Whale song

At the southwestern tip of the African continent, we are privileged to have more than a total experience of land, sea, people and culture – we also have some of the most incredible whale watching destinations in the world.

Nowhere is this more evident at the moment, than on the Cape Point Route where there are daily whale sightings anywhere along the False Bay Coast. Yes the whales are here and you can see these giants of the sea from the road or even the train in some of the best land based whale watching venues on the globe. But the most astounding experience of viewing whales is seeing from the water.

I recently had the privilege of going to Cape Point on the high speed boat called “Awesome” operated by the Simon’s Town Boat company. And AWESOME it was indeed. We left Simon’s Town Waterfront on a perfect day – the ocean was mirror like, the sky a faultless azure and we whizzed to Cape Point with False Bay all to ourselves. We gazed in wonderment at the dramatic cliffs and wild waters of the very point itself and if you have never encountered this view of one of Cape Town’s star attractions then do yourself a favour and make a plan!

As we turned to head north, we saw a steam of spray in the distance and that means one thing – whales blowing! The spray was 3 – 4 metres high and is a distinctive sign of the presence of whales. We did not realize initially that this was a pod of approximately 9 humpback whales.

The spray was followed by a show of acrobatics – massive heads poking above the surface and a synchronized rehearsal of arched back and fins in the characteristic motion that gave the humpback whales their name. It is impossible not to awed at the sight of an enormous tail appearing out of the water and floating in the air, being swung around and slapped back down onto the surface of the water. I discovered that humpback whales have a patch of white on the underside of their flukes (tails) which are unique to each individual whale- just like a human fingerprint. A humpback whale tail is extremely good looking because of the colour contrast and the wavy shape. It must be said I was gobsmacked and it’s not often that I am speechlees.

Then these glorious creature disappeared- arched backs, tails high and Houdini-like they vanished into the ocean depths, leaving no sign of their presence whatsoever. Devastation for us boat based creatures, until WHOOSH – an extremely loud grunt, a stream of vapour and whale song right next to the boat. The songs were complex and beautiful, almost eerie with their haunting lingering squeaks and groans, clicks and moans. Humpbacks, it seems, are the most vocal of all whales and they should make a best selling CD.

So if you want theatre, a concert, a spectacle and the experience of one of the greatest shows on earth this weekend – book a whale watching extravaganza. You are likely to see Southern Right Whales (more common than humpbacks) or Bryde’s Whales. You will definitely see African penguins and Cape Fur Seals. If you are lucky you may see bottlenose dolphins for all these creatures have chosen the Cape Point Route as home.