An early morning trip on the water, 19 August 2018

With a westerly wind rearing it’s head, we set out on one early morning tour to catch up with some whales before the wind picked up. We launched at 7:30 and made our way towards the shallows where we hoped to do our daily YSI reading. After stopping to check the water properties, we cruised along the shore and it was not too long before we found a Southern Right mommy and calf. These two were moving into deeper water from the shallows, so we cruised parallel to them as they travelled.

This little calf is very distinctive, as it has whale lice covering the right side of the face and even some on its tail, which makes it super easy to identify. We had this pair around a couple of days back, and they seem to be a very relaxed duo. Mom will let baby swim close to the boat and check us out whilst she keeps a watchful eye from a few meters away.

We also got to see them together at the surface, as they both came up for a breath. This is always an awesome sight as it really brings home the size of these gentle giants. We spent some time watching these two before taking a quick stop at Slashfin. After this, we cruised over The Clyde and caught up with thousands of little black birds. These birds are the Cape Cormorants and they can sometimes be seen feeding on schooling fish in large numbers. We slowed down to hang in the area for a bit, taking in this spectacular sight before making our way over to Dyer Island.

On the way, a raft of African Penguins popped up, and these little guys stuck around for a while which made for an awesome photographic opportunity. The last stop of our tour was over at Geyser Rock where our Cape Fur Seals where enjoying a Sunday morning lay in. Some of the early birds where hanging around in the water, but for the most part, they were snug as a bug on the rocks. We then had an adventurous ride back to the Great White house where hot soup and heaters were waiting to take away the chill.