6. Whale Watching

It’s a leisurely start to the morning.  We’re supposed to be picked up by Ash at 8:40 go to Kleinbaai, but he arrives about 8:30 and asks the hotel clerk to call us to see if we can be a bit earlier.  We end up in the lobby at 8:40 ready to go.  It seems that when he called ahead to confirm our whale watching excursion, they advised him that there was major roadwork in the area that will delay your arrival. We headed out east along the coast to Kleinbaai using the faster overland route because Ash doesn’t want to be late.    At the whale watching office we arrive in time to park and and sign waivers at the payment counter.

Before the main briefing, we were instructed to file outside and wear bib overalls.  We all slid on waterproof bib coveralls. trip safety instructions and explanations about what to expect during  the day was covered.  Then we shuffle outside to get the life vests on and waterproof overcoat and walk the block to board the boat.  It was quite choppy out with whitecaps on every roller.  I’m guessing the winds were at least 25mph; there were swells out there of 2 to 3 feet.  There was one poor guy who became seasick about 5 minutes into the ride and another 2 somewhere between the start and the end.

Ready to go with gimped shoulder secured.

Spray cover is deployed.  The crew are holding it down.

We saw an Indian Humpback Dolphins, a Southern Right whale and her calf and some penguins swimming in the open ocean.

Indian Humpback Dolphin.  They’re very shy and was very far from the boat.
It’s crazy hard to take long range photos on choppy seas.

Penguins out in the open ocean.

Just before leaping out of the water

The whale watching tour group has a sister ship where you can enter a cage to watch great white sharks.  No scuba gear is necessary as you’re only shoulder high in the water, standing on the bottom of the cage.   Our boat came up to this ship and we saw a great white as well as another type of shark whose name escapes me.   The shark boat throws out bait to entice the sharks over.   Not sure how ethical that is, but it clearly worked.  The thought of standing in a cage with a great white swimming nearby doesn’t appeal to me.  The shark picture shows the cage that’s attached to the side of the boat and about six people at a time climb into the cage.

A great white shark.

Shark dive boat.  There’re no diving involved.
You just enter the cage strapped to the side of the boat.
Wetsuits are necessary as the waters are freezing cold.  

We also saw a Cape seal colony located in Shark Alley.  It was quite stinky due to the thousands of seals that reside there.  We didn’t see any sharks—maybe they had already fed.  There are about 50,000+ seals that live on Geyser Island.  The big plank that the seals were sunning on was the keel of the Prince Port ship that shipwrecked in the area back in 1885.

Some of the seals frolicking in the surf at Geyser Island.

Seals sunning on the huge keel of the Prince Port which shipwrecked in 1885.

From there we headed back to port.  It was a rough ride back and the passengers that were seasick weren’t having much fun.  The video of the trip was available for sale, but it didn’t seem worth it.  On the way back home, Ash took us along the coast instead of the inland faster route we used to get there.  This drive takes us past Walker Bay, a huge expanse of white sand beach.

After Walker Beach, as we’re passing through the coastal resort town of Hermanus, Ash suddenly points at the water and there in the bay was a whale.  Several people along the waterfront path were already looking at the bay.  We quickly park and spend the next 20 minutes watching this Southern Right Whale and her calf.  She’s a big big whale with growths on their her head known as calluses and very close to the shore. The whales get their name going back to the days of whaling as these were the right whales to kill because they are slow moving, float when dead, and provided more fat than any other whale.  This chance encounter turned out to be way better than seeing them in the boat. After copious amounts of video and stills taken, we drive back to the city.

Mother and baby Southern Right Whale in Hermanus..
.  The picture doesn’t provide any scale.
I assure you they’re huge.  

Back at the hotel we walk over to a nearby restaurant, Club Paradisio and have a really good meal.  It’s been another grand day.