Southern right whale sightings draw visitors to South Africa’s Hermanus

Seasonal sightings of southern right whales are once again drawing visitors to Hermanus, a town on South Africa’s southern coast overlooking Walker Bay.

The whales travel from Antarctica to the warmer waters off South Africa. Walker Bay provides a sheltered environment with few natural predators, allowing the animals to give birth and raise their young.

Whale sightings support local tourism

The whales’ presence has become an important part of Hermanus’s tourism calendar. Visitors can watch them from the shore, while boat trips offer the chance to get closer to the animals and potentially see newborn calves.

Local authorities also host a whale festival each year to attract people interested in seeing the whales. Hermanus is a popular day-trip destination for residents of Cape Town, adding to the flow of visitors during the whale season.

Sileze Kuku, who has been observing the whales, said he had seen considerably more this year than in the previous year. He recalled seeing almost 25 whales in a single day.

“I remember the other day, I saw almost 25 whales in one day, and I wasn’t sure which one I should take pictures of because they were all jumping. It was really amazing,” Kuku said.

Joel Seboa, a visitor from Cape Town, said the experience was closely connected to being outdoors.

“It is always cool being in nature and seeing a whale breach, or just being in this environment,” Seboa said.

A seasonal return

Southern right whales were heavily reduced by commercial whaling before receiving protection from hunting for decades. Their recovery is visible in Walker Bay each year between June and November.

The annual arrival has become a familiar feature of life in Hermanus, alongside the whales’ eventual journey back to Antarctica. The seasonal cycle brings together wildlife viewing, local celebrations and tourism activity without requiring visitors to leave the town’s coastline.

While the source report does not provide official population totals or comprehensive sighting figures, individual observations and the continued annual whale festival highlight the animals’ role in attracting visitors to the Western Cape.