Whale Season Brings Visitors and Tourism Boost to Hermanus

Southern right whales have returned to the waters of Walker Bay near Hermanus, South Africa, bringing the annual whale-watching season and a rise in tourism to the coastal town.

The whales travel from Antarctica to the warmer waters off South Africa each year, appearing in the region between June and November. Walker Bay offers sheltered conditions and has few natural predators, allowing the animals to give birth and raise their young.

Whales draw visitors to Hermanus

Hermanus sits above Walker Bay on the southern coast of the Western Cape and is a popular day-trip destination for people from Cape Town. During the whales’ seasonal presence, tourism activity increases as visitors arrive to watch the animals from the shoreline or approach them by boat.

Some boat trips give visitors the chance to see newborn calves. On land, whale-watchers gather along the cliffs and coastline, where the animals can sometimes be seen close to shore.

Sileze Kuku, Hermanus’s whale crier, searches the cliffs for whales and alerts people by blowing a large horn made from kelp when one is spotted. He said sightings had been more frequent in the reported year than the previous year.

“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.

The annual sightings are also marked by a whale festival hosted by local authorities. The event is intended to attract visitors who want to see the marine mammals close to land, adding to Hermanus’s reputation as a whale-watching destination.

A species recovering from whaling

Southern right whales were depleted by commercial whaling. They have, however, been protected from hunting for decades, and their regular return to Walker Bay provides a seasonal display of the species’ recovery.

For visitors, the experience combines wildlife observation with the natural setting of the bay. Joel Seboa, who travelled from Cape Town, described the appeal of seeing the animals in their environment.

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

The whales’ arrival continues to link conservation and tourism in Hermanus, with the animals’ migration providing both a safe seasonal habitat and a major attraction for visitors to the Western Cape.