Whale Watching

Lobtailing

My parents spotted their first whale of the season on Monday!

 

South Africa is one of the best destinations worldwide for watching marine mammals, whether from land or from boats, with spectacular annual visits from southern right, humpback, Bryde's and killer whales and enormous pods of dolphins year-round.  The Whale Route starts along the south of Cape Town and extends to Durban - that's 1,200+ miles of whale watching coastline. The route traverses several famous protected areas, including the Garden Route, Tsitsikamma National Park, and the Transkei.

Whales come incredibly close to the shore, making for spectacular land-based whale watching

Every year, southern right whales migrate from their icy feeding grounds off Antarctica to warmer climates, reaching South Africa in June. The country's coastal waters teem with the giant animals, mating, calving and rearing their young - and giving whale-watchers spectacular displays of raw power and elegant water acrobatics.

A southern right breaching

The southern right's breeding ground is the sheltered bays of the Western Cape coast, with the majestic animals spending up to five months a year here.  They pass their time playing, courting, and nursing their newborn calves, providing spectacular land-based viewing.


A southern right whale with a calf

The best time for watching the southern right whale in South African waters is from June to November along the Cape south coast, although some will already be as far north as KwaZulu-Natal.  Peak calving season is July and August, but whales can be seen through September and October.

In Cape Town, you can see them from the road along the False Bay coast, and they're distinctly visible on the western seaboard if you get high enough.  The town of Hermanus in Walker Bay on the Cape south coast offers possibly the best land-based whale watching in the world.  The animals can be clearly seen from a scenic cliff-top walk, and the town holds a whale-watching festival every September.

The annual Hermanus Whale Festival

Whales can also be seen all around the Cape Peninsula and along the south coast to Cape Agulhas, the southernmost tip of Africa. Agulhas is particularly rewarding, with great views of southern right cows and calves at play - up to 50 pairs at a time.

A pod of orcas (killer whales)

Hermanus claims to be the whale capital of the world, but so does Plettenberg Bay - further east, on the Western Cape Garden Route.  Southern rights visit the bay from about June to November, and migratory humpback whales can also be briefly seen from May and June and then, on their return trip, from about November to January.  Bryde's whales and orcas are occasionally seen, and bottlenose and humpback dolphins are in residence all year.  A breeding colony of Cape fur seals completes Plettenberg Bay's impressive array of marine mammals.

Bryde's whale having lunch

It is in Plett that the dolphin and whale-watching industry is most organised, with trips in boats, kayaks and aircraft on offer.  Viewing, distances and time spent with each animal are strictly monitored so that there is minimal interference.  South Africa retains its position as the fifth fastest growing whale-watching destination in the world.  Only 16 boat-based whale watching permits have been issued countrywide to ensure regulation of the industry and minimum intrusion on the whales who come to the warmer waters of the south to mate.  If you're feeling a bit more adventurous, you could paddle out in a sea kayak and the whales or dolphins may surface near you - they often do.

Whales tend to show off in the following manner:

• Blowing: A sound made when expelling air through the blowhole.  This is accompanied by a spout of condensed water vapour and is the normal breathing pattern of the animal.
• Breaching: Leaping out of water in an arching back flip and falling back on their sides or back with a resounding slap.  This is believed to be a way of communication, exercise or possibly to scratch off the parasites that live on whales. They can breach from 3 to 8 times in succession.
• Lobtailing: The slapping of flukes and tail on the water, causing a loud sound.  This appears to be a means of communication.
• Spyhopping: The head and body are lifted vertically, as far as the flippers, above the surface. This enables them to see what is happening around them above water.

A humpback whale spyhopping

We're not likely to see any whales due to the time of year we'll be in South Africa, so I've tasked my parents with taking as many photos as they can for us!