Times have since changed and today Hout Bay has taken its rightful place as a premier tourist destination, welcoming tens of thousands of visitors a day in season. In no small way, this has been due to the vision and efforts of Stanley Dorman, a fourth generation local of Hout Bay. Virtually single-handedly, after a decade of travel and research to ports of call around the world, he designed and built Mariner's Wharf, Africa's first harbourfront emporium, which opened in 1984.

Thanks to his initiative, Hout Bay's fascinating history with the sea has therefore been preserved for posterity and with thousands of maritime artifacts worked into its décor, is a remarkable showcase of the area and its history. Do not miss the incredible Fish Market, the Restaurants, and the myriad of Shops making-up the largest collection of marine artifacts, souvenirs and antiques under one roof anywhere in the Southern Hemisphere.