Whales arrive with a big splash
2010-08-04The annual migration of southern right whales to the coast of South Africa literally created a big splash. In Table Bay a breaching southern right whale landed on a 10-meter sailing boat in July 2010. The freak accident was captured from a nearby boat and made international headlines. The sailors and the marine giant where unharmed and the steel vessels on suffered minor damage.
The collision with the gentle giant was a chance accident as whales have very bad eyesight and the whale probably wasn’t aware of the boat. However at this time of year the southern right whale is common sight in the waters of the Western Cape. These magnificent creatures from the open ocean grace South African coast from June to November as migrate from Antarctica to mate and calve.
Whale Season in the Western Cape
The annual return of the whales draws many tourists into South Africa and the Western Cape. Foreigners and locals alike stand on the shore and are stunned by the grace and gentle beauty of the highly intelligent mammals. The whales can easily be spotted from the shore as they come as close as 20m to the dry land. South Africa and Walker Bay especially has the best land-based whale viewing in the world. The 14 metre and 60 ton giants can be spotted all along the coast of Walker Bay, False Bay and along the Atlantic side of Cape Town up to the West Coast.
Hermanus Whale Festival
Hermanus is arguably the very best spot for land-based whale viewing. You won’t even need binoculars and the right whales swim so close to the shore you can almost touch them. Hermanus is also the only town with a whale crier, who announces the latest whale sightings. A coastal path along the rocky shore allows for a bird’s eye view of these impressive animals.
The influx of the large marine mammals is celebrated from 24-28 September 2010 at the Hermanus Whale Festival. The whole town starts buzzing as foreigners and South African come not only to see the whales but also to enjoy live music, a vintage car show, markets and the only Enviro-Arts festival.
Whale Behaviour
During the South African Whale season the right whales display some impressive behaviour. Not only will see couples of mothers and calves, but the whales launching themselves out of the water allows you to fully appreciate their size and grace. The southern right whale has some behavioural patterns that can easily be observed from the shore:
- Breaching: The whale launches himself out of the water slapping his back onto the water surface. This could be a means of communication or a strategy to remove parasites from the whale’s skin.
- Spy hopping: The whale lifts its head out of the water exposing its body as far as the flipper. This allows the whale to observe his surroundings beyond the water surface.
- Lobtailing: The whale slams his fluke onto the surface, creating a loud noise that is probably used to communicate.
- Sailing: The whale lifts its flippers out of the water with its head resting in the water.
- Blowing: The whale blasts air out of his blowhole creating a loud sound and a cloud of mist.
