Playful whales on a windless day, 15 August 2018
We could have asked for better sightings or a more eventful day out at sea...
Written by Jax Bath, August 16 2018
What do our clients have to say?
Guest Comment:
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The experiance was amazing. The crew were hands on and very caring. Th crew made sure that we all had info about everything we saw.
Guest Comment:
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Amazing!!! Well organized. We enjoyed every minute from the booking to the hot soup. Well done! Thanks!
Guide Summary.
We embarked on 3 tours today. Launching the first two tours in Gansbaai and the last from our quaint little Kleinbaai harbour.
The first tour of the day started off with the sighting of two Humpback whales who were moving along the coast. Although these whales were taking deeper dives, we never quite knew what to expect when they did surface which made for a exciting sighting. We got a few breaches and even a tail slap from these whales before moving on towards Dyer Island. On the way we spotted a host of Shy Albatross as well as a very relaxed raft of African Penguins. At the island, we were ale to help an entangled seal who was being heavily weighed down by rope. We have seen these seal a few times over the last week and were so relieved that we were finally able to help him. Kira expertly caught the seal using a grappling hook and was able to cut the rope off before allowing the young seal to jump, finally free. After this awesome rescue, we made our way back to Gansbaai Harbor.
Trip two started with a sighting a Southern Right Whale with a calf, which we cruised by before spotting yet another Southern Right Whale hanging around Danger Point. This whale was super relaxed, and we got to see spend some quality time with him before heading off. Next up was a rope retrieval when we found a large raft floating in the water. Whales are well known for playing with things like kelp, so it is not surprising that they often entangled by discarded ropes and nets. When these get stuck on the animals, it can cause them excruciating pain and may even lead to their deaths, so we feel strongly about trying to take out as much as what we can on our tours.
The highlight of our final whale watching adventure was definitely a group of Southern right Whales, which included one animal that seemed to really enjoy our company. After stopping at Slashfin and catching a quick glimpse of a juvenile Great White Shark. We then travelled to Pearly Beach where we caught up with 5 Southern Right Whales. We spent some time observing a mating group before we had a single whale completely steal the show. This animal would to leave the boat alone. He kept circling us, moving from side to side and surfacing directly below the railings. As if this was not awesome enough, later on in the sighting, he got a bit playful with the seaweed, putting it on it’s bonnet and showing it off like a domestic dog would with a new toy. This was absolutely breathtaking and we could not have asked for a better sighting.
Best Snaps for the day.
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What species did we see today?
Southern Right Whale Southern Right Whale
Southern right whales attract thousands of visitors every year to experience these gentle giants off the South African coast.