Article written by Cape Point Route
1. Boyes Drive: gorgeous scenic, mountain pass between Muizenberg and Kalk Bay. Look out for the shark spotters – they have the best view!
2. Kalk Bay: Hot tip: Walk the Muizenberg – St James walkway along the coastline, then book a spa treatment at the Majestic spa - special on for August!
3. Clovelly: at the northern side of Fish Hoek Bay – either from the beach or the mountainside.
6. Glencairn Beach: Hot tip: have a meal on the deck of the Bay Cafe of Glen or a pint in the Glen Pub to watch the whales.
7. Boulders – Smitzwinkelbaai – Simon’s Town (including Froggy Pond and Murdoch Valley). Hot tip: stay in Simon’s Town for a room with a view of the bay and the whales (ask us for details!)
8. Cape Point Nature Reserve: Hot Tip: Eat at the Two Oceans Restaurant whilst you whale watch.
9. Misty Cliffs – Kommetjie: The road above Slangkoppunt Lighthouse has awesome views and excellent whale watching spots. Or go up the lighthouse for a different view!
10. Chapman’s Peak Drive: One of the most spectacular coastal roads on the planet running between Noordhoek and Hout Bay. Did you know fees for the toll road are now R31 for light vehicle?
This list is by no means complete and almost the entire coastline of the Cape Point Route (see map) becomes a whale watching feast. We are coming into whale season and peak season is Sept – mid October where you are almost guaranteed to see whales if you spend some time on the cape peninsula. Be warned though you may need to be patient as you watch for the subtle blow. Wind free days make sightings easier. What to take: binoculars and your camera! Send us your pictures to our facebook page – we love whale shots!
For a seriously incredible experience book a boat based whale watching trip which operates from Simon’s Town. It is spine tingling, jaw dropping stuff to be within metres of these massive creatures of the sea where you can see the barnacles clinging to their skin and hear the whale song. Boat based whale watching requires a special permit to ensure that the whales are viewed without being harmed so be sure to use a licenced operator. Book now so you don’t miss out! Call 021 782 9356 or click here to book.
Which Whale is Which?
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Posted on August 22, 2011 by CapePointRoute
Whales are large, magnificent, intelligent aquatic mammals. Whales have sleek, streamlined bodies that move easily through water and are the only mammals (other than manatees) that live their entire lives in the water and the only mammals that have adapted to life in the open oceans.
South Africa has become known for its’ great whale watching over the years, mostly due to the warm and nutrient rich waters along the South African coastline. The whales that visit our shores like to feed and give birth to their young whilst migrating. Whale watching is seasonal and whales start arriving in Cape Town as early as the end of May, until the end of November. The peak months are September and October.
These giants of the sea can easily be viewed from land, but are best seen from the water by taking a whale watching boat trip. The 3 most common whales found off the Cape Point Route coastline are Southern Right whales, Bryde’s whales and humpback whales although you can sometimes see orcas (killer whales) and it is not uncommon to spot dolphins as a bonus sighting!
But which whale is which? Here is a mini low down to help with your whale spotting and identification.
SOUTHERN RIGHT WHALE - Eubalaena australis
Southern Rights have a uniformly dark (mostly black) colour and often have big warty looking growths on their heads called callosities, which helps to identify them.
They body is very plump and round and Southern Right Whales have very big heads (about a third of their size)! They average about16 metres in length and weigh about 65 tonnes – although that information won’t help you identify a Southern Right in the water.A distinguishing feature of Southern Right Whales is that they have no dorsal fin (no fin on its back). Their flippers are short and wide but the easiest way to spot a Southern Right is the V-shaped spout from their blow hole. So look for the warts and the V-shaped blowHUMPBACK WHALE - Megaptera novaeangliae
Humpback whales are blue-black in colour with a pale/white underbelly and under their flippers. This is one of the easiest ways to identify the humpback whale as the contrast of the long white fins with the black body make them look beautiful. The markings on their flukes (tails) are unique – just like a human fingerprint.
Their flippers are enormous (they can be a third of their body length which is around 18 metres in length). Humpback whales also have knobbly heads which are covered with raised lumps and barnacles. They have a small dorsal fin about two thirds of the way down their backs and 2 blowholes and can spray a broad bushy balloon of spray about 3 metres into the air. Humpback whales have between 20 – 50 throat grooves.Humpback whales are very acrobatic and perform rolling dives, arching their backs, which is how they got their names! They can also be spotted swimming on their backs with both flippers in the air or using their flippers to slap the water which all help to identify them.Humpback whales are perhaps the most famous for their “singing” They sing long complex songs, each one can be about 15 minutes long and is repeated over and over for hours. On a still evening on the Cape Point Route you can easily hear them singing. Their songs can range from high pitched whistles to low resonating rumbles and grunts but each one is hauntingly beautiful (apparently they produce the longest and most varied songs in the animal world!). so if you hear a whale singing – it is likely to be a Humpback Whale!
BRYDE’S WHALE - Balaenoptera edeni
Bryde’s whales tend to be slightly smaller whales and have a sleek body is sleek which is dark-grey to mottled in colour with a lighter underbelly. They have a prominent erect and hooked dorsal fin about three quarters of the way down the body.