Whales


Most people may have never heard of Indian Ocean humpback dolphins. which makes them very difficult to protect. As South Africa’s most endangered marine mammal, they are shy and elusive and inhabit a narrow strip of water on our coastline.

The annual southern right whale count occurred in September 2024 between Nature's Valley and Muizenberg. These numbers compare to the past 43 years results—if extreme cycles continue, we can expect fewer southern right whales along our coast next year.

Dolphins, whales, seals, sea lions, and otters are all mammals. They give birth to live young and nurse their young with milk. In contrast, even though some sharks give birth to live young, sharks are fish.

Bryde’s whales are found in every ocean of the world. However,  some populations of Bryde's whales take such a liking to an area that they are considered ‘resident’. The Cape Whale Coast is fortunate to have these whales as residents.

The southern right whale, Eubalaena australis, is among the largest of the four baleen whale species that come close inshore on the southern African coast: Southern Right, Humpback, Bryde's and Minke whales

Hermanus is known as the land based whale capital of the world...  from the cliffs, a boat or from the air. 

The large numbers of southern right whales that usually visit the South African coast have been in dramatic decline since 2010. Research has shown that many lack the energy to do so and that female whales are calving less often. The success of reproduction depends on the success of feeding. Also, migration is energetically costly.