This is processed Underway Conductivity, Temperature, Depth (UCTD) data from the Winter Shakedown Cruise on SA Agulhas II, Voyage 003, 9 July to 6 August, 2012. The cruise started in Cape Town and went down to the GoodHope Line then up to the Prince Edward Islands, on to Port Elizabeth and then back to Cape Town. After the arrival of SA Agulhas II back to South Africa, an inaugural Southern Ocean cruise was undertaken, which included a multidisciplinary program to measure oceanographic and biological parameters that characterise the state of the Southern Ocean in the region of interest to South Africa, along with the ecosystem properties of the major gyres, frontal systems and shelf and plateau areas. Additionally, land-based research on marine mammals and seabirds was undertaken at South Africa’s Prince Edward Islands (PEIs). The aim of the cruise was to test the research vessels capability and its equipment and to increase our understanding with regard to the influences of oceanographic conditions (specifically eddies) and topography on foraging by top predators breeding at the PEIs. It seems possible that the ecosystem of the PEIs benefits substantially from its location downstream of an eddy corridor originating at the South-West Indian Ocean Ridge. This dataset was processed using older standards which may not align with international best practices and the standards currently adhered to by the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE). The Department is re-processing and replacing data to ensure everything has the same format and is of the same quality and datasets will be marked as obsoleted once that is done. As such the user assumes the entire risk related to the use of these data in its current state and format. DFFE disclaims all warranties of the data whether expressed or implied, including without limitation, any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. For any concerns regarding the data, the user may decide to liaise with the listed PIs who will share their insight on the data quality, where possible. It is also strongly recommended that the user liaises with the listed PIs regarding their proposed projects to mitigate against duplication of research efforts.