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Cape Town whale watching is a much-anticipated occupation for our family every year. Nothing compares to the thrill of spotting these immense creatures as they breach and spy hop in the ocean.

All the more reason then to make the most of every opportunity and ensure that very little time is wasted.

What brings Southern Right Whales to the Cape, and why for only a limited season?


Southern Right Whales spend the greatest part of their time in the icy waters of the Southern Ocean near Antarctica. This is where the strong, cold current upwellings produce the large quantities of zooplankton on which the whales feed.

However, during winter the Southern Ocean is a pretty inhospitable place even for the mighty whale. So the whales migrate north each year to calve and then raise their young in warmer, more sheltered waters before returning to the Southern Ocean in summer.

When is the Best Time to Whale Watch in and around Cape Town?


Whales start arriving in Cape Town waters as early as May and can remain here until November. However, there is no questioning the fact that August, September and early October offer the easiest pickings when to comes to whale sightings.

During September, particularly, whales seem to be at their maximum concentration, with family groups putting on spectacular displays all over the ocean.

Where? Hermanus: Whale Hot Spot #1


This small Overberg town a little more than an hour's drive from Cape Town is known as the top land-based whale watching spot in Southern Africa. It even plays host to a Whale Festival every September. A couple of factors contribute to its justifiable fame,

• Firstly, the town is built along the coast of Walker Bay, which offers exactly the calm habitat that whales seek for their temporary home.


• Secondly, much of the town is built along the rocky cliffs of the Bay which form a natural amphitheatre round the ocean, thereby offering grandstand seats to watchers without being forced to take to the sea.

Of course if you want to take to the sea, there are licensed boat-based operators who will be only too delighted to oblige you.

Where? False Bay: Whale Hot Spot #2


This wide shallow bay, home to Cape Town suburbs such as Muizenberg, St James, Kalk Bay, Fishhoek and Simonstown, is similarly well placed for casual land-based whale watching. All the suburbs along its length offer elevated slopes ideal for keeping a vigilant eye on activity at sea level.

Licensed boat-based whale watching companies operate out of the Simonstown Harbour and the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront.