Today starts as an overcast day at Walker Bay in Hermanus. Rain is threatening to set in for the day.
The swell in Walker Bay has strengthened overnight, but the whales of Walker Bay seem to having a great time of it. Female Southern Right Whales with calves are doing the whale equivalent of resistance swimming by positioning themselves against the incoming waves near Roman Rock, possibly to strengthen the calves for the long journey to the summer Antarctic feeding grounds. There is plenty of breaching happening throughout the day – the whales are really putting on a show today at Hermanus. Southern Right Whales have their own preferred breaching style – they like to fall backwards, displaying their white bellies.
There are so many whales in the bay that you don’t have to go looking for them – they are swimming an anti-clockwise circuit from Gansbaai to Hermanus and in some cases, doing a small loop to catch the waves.
The weather has cleared during the afternoon, but as the sun sets, clouds are rolling in over the mountains, creating some wonderful light over the rocky cliffs of the bay. The view from The Marine Hotel in Hermanus, is spectacular.
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[…] off the ship early and don’t have to be at the airport until 3 or 3.30pm, I decide to head to Hermanus – it’s hard to believe it’s 4 years since I was last there. It’s the off season so I’m not expecting to see any whales, but a walk along the clifftops […]