and we don’t want to upset the equilibrium. Particularly when the Southern Right whales grace our waters, we are absolutely committed to ensuring that all viewing regulations are complied with.
Having said that, there is one-speed boat experience that we can highly recommend: if you can swim, join us for the adventure of a lifetime and snorkel with the seals off Oudekraal. We take you there aboard our speedboats, and you suit up and dive in. There these beautiful, sleek, slightly furry creatures perform the most amazing displays of underwater acrobatics, and they are perfectly happy for you to join in. They are inquisitive, friendly and cute to boot, and a half hour’s snorkelling in their backyard leaves each guest with incredible memories. Waterfront Charters provide all the equipment, so you don’t have to be a regular diver. If you are comfortable in the water, we’ll keep you warm with a wetsuit and give you underwater vision with a mask and snorkel. And hot chocolate afterwards, to push out any residual Atlantic chill.
