Gansbaai (meaning Goose Bay) is a quaint traditional fishing village just 50 km along the coast from Hermanus.  The awesome De Kelders cliffs offer excellent land viewing opportunities along the coast during the whale watching season. 

The boat-based whale watching trips from here, with our recommended operator, Dyer Island Cruises, also visit Dyer Island, which is home to a colony of African or jackass penguins, and Geyser Rock, home to an incredible 50,000 Cape fur seals. But be warned - the seals are great fun to watch - but the smell is not so fantastic.

Some trips also takes in Shark Alley, where Great White sharks can be seen gliding through the water. For a great adrenalin rush, try experiencing the Great White shark close up, from the protection of a solid cage submerged in the water.

Plettenberg Bay offers all year round whale watching.  Visitors here can often seen whales just a few metres from the shore, or the cliff based whale watching from points along Robberg and Keurboom beaches and Robberg Nature Reserve offer even better viewing opportunities.

Plettenberg can boast all year round sightings of the resident Bryde’s whales.  The Southern Right whales are in the bay from between June and November, and when they leave, migratory humpback whales arrive with their calves early November and stay until the end of February, returning again during May and June.

Coming close up with a Southern Right whale in its natural habitat is an exhilarating experience, and you certainly get a thrill from boat-based whale watching.  Whales are generally friendly, curious creatures, and will often surface 5m from the boat - offering an unforgettable close encounter! 

The boats will not go out in stormy or extremely windy weather, so you must always be prepared for a trip to be cancelled in adverse conditions.  It is advisable to phone up the day before to check with your operator whether the weather conditions are looking favourable.

The best time to go out is early morning, as the winds do pick up during the day, and the afternoon rides tend to be much more choppy and rough. 

It is extremely important that you check with your operator the time you should meet, and make sure you are there in time - the boats have to go out at certain tide levels, and quite simply if you miss the tide, then you don't go out.

What to Bring

The sea can be choppy, and if you suffer from sea-sickness, it is certainly advisable to take some tablets before you set off on your boat adventure.

Most operators will give you waterproofs to wear, but it is always worth checking with your operator first as you don't want to run the risk of being soaked with spray when the boat bounces through a particularly rough wave.

If you have expensive camera equipment, it may also be worth investing in a plastic covering - or even bring along a home-made one!  However, unless you have an extremely steady hand, don't expect to take an award winning photo, as you may be spending most of your time bracing yourself against the movement of the boat.  Instead of hiding behind your camera lens, just enjoy being this close to one of natures gentlest giants, and marvelling at its gracefulness.

Who to Go With

Boat-based whale watching has, not surprisingly, become extremely popular, and it has become necessary over the past few years to limit the 'tourist intrusion' to avoid undue stress for the whales. 

Only operators holding a registered permit are allowed to approach and remain within 50m of a whale.  There are only a limited number of permits granted every whaling season throughout the whole of South Africa, and the selected operators that Travel Butlers recommend are all permit holders.  The operators who do not hold a permit are only allowed within 300m of a whale.  However, should the whale decide to approach the boat, it then really doesn't matter whether you have a permit or not!

If your sea-legs really aren't that strong, then watching whales from the shoreline or from the cliff tops is still a fantastic experience.  There are plenty of excellent viewpoints along the recognised whale watching routes, and your guest house or the local Tourist Information Office will be able to advise on the best places to go.

The whales often come extremely close to the shoreline - within one kilometre - so binoculars are not always necessary, though they are a useful thing to have with you so you can get a closer look.

The other advantage is that you will be able to take better pictures, as you will be more steady!

Many of the whale watching routes have interpretative signboards along the way, with useful information about the whales.

The Southern Right whale migrates from the Antarctic Ocean to the waters off the south coast annually in June - a journey of over 10,000 kilometres - and returns again in December.  They migrate during these Winter and Spring months to mate, calve and rear their young.

About 18m in length (60ft), and weighing up to 80 tonnes, their primary diet is plankton which they filter from the water, slowly swimming through drifting shoals with their mouth wide open to catch them.  They have a life expectancy of about 50 years. Their name is derived from its history of being the 'right' whale to hunt and catch, due to it being so rich in oil and extremely slow-moving. There are only about 4,000 - 6,000 Southern Right whales left in the world today.

The Southern Right can be easily identified from other whale species by the fact that it has no dorsal fin on its back and when it breathes out there is a V-shaped cloud above the water - other whales all exhale in a single column.  Each Southern Right whale also has a unique pattern of characteristic pale callosities (outgrowths of tough skin) on their heads - making it possible to actually identify one from the other!  Similarly, certain white markings on their bellies or tails are also distinct enough for the animal to be identified by.

Southern Right whales love playing around, and according to whale experts, they enjoy watching us as much as we enjoy watching them! Things to look out for when watching Southern Right whales are: 

Blowing: A hollow, echoey sound made when expelling air through the blowhole when breathing normally. This is accompanied by a spout of condensed water vapour. 

Breaching: Breaching is when they lift their bodies out of the water in a massive, graceful leap, and is one of the most spectacular whale habits to witness. Whales will normally breach 3-5 times in succession, and can lift three quarters of their body out of the water in one leap, falling back into the water with an almighty splash.  This is believed to be a way of communication, exercise or possibly to scratch the parasites off that live on their bodies.

Lobtailing: Slapping their tails on the surface is known as lob tailing, and is thought to be a form of communication or a warning message to sharks and other whales.

Spy hopping: The head and body are lifted vertically, as far as the flippers, above the surface. This enables them to see what is happening around them above water.