WATCH | Santa swapped his reindeer for a boat - and it didn't end well

When Santa swapped his reindeer for a boat, he probably didn't expect this to happen.

Hilarious video footage of Santa Claus slipping and falling off a boat in Cape Town had social media in stitches after it went viral at the weekend.

St Nick was travelling on board a National Sea Rescue Institute boat as it pulled up to a beach. The jolly old man from the North Pole can be seen greeting the waiting onlookers with his customary "ho, ho, ho!" before attempting to disembark from the boat.

That's when it all went wrong as his "ho ho ho" soon turned into "whoooooa!" as he slipped on the boat's bow, sending him tumbling into the shallow waters.

Santa quickly rebounded as the crew and onlookers chuckled merrily.