During the late winter and spring whale spotting in the waters around Cape Town becomes a large tourist attraction. It is during these months (June to November) that the Southern Right whales, return from Antartica to the South African waters in order to breed.

The scenic drive from Cape Town through Gordons Bay to Hermanus along the coastal road is famous for having some of the best land based whale watching in the world.

The Southern Right whale is so named because it is found in the Southern hemisphere and in the past was the “right” whale to hunt. This was because it was a slow swimmer and due to the large amounts of blubber, seldom sunk once killed. Due to this extensive hunting by the early 20^th century the species was almost driven to extinction.

Luckily, common sense prevailed and in 1937 a complete ban on right whale hunting was agreed.

Hermanus from the tidal pool

The coastal Town of Hermanus, celebrates the arrival of the whales each year with the “whale festival”