The Whales have Arrived!!!!

• News
• Saturday, July 12, 2008

Once again the people of the Western Cape are overjoyed to host thousands of Southern Right Whales visiting our coastline. These majestic creatures are being sighted earlier every year and some have been known to even stay along the West coast of South Africa all year round.

The whales weigh between 40 and 80 tons and are about 14 to 18 meters long. At birth the carves are between 5 and 6 meters long and grow at a daily rate of 3cm a day. The Southern Right Whale is believed to live as long as 100 years but some have been reported to be 30 years over this figure .

The Southern Rights comes to our shores to give birth and mate before leaving again in November. During the time that they are here they do not feed at all

The Western Cape is know as one of the best places in the world to view Southern Right Whales both from land and boats. There are charter boats who do regular scheduled trips that generally last 1 to 2 hours long depending on the company.

It is important that you make sure that the charter company you go with has a legal permit as the Southern Right Whale is protected and boats need to adhere to strict rules and regulations. All along the coastline you'll find great viewing spots from Cape Point all the way down to Cape Infanta.

When viewing from the land a great idea would be to have a good pair of binoculars, jacket to protect you from the wind and some time to enjoy these amazing creatures. To date 113 whales have been sighted where as this time last year it was just about 13.

It is definitely a life changing experience - Once you encounter the grace and the splendour of the Southern Right Whale you will never be the same.