It is a whale!!

The talk around town, on all the radio stations, is that a whale has been spotted in the bay, be confirmed by ourselves on an early Sunday morning trip to the Breakwater at the V&A Waterfront- the gentle giant being only 15 metres away.

The first question tourists ask when they arrive in Cape Town at this time of the year is : "Please tell me where I can see the whales?"

Thrill
Yes, it is whale season again! From August to November whales frequent the South African coast. The 200km long South African Whale route provides ample views.
No matter how many whales you've seen, spotting another will always give you a thrill. It is amazing when an 80 ton, 15 meter long giant -it almost looks like slow motion- jumps out of the Atlantic Ocean to get some fresh air or maybe just have a look at her summer resort.

Right Whale
It is the Right Whale you will see the most around the coast of the Southern Hemisphere. Mostly female whales come to the coast to calve and to mate, with the courtship season following the birthing season. The whales canlive up to ripe old age 60 years.

Southern Right whales were given the name because back in the whale hunting days they were considered the "right" whales to hunt. The present size of the population of the Southern Right Whales is uncertain; estimates put the figure at around 3000 and growing, after almost becoming extinct ten years ago.

Best spots
Popular viewing spots include Lamberts Bay on the Cape West Coast, many on the Cape Peninsula, False Bay, the area around Hermanus as well as the town itself, and seaside resorts such as Arniston, Mossel Bay, Wilderness, Sedgefield, Knysna and Plettenberg Bay.
Hermanus, of course, puts on its Whale Festival every year, in September. It's nine days filled with music, theatre, sport and parties, and the famous Whale Crier will be around to give everyone the latest whale watching news. Don't hesitate to say hi to the whales when you are traveling in the Western Cape this time of the year; You will remember it for life.