South africa is one of the best destinations worldwide for watching whales and dolphins. Where to whale watch in south africa fodors travel guide. Off the coast of kaikoura lives a stable population of sperm whales. Minke whales continued to be caught and brought to the durban whaling station from 1968. Visit the whale alert program to learn more about national efforts. Southern right whales, humpback whales, orca and brydes whales can all be seen here between july and december. The migration of southern hemisphere humpback whales megaptera. Hermanus at the coast of south africa is one of the most popular whale watching hotspots worldwide. The south coast of south africas western cape, now known as the whale route, offers great whale watching by boat and from land. The practice of whaling in south africa gained momentum at the start of the 19th century and ended in 1975. Or download the news24 app here, to receive expertly curated travel.
The coming of the whales to the western capes southern coastline, also known as the cape whale coast, every year between june and november, not only creates a stir, but brings to our shores a large, intelligent and remarkable giant of the sea and the only mammal to have adapted to life in the open oceans. Whales can also be seen all around the cape peninsula and along the south coast to cape agulhas, the southernmost tip of africa. Southern right whale populations were already depleted well before the end of the 19th century, and in between the years 1909 and 1915 some 17 000 humpback whales were killed off the coasts of south africa, namibia, gabon and angola. Other great whale watching spots in the western cape include gansbaai and mossel bay to the east, as well as lamberts bay, elands bay, st helena and saldanha on the west coast. West coast district municipality po box 242, moorreesburg 7310 tel. Simple foot operated solution for pumping water in the galley.
The birding is spectacular with huge flocks of resident and migratory waders. South africa is one of the top 10 locations worldwide for whale watching, with exceptional land and boatbased whale viewing from cape town and the garden route to the wild coast, richards bay and st lucia make your way to south africas 2000km long whale coast for a privileged encounter with the largest mammals on earth. Whalewatching waters off the coast of southern africa run from false bay, south of cape town, up as far as st lucia in kwazulunatal on the east coast. South africa from above 6 unique journeys from cape town to drakensberg inc. Whale alert west coast was formed by the office of the national marine sanctuaries, conserve. Whale watching in mossel bay south africa travel blog. Pdf a suspended migration of humpback whales megaptera. Here are some of our favourite whale viewing places. From june to october and sometimes even until december, the coast from doringbaai on the west coast to storms river mouth in the tsitsikamma national park offers one of the worlds most spectacular vantage points for whalewatching.
It migrates annually from the antartic ocean to cape inshore waters in june and. Southern right whales are the main attraction for whale watchers in south africa from june to november. Whales and dolphins of south africa join a whale and dolphin watching tour with oceans africa whales and dolphins cetacea can be divided into two major groups or suborders. South africa undoubtedly has the best landbased viewings of these beautiful creatures frolicking in the water only metres away. South africa is wellknown as one of the best destinations worldwide for watching whales. Dolphin and whale watching, west coast south africaweskus.
Annual visits from southern right and humpback whales and the presence of enormous pods of dolphins all yearround provide amazing viewing opportunities both from land and from boats. An infographic for whale watching in south africa get all. Whales are swarming near south africa and no one knows why. Whale watching tours south africa best whale watching in. Whale watching in south africa will leave you in awe videos by ph september 12, 2017, 11. Humpback whale migration at the west coast of south africa.
Hotels, bed and breakfasts and self catering accommodation west coast. A suspended migration of humpback whales megaptera noveangliae on the west coast of south africa. Information accommodation on the west coast, south africa. Every year without fail, thousands of the worlds largest marine mammals are irresistibly drawn to their breeding grounds in the temperate and tropical waters of southern africa. Africanglobe 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 and humpback whales and enormous pods of dolphins yearround every year, southern right whales migrate from their icy feeding grounds off antarctica to warmer. Whale watching south africa humpbacks, southern rights.
The whale route starts along the south of cape town and extends to durban, 1,200 plus miles of whale watching coastline. Whale watching in the western cape south africa travel news. Dead whale closes popular south african beach amid shark. A guide to whale watching in south africa flight centre uk. South african whalewatching territory runs from doringbaai, far up the cape west coast, around the cape peninsula and as far up the east coast as st lucia, near the mozambique border. Hermanus whale watching best close encounters, purpose. Whale coast allsuite hotel, hermanus, south africa. Theres no better place than south africa to witness the seas most awesome creatures in action, and its topnotch restaurants, hotels, and culture round out the experience.
Whale watching in south africa is so popular that whales have joined the. Whale watching on the west coast saldanha bay travel. Whale watching in south africa home brand south africa. The whale route begins in cape town and follows the particularly pretty r44, also known as clarence drive, through the kogelberg biosphere reserve. If you are considering visiting the cape west coast region or have already booked your cape west coast accommodation, then you are probably keen to see what activities are available and what there is to do in the area.
Watch whale super pods larger than usual cause stir off sas west coast. You can download the full, legible version of the infographic as a pdf document for your personal. Acoustic evidence of antarctic blue whales feeding in the benguela. A south african beach popular with christmas holidaymakers has been closed until the carcass of a beached whale is removed amid concerns its blood may attract sharks, the city of. South african whalewatching territory runs from coast to coast, with the denser numbers of southern rights breeding in the sheltered bays of the western cape. Well over 100 000 whale watching enthusiasts arrive just in the little western cape. Guests staying at the whale coast allsuite hotel for 3 nights or longer gain the benefit of a complimentary shuttle that operates between the hotel and restaurants within the hermanus village. Great sightings can also be enjoyed around the cape peninsula and along the south coast to cape agulhas, which is a particularly rewarding spot for seeing southern. Best time for whale watching in south africa rhino africa. Antarctic blue whales discovered off the south african west coast. The route traverses several famous protected areas, including the garden route, tsitsikamma national park, and the transkei.
For more info on whale watching in mossel bay and south africa, see our newly published section here. More importantly, the west coast of mauritius is home to a resident population of sperm whales. On the cape west coast, excellent sightings of southern rights can be enjoyed all the way from strandfontein, to lamberts bay, elands bay, st helena, saldanha and ysterfontein, just north of cape town. The filming and photo shoot of the whales, dolphins and cape fur seals was made with the permission of the departmental affairs of south africa for educational purposes and the interest of. Pdf killer whales orcinus orca in angolan and gulf of.
Following the whale route, on south africas west coast and east coast, is the scenic way to see the whales, while meandering through small towns full of charm. Not strictly true, as the cape whale route stretches for over 900 kilometres, from doringbaai on the west coast, all the way to storms river mouth on the garden route. But this portion of the coastline, which includes the towns of kleinmond, hermanus. Click on the images below to download the front and back of the cape west coast route map brochure. Eastern cape province, south africa, says craig capehart, a scuba. First acoustic records of sympatric whale occurrence off the west coast of south africa. These are the best spots for whale watching in south af rica in the western cape cape west coast. The southern right whale is the most commonly spotted whale along the west coast, in the cool season between may and november.
By the mid1960s, south africa had depleted their population of fin whales, and subsequently those of sperm and sei whales, and had to resort to hunting the small and lessprofitable minke whale. Travel to hermanus to see right whales off the coast or upgrade your tour with an optional whalewatching cruise. The major causes of large whale entanglement in south africa are static fishing gear, especially the type. Each year southern right whales migrate from antarctica to calve in the sheltered bays of the coast of southern africa. The boat is licensed to carry 40 passengers but we restrict the loading to 25 passengers, this avoids overcrowding and passengers can move freely. There are horse trails, a fossil museum, boat trips on the berg river, some not particularly well organised whale watching, and some good hiking and day walks. You can download the full version of the infographic as a pdf document for your. At least 37 species of whales and dolphins can be found in the waters off south africa. If you want to go whalewatching, one of the best places right now is off the coast of south africa. It is a popular drive that easily rivals chapmans peak in cape town as one of the most scenic in the country views over false bay are incredible did you know. Despite mostly consisting of sand and cacti, the baja california is one of the best locations for whale watching in the whole world. Check out march is the offseason, but we can still find brydes whales in the bay. Selfpriming foot pump designed for easy installation and use.
Combine two of south africas top activities, whalewatching and winetasting, in a single 9hour tour from cape town. Watch 40ton whale leaps entirely out of water off the eastern. South african whale watching territory runs from doringbaai, far up the cape west coast, around the cape peninsula and as far up the east coast as st lucia, near the mozambique border. Download a free whale watching infographic brochure, showing the best times and areas to spot the whales in south africa click here to view. Seasonal occurrence and diel calling behaviour of antarctic blue. The whale route is in the overberg and is where some of. Map of the west and south coasts of south africa showing a the west coast rock lobster fishing grounds that. Unfortunately, the impact of whaling off the west coast of africa was particularly severe. Whale watching in south africa will leave you in awe. West coast accommodation south africa roomsforafrica. Whales and dolphins of south africa oceans africa diving. Whale watching waters off the coast of southern africa run from false bay, south of cape town, up as far as st lucia in kwazulunatal on the east coast. Come forth into the light of things, let nature be your teacher williamwordsworth 17701850 the southern right whale eubalaena australis is a regular visitor to the west coast.
Free undercover parking is provided at the whale coast allsuite hotel, and cape town international airport is a 65 mi drive away. Hermanus in the overberg has set itself a reputation for the best landbased whale watching in the country, their advantage being the scenic clifftop walk along the shoreline, which. South coast whale watching from whalewatching cruises to clifftop lookouts in scenic national parks, there are many ways to enjoy whale watching season on the beautiful nsw south coast. Africas top ten whale and dolphinwatching destinations. Along the cape whale coast the area between rooiels pringle bay and pearly beach. The island nation of mauritius is located approximately 1,200 miles 2,000 kilometers off the southeast coast of africa, and provides yet another excellent destination for witnessing the annual humpback whale migration. Explore our growing selection of things to do in cape west coast, or view the events that are taking place in the western cape during your stay. Whale s manual galley pumps are truly design classics. If you make it all the way south to chile, you have pretty good chances to meet the mighty blue whales around the. Between may and november, thousands of majestic humpback and southern right whales make their way along the coast in an incredible annual migration. A killer whale was harpooned some 1520 nm south of abidjan in 1958 but the animal sank. Courting pairs breach and lobtail or slap the water with their flippers while the mothers can be seen escourting their newly born calves around sheltered bays. Up to now the data from whaling stations represent the only information available on the west coast whales.
Since the 1960s these manual pumps have been designed, refined and manufactured by our skilled uk based workforce. The cape west coast is famous for its fishing villages and rugged coastline. They can be viewed from cliffs and beaches, while boat operators offer trips out to sea for close encounters. Observers on industrial tuna purseseiners reported a few sightings off the coast of liberia, ivory coast and ghana. Dyer island crusies also visits the 60,000 strong cape fur seal colony of geyser rock, the great white sharks in the shallows, and the african penguin colony of dyer island so it is much more than just whale watching. Everything you need to know about whale watching in south. South africa west coast explore south africas west. Keep an eye open for african penguins, cape fur seals, black oystercatcher birds and a variety of other marine life. Map of the west and south coasts of south africa showing a the. Killer whales orcinus orca in angolan and gulf of guinea waters, tropical west africa. The whaleplanner february a whale watching infographic. Io and point blue conservation science, working in coordination with the international fund for animal welfare ifaw, to help reduce the number of ship collisions with whales. South africa is one of the best destinations worldwide for watching whales and. Watch whale super pods larger than usual cause stir off sas.