El Libre

El Libre is a Ballistic 650 rigid inflatable: 6.5 metres on a 150hp Suzuki, based at Simon's Town. She is quick, she is wet, and she gets seven people onto the False Bay reefs faster than anything else we run.

What she carries

Seven guests plus skipper. A RIB carries people differently to the bigger boats: you sit on the tubes or on jockey seats, you feel the water, and you arrive having had a ride rather than a cruise. Some people book her precisely for that. Others should book El Capitan.

Where she is allowed to go

Category D, registration DTC 16628. Up to 5 nautical miles from shore, daylight hours only.

That is a real constraint and worth understanding before you book. El Libre does not do evening returns, night fishing, or the long run to Cape Point. What she does is work the inshore reefs of False Bay hard, within five miles of the coast, and be back before the light goes.

What she is used for

• Bottom and reef fishing: inshore structured ground for kob, kingklip, steenbras and other reef species
• Spear fishing: a fast, low-freeboard platform that divers can get in and out of easily
• Self-drive hire: she is one of the boats we rent to licensed skippers. See rentals

Reef and spear charters are enquiry-only. They turn on swell, water clarity and permits, so we price them per date rather than off a fixed rate. Send us the date and group size.

What you need

For reef days: a valid recreational fishing licence, closed-toe shoes, and sea-sickness tablets an hour before departure. A RIB is a livelier ride than the bigger boats, so take them even if you normally would not.

For spear days: your own gun and dive licence are mandatory, plus a valid recreational spear-fishing permit. We provide the spotter, surface support, dive flag and ice.

Simon's Town

We work out of Simon's Town on the False Bay side, which is the sheltered coast: generally calmer than the Atlantic seaboard, and about eleven nautical miles from Cape Point. Boulders Beach and its penguin colony are minutes away, and Seal Island sits out in the bay.

Booking her

Skipper, fuel and safety equipment included. Rods and tackle are aboard and included on fishing days. Weather cancellations are refunded in full or moved, your choice.