Paternoster sits on the stretch of coastline that gives West Coast rock lobster its name. For a handful of designated days each summer the bay fills with people in wetsuits working the reefs with ring nets, and for the rest of the season the kreef arrives on plates instead. Both are worth planning a trip around, and both come with rules that catch first timers out.
This guide covers when the recreational season opens, what you need before you get in the water, the limits that apply, and where to eat crayfish in Paternoster if you would rather someone else did the diving.
What West Coast rock lobster is, and why everyone calls it kreef
West Coast rock lobster, Jasus lalandii, lives in the cold, nutrient rich water of the Benguela current that runs up South Africa’s western seaboard. It is a spiny lobster rather than a clawed one, so there are no big front pincers. The meat is in the tail and the legs, and it is sweeter and firmer than warm water lobster because the animal grows slowly in cold water.
In Afrikaans it is kreef, and along this coast that is simply what it is called, in English conversation as often as not. If you have seen “kreef seisoen” on a chalkboard outside a Paternoster restaurant, that is crayfish season.
That slow growth is also why the season is so tightly regulated. The stock has been under pressure for years, and the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment now opens the recreational fishery for a small number of specific days rather than a continuous season.
Crayfish season 2026/27 dates
The recreational West Coast rock lobster season is not a fixed block of months. Each year the Minister announces a limited set of designated fishing days, and you may only catch crayfish on those days. Dates are usually published shortly before the season begins, and the 2026/27 dates had not been announced at the time of writing.
For a sense of what to expect, the 2025/26 season ran across twelve designated days spread between December and March:
| Month | Designated fishing days in the 2025/26 season |
|---|---|
| December 2025 | 20, 21, 27 and 28 |
| January 2026 | 3, 4, 24, 25 and 31 |
| February 2026 | 1 |
| March 2026 | 21 and 22 |
On an open day, fishing runs from 08:00 to 16:00 and your catch must be landed by 16:00. Outside those hours, and on any day not on the list, taking crayfish is illegal regardless of whether you hold a permit.
How the dates are chosen
The days are not picked at random. The Department sets them on a science based stock assessment and then works around three practical constraints: the animal’s breeding cycle, the tides, and the calendar.
- Breeding season. Days are chosen to avoid the period when females are carrying eggs, so that the stock has the best chance of recovering.
- Low tide timing. Crayfish are caught in shallow water on this coast, and a spring low around the middle of the day makes the reefs both more productive and considerably safer to work.
- Weekends and public holidays. Recreational fishing is something most people do on days off, so the designated days cluster around weekends and the December holiday period.
That combination is why the season tends to open just before Christmas and run in short bursts through to the end of March.
Permits: who needs one and where to get it
Anyone aged twelve and over needs a valid recreational West Coast rock lobster permit before entering the water. The permit covers the whole season rather than a single day, so you buy it once and use it across every designated date.
Permits are available from selected South African Post Office branches and online through the Department’s e-permit portal at fishing.dffe.gov.za. Buy early. Post Office queues in the week before the season opens are exactly what you would expect, and the online system has had its share of pressure at the same moment.
Carry the permit with you when you fish. Fishery control officers work this stretch of coast during open days and they do check.
Bag limits, size limits and the rules people get caught on
The limits are strict and they are enforced. These are the ones that matter:
- Four crayfish per person per day. This is a daily limit on each designated day, not a season total.
- A minimum size of 80 mm carapace length, measured along the shell rather than along the tail. Carry a measuring gauge and check every animal in the water before you keep it.
- A maximum of twenty crayfish per vehicle or boat per day, regardless of how many permit holders are aboard.
- Crayfish caught on a recreational permit may never be sold. Not to a restaurant, not to a neighbour, not at all.
- Only traditional methods are allowed: ring nets, scoop nets, or catching by hand while snorkelling. Scuba gear is not permitted for recreational rock lobster.
The two that catch people out most often are the carapace measurement and the per vehicle limit. Measuring along the tail instead of the shell will give you a number that looks legal and is not, and a family of four who each take their full bag will hit the vehicle limit long before they think they have.
Where to dive and net near Paternoster
Paternoster is well placed for this. The reefs run right along the bay, and the rocky shoreline north of the village towards Cape Columbine Nature Reserve holds crayfish in water shallow enough to work with a ring net from the rocks or a short snorkel from the shore.
Two things deserve respect. The water is cold, genuinely cold, and a five millimetre wetsuit is the minimum most people are comfortable in. And the swell on this coast builds quickly, so a bay that looks manageable at eight in the morning can be unworkable by ten.
- Never dive alone, and tell someone at the hotel where you are going and when you expect to be back.
- Use a dive flag or a surface buoy. Boat traffic on open days is heavier than usual.
- Check the swell and wind forecast the night before, not on the morning.
- Work an incoming tide where you can, and get out well before the swell picks up.
Not diving? Where to eat crayfish in Paternoster
Most visitors experience kreef the civilised way, which is to say cooked by somebody else and served with a view of the water. Paternoster does this better than almost anywhere in the country, because the distance between the reef and the kitchen is measured in minutes.
At Abalone Hotel & Villas, crayfish appears at Blues Restaurant in season, prepared simply enough to let the meat do the work. The Oyster Lounge next door is the more relaxed option: oysters, sushi, tapas and champagne, with the ocean directly in front of you.
The village itself has a strong and slightly eccentric restaurant scene, and it is worth eating out at least once beyond the hotel while you are here.
How to cook crayfish, if you caught your own
The single biggest mistake with crayfish is cooking it for too long. The meat goes from sweet and firm to rubbery in about ninety seconds, and no amount of butter recovers it.
On the braai
Split the crayfish lengthways through the head and tail, clean out the head cavity, and brush the exposed flesh with garlic butter. Braai flesh side down over medium coals for roughly four minutes, then turn onto the shell for another three to four, basting as you go. It is done when the flesh turns opaque and pulls away from the shell.
Grilled thermidor
The South African festive classic. Poach or braai the crayfish first, lift the tail meat out, chop it, fold it through a mustard and cream sauce with a little white wine, spoon it back into the shell, top with grated cheese and grill until it colours. Rich, old fashioned and very hard to argue with.
Poached, simply
Bring well salted water to a rolling boil, drop the crayfish in, and cook for around eight to ten minutes for an average sized animal. Lift it straight into iced water to stop the cooking. Serve with lemon, melted butter and nothing else.
Plan a stay around crayfish season
The designated days fall on weekends and over the December holidays, which is also when Paternoster is at its busiest. Accommodation on the open days books out early, and the village has a finite number of beds.
Abalone Hotel & Villas sits on the beach at Bek Bay, a short walk from the water and a few minutes from the Cape Columbine reefs. Ocean view suites, self catering beach villas and a penthouse apartment sit alongside the spa, two pools and the restaurant, which is a useful combination when half the party wants to be in a wetsuit at eight in the morning and the other half does not.
Rooms over the December open days go early. See the current offers and book directly before the season dates are announced, because that is when the phone starts ringing.
If this is a first visit to the village, the complete Paternoster guide covers what else to do while you are here, month by month.
Frequently asked questions
When does crayfish season open in South Africa?
The recreational West Coast rock lobster season runs on a set of designated days announced each year by the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, usually starting in December and running through to March. The 2026/27 dates are listed in the table above and are updated as soon as they are published.
Do I need a permit to catch crayfish?
Yes. Anyone aged twelve and over needs a valid recreational West Coast rock lobster permit, available from selected South African Post Office branches or online through the Department’s e-permit portal. The permit covers the full season rather than a single day, and you must carry it with you while fishing.
How many crayfish can I catch per day?
Four per permit holder per day, with a maximum of twenty per vehicle or boat per day regardless of how many permit holders are present.
What is the minimum legal size for West Coast rock lobster?
Eighty millimetres carapace length, measured along the shell and not along the tail. Anything smaller must go back.
Can I sell the crayfish I catch?
No. Crayfish taken on a recreational permit may not be sold under any circumstances.
Where can I eat crayfish in Paternoster?
Blues Restaurant at Abalone Hotel & Villas serves crayfish in season, and the village has several excellent seafood restaurants within walking distance of the beach. Book ahead over the December period.