Posted on Tuesday July 4, 2017
With months of anticipation Whale season 2017 is here! Curious Brydes whales, Humpback whales, Southern Right Whale mating groups,Orca and dolphins have all been spotted in Hermanus this June.
Many people under the impression whale season starts later in the year, are missing out on the action.
For us at Southern Right Charters, our season is now in full swing, with regular sightings of all three baleen species found in the bay.
BRYDES WHALES – ILLUSIVE? WE THINK NOT
One encounter with a curious Brydes on our first trip of the season, left guests and crew with an unforgettable memory, as despite their normal traits of being a little shy and illusive, went completely ‘off book’ and spent about 20 minutes playing around the boat, with displays of spy-hopping and rolling over to watch us.
SOUTHERN RIGHT WHALES ARRIVE
We encountered our first Southern Right whales on the 18 June with various numbers sighted each trip – the most being 22. Southern Right whale sightings have become a daily occurrence with a large amount of mating activity seen.
ORCA FOUND IN THE BAY
A hot topic in Hermanus at the moment are two Orca (Killer Whales), who have been named ‘Port’ and ‘Starboard” – based on their dorsal fins bending over in each direction. On the 27th June, guests on board Miroshca had the rare opportunity of encountering one of them, the last time we spotted Orca was in 2010. Although we know these Orca’s have been in the local area for some time, it is the first confirmed sighting of them in Hermanus this year.
DOLPHINS, MAKING HERMANUS HOME
Dolphins have been a trip staple this past month, with most tours encountering the apparent semi-resident pod of bottlenose dolphins out in the bay.
HUMPBACK WHALES MIGRATING PAST HERMANUS
We have also had frequent sightings of Humpback whales as they make their way up the coast to warmer waters and if previous years are anything to go by, we will be watching these acrobats of the ocean through the months of July and August.
As the season progresses, we are expecting the numbers of whales in the bay to increase and are looking forward to a great 2017 season.
