Why do Whales Breach?

The Southern Right Whales have been very visual and active the last few days! It is well worth a drive down to the Cape Point Route to see these amazing creatures or a weekend away on the peninsula. Despite being regular “whale snobs” – we can’t deny how incredible a sight it is to see these enormous creatures leaping out of the water (sometimes twirling around in the air). This action is called breaching and we have been trying to find out WHY whales breach. We know it’s not to breathe – they surface to the water for that!

It seems that there is no specific answer and we have heard all sorts of theories. If anyone knows for sure we’d be grateful if you could enlighten us!

• This action may be done purely for play
• It may be used to loosen skin parasites and other irritations the whale might have.
• Breaching is also believed to be a means of communication with other whales (It has been thought that it may be to transmit a message to members of their group)
• It could be a technique to help them feed by stunning or scaring prey.
• And we’ve heard that it is mating signal – like male birds do to show off in front of their females!

We do know that Southern Right whales are intelligent, inquisitive and sensitive animals, and usually form small social groups of about six related animals. In the breeding season cow and calf pairs can often been seen cavorting in the water together. The way mother and child breach alternately, one after the other, suggests that this and other behaviour may be taught.

Southern rights are willing performers for onlookers, often breaching several times in succession to hit the water again with a cannon-blast sound. Another characteristic behaviour, unique to the right whale, is resting head-down in the water for several minutes with the flukes held aloft, as if hoping to be pushed along by the wind - variously called "sailing" or "head-standing".

Then there's flipper slapping, lobtailing - slapping the tail on the water - and spyhopping, raising the massive head to see above the surface. Their huge curiosity often prompts them to approach boats to investigate - a trait with tragic consequences in the days of the whalers.

Breaching requires a lot of effort! Whales are massive! Southern Right Females are larger than males and average 16.5 metres in length, whilst the males average about 15.2 metres in length. Southern Right whales weigh about 54 000kg!!!

By comparison a Blue Whale (which is the biggest creature on earth) is about 33 metres in length and weighs about 136 – 150 000kg! The African elephant (which is the largest animal on land) is about 3 – 4 metres tall and just over 3 metres in length (not counting it’s trunk) and weighs between 7 500 – 12 000 kg. So a Southern Right Whale jumping out the water is about 5 elephants propelling themselves out the water!

You can view the whales from land (see our blog post on best whale watching spots) or try a boat based whale watching trip. Whale Watching Trip details:
Daily departures (weather dependent): 09h00; 12h00; 14h30
Cost: R800 adults; R500 children
Duration: 3 hours
Departs: Simon’s Town
Bookings: 021 782 9356
Email: info@capepointroute.co.za

IMAGES:
1. Southern Right Whale Breaching - courtesy of Dave Hurwitz - ST Boat Company
2. Whale Comparison Chart - Google images
3. Southern Right Whale landing after a breach - Google images


Cape Point Route offers a wide range of Accommodation, Activities,
Attractions, Restaurants, Venues, Shops, Tours and Packages on the
CAPE PENINSULA, CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA

Top Whale Watching spots

Cape Point Route spotted our first whale of the season on the 23 June 2010, but the Southern Right Whales are starting to appear more regularly and in greater numbers. This morning there was a huge pod of dolphins swimming from Fish Hoek southwards to Cape Point. What an amazing place we live in! I just love this time of year – the waters of False Bay are calm

There is a regional Whale Spotting and General Information Line: 079 391 2105 and they publish a weekly sightings log. Please call if you see a whale!

Since the 1 May 2010 there have been 136 sightings (not whales as often there is more than one whale hanging out). You can check out the most updated sightings here

Cape Point Route’s Top 10 Whale Watching Sites: (these are land based!)

1. Boyes Drive – gorgeous scenic mountain pass between Muizenberg and Kalk Bay.
2. Kalk Bay –. Hot tip: Walk the Muizenberg – St James walkway along the coastline
3. Clovelly – at the northern side of Fish Hoek Bay – either from the beach or the mountainside.
4. Jager’s walk – Fish Hoek – undulating coastal path between Fish Hoek Beach and Sunny Cove.
5. Sunny Cove – Fish Hoek
6. Glencairn Beach - Hot tip: have a meal on the deck of Southern Right Hotel to watch the whales.
7. Boulders – Smitzwinkelbaai - Simon's Town (including Froggy Pond and Murdoch Valley). Hot tip: stay at Boulders Beach Lodge or Whale View Manor for great views.
8. Cape Point Nature Reserve – Hot Tip: Eat at the Two Oceans Restaurant whilst you whale watch.
9. Misty Cliffs – Kommetjie: The road above Slangkoppunt Lighthouse has awesome views and excellent whale watching spots. Or go up the lighthouse for a different view!
10. Chapman’s Peak Drive: One of the most spectacular coastal roads on the planet running between Noordhoek and Hout Bay. Did you know fees for the toll road are now R30 for light vehicle.

This list is by no means complete and almost the entire coastline of the Cape Point Route becomes a whale watching feast. Peak season starts NOW and runs through to mid-October. You are almost guaranteed to see whales but sometimes you need to be patient as you watch for the subtle blow. Wind free days make sightings easier.

What to take: binoculars and your camera! Send us your pictures – we love whale shots!

For a seriously incredible experience book a boat based whale watching trip which operates from Simon’s Town. It is spine tingling, jaw dropping stuff to be within metres of these massive creatures of the sea where you can see the barnacles clinging to their skin and hear the whale song. Boat based whale watching requires a special permit to ensure that the whales are viewed without being harmed so be sure to use a licenced operator.

Whale Watching Trip details:
Daily departures (weather dependent): 09h00; 12h00; 14h30
Cost: R800 adults; R500 children
Duration: 3 hours
Departs: Simon’s Town
Bookings: 021 782 9356
Email: info@capepointroute.co.za

IMAGES:
1. Humpback Whale Tail - courtesy of D.Hurwitz Simon's Town Boat Company
2. Boat based whale watching - courtesy of Calders Hotel
3. Whale watching - by German Visitor Eva Sittig
4. Whales watching in False Bay - courtesy of German visitor Eva Sittig

Cape Point Route offers a wide range of Accommodation, Activities, ttractions, Restaurants, Venues, Shops, Tours and Packages on the CAPE PENINSULA, CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA

Spring Splash 2010 - Sunday 5 Sept.

Live on the Wild side! Article courtesy of the Peoples Post Community Newspaper False Bay

START having cold water showers, because it’s training time for the annual Fish Hoek Spring Splash!

Held on the first Sunday in September, the Spring Splash will put an instant spring in your step (or, at least, a cold twitch in the one toe that still has feeling left after the swim).

Everyone – sane and insane – is invited to join in this hearty Fish Hoek tradition on Sunday 5 September.

If you love the slightly eccentric gees of Fish Hoek, step forward to the starting line just before 15:00, when the countdown will take place. At exactly 15:00, the signal will sound for the mad dash into the water to welcome the calendar start of spring. Of course, thanks to global warming and other inscrutable mysteries, the calendar is not always right – but what the heck, someone needs to take the lead.

Celebrate your victory afterwards with warming refreshments at reduced prices for all swimmers, served up by the Galley Restaurant.

Families are encouraged to make a day of it. There will be fun activities for children, from 10:00, presented by the Mad Hatters business coalition.

The theme for the Spring Splash is “Wildlife in Fish Hoek” and participants must dress up in outrageous outfits to fit the bill. The best outfit will win a mystery prize!

Be there if you’ve got what it takes!

For more information, phone Manu Choudree on 072 980 4335.

Check out images from a previous Spring Splash here

Cape Point Route offers a wide range of Accommodation, Activities,
Attractions, Restaurants, Venues, Shops, Tours and Packages on the
CAPE PENINSULA, CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA

Images courtesy of Grant Johnson: www.silverfoxphoto.co.za and Cape Point Route

Hollywood’s Halle Berry in Simon’s Town

Halle Berry and co-star Olivier Martinez are filming their new movie “Dark Tide” in Simon’s Town on the Cape Point Route. It’s not everyday that Hollywood hangs out in the naval town and residents have been trying to catch glimpses of the stars between shooting scenes for the movie.

‘Dark Tide’ is directed by John Stockwell and is an action thriller that is due to be released in 2011. In the film, the many-time-voted-sexiest star Halle Berry plays the role of a diving instructor called Sara, who survives a near-fatal shark attack and faces the difficult decision of getting back into the water. Halle Berry will be getting into a shark cage near Seal Island in False Bay.

This is a perfect shooting spot for the movie as Seal Island is well renowned for the breaching great white sharks that concentrate near Seal Island during the South African winter which is also breeding season for the great white sharks. Visitors to Cape Town can go great white shark cage viewing and/or diving from Simon’s Town.

‘Dark Tide’ movie synopsis:
Sara (Halle Berry) is a modern-day adventurer, deeply drawn to close encounters with the magnificent White Sharks who rule the primal predator shore of isolated Guadalupe island. When her husband chooses ambition over his wife's safety in a split second encounter with the jaws of death, her marriage nearly breaks apart. A year later, a monsoon season voyage back to the same island becomes an escalating series of terrifying underwater confrontations and gut-wrenching emotional challenges. Testing her courage in the face of nature's ultimate terror, she shows herself as tough as the men she is attracted to; and perhaps bravest of all Sara endures and changes the terms of the contest with mankind's most feared underwater predator.

The movie has caused some controversy however and Alison Kock, a shark conservationist from Save our Seas Foundation in Kalk Bay is reported to have said, “The first script that we got sounded very much like it had a thriller aspect to it and a personal kind of aspect to it as well. But fighting off a shark, or surviving a shark attack - we couldn't see the positive side of that, as much as we tried to. After reading the script we decided it was not something we would like to put our names to. Obviously our mandate is to try to change people's perceptions of sharks, and the situation in Cape Town is quite sensitive.”

The Filmmakers do have a permit from Marine and Coastal Management and scenes are being shot in Simon’s Town harbour and a local team of marine professionals have been hired to provide support during filming. Local stunt co-ordinators have also been contracted.
For the movie, a tent town of caravans and marquees has been set up in the parking lot of Simon’s Town’s Seaforth Beach. The area is popular for its natural bays which are ideal for swimming. It is also situated next to Boulders Beach - one of the only places where people can swim alongside African penguins and a major tourist attraction on the Cape Point Route.
For shark cage diving bookings please contact Cape Point Route on 021 782 9356 or email: info@capepointroute.co.za

Cape Point Route offers a wide range of Accommodation, Activities,
Attractions, Restaurants, Venues, Shops, Tours and Packages on the
CAPE PENINSULA, CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA

All images from Google Images

2 Wine Evenings on the Cape Point Route this weekend

There are 2 great wine and food pairing evenings taking place on the Cape Point Route this weekend. Friday night 30 July 2010 sees Rodwell House in St James host Cathy Marshall and Saturday night 31 July 2010 sees the Foodbarn Restaurant at Noordhoek Farm Village host a food-wine pairing with Tierhoek wines.

Special Wine-Maker’s Evening with Wine-maker Cathy Marshall

Date: Friday 30 July 2010

Time: 19h30

Price: R245 pp

Venue: Titanium Bistro at Rodwell House, St James

Reservations: 021 787 9880
Email: info@rodwellhouse.co.za

The event will informally approach wine tastin & food pairing unde the expert eye of wine maker, Cathy Marshall. She will dine with the group, which is limited to 16 people and details will be teased out with an added twist of fun...

Come and meet this extraordinary wine-maker and let her tell us about what inspires her to produce the beautifully poised and elegant wines that she does.

4 Course meal, carefully paired with Cathy Marshall’s superb wines, prepared by Executive Chef, Ivan Cameron.

Menu:
Canapés on arrival
Avocado mousse with poached prawn
Goats milk cheese with chives in phyllo pastry
Baked mushroom with a filling of crème fraishe and calamata olive
Cathy Marshall Sauvignon Blanc 2010

Starter
Pastry basket with spinach, egg plant and mushroom
A delicious blend of vegetables in a creamy egg custard, baked until crisp
Cathy Marshall Pinot 2009

Mains
Roasted warthog loin with caramelized apple and red wine sauce
Marinated overnight in red wine and fresh herbs, slow roasted, carved and served with crispy roast potatoes and in-season vegetables
Cathy Marshall Pinot Reserve 2009

Dessert
Double cream camembert with pears and walnuts
Camembert filled with a mixture of pears cooked in brandy and nuts, and drizzled with a warm sweet cranberry sauce
Myriad

After serving her apprenticeships in numerous South African wineries, Cathy Marshall undertook specialised training in France, Oregon, California and Australia. Apart from being resident winemaker for Meinert Winery, Ken Forrester Wines, Old Vines and Amani, Cathy was also Cellarmaster at the well-known Ridgeback Winery. Here she garnered a maiden vintage 5 star rating (John Platter) for the Ridgeback Shiraz in 2001. This helped the winery to obtain premium status. Whilst managing operations for her own wine company, she now acts as technical advisor to both Ridgeback and Lindhorst Wineries.

July 2010 Winter Wine Evening at the Foodbarn Restaurant

Date: Saturday 31 July 2010

Time: 19h30

Price: R250 pp

Venue: The Foodbarn Restaurant, Noordhoek Farm Village

Reservations: 021 787 1390
Email: info@thefoodbarn.co.za

The Foodbarn Restaurant in association with Tierhoek wines and de Noordhoek Hotel
presents their july 2010 winter wine evening. Franck has put together a delicious menu and paired each course with a Tierhoek Wine.

Menu:

fynbos smoked mussels served with watercress soup
tierhoek sauvignon blanc

thai spiced crusted kingklip , served with pak-choi and a lemongrass cream
tierhoek chenin blanc

a strawberry, red grenache and wild rosemary drinking sorbet

springbok tenderloin 'noisettes' grilled, served with beetroots, and a semi-dried apricot 'tatin', finished with a rich fig and buchu jus
tierhoek grenache rouge

pear and apple galette served hot with orange peel ice-cream
tierhoek vin de paille

please note: vegetarian option available on request

Additional Note: Special discounted rates avaialable at de Noordhoek Hotel for the event. Contact De Noordhoek 0n 021 789 2760 for reservations.

Cape Point Route offers a wide range of Accommodation, Activities,
Attractions, Restaurants, Venues, Shops, Tours and Packages on the
CAPE PENINSULA, CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA

Post Bastille- Day - meet the French on the Cape Point Route

This past weekend saw many Bastille Day Celebrations. Bastille Day is the French national holiday which is celebrated on 14 July each year. It commemorates the 1790 Fête de la Fédération, held on the first anniversary of the storming of the Bastille on 14 July 1789; the anniversary of the storming of the Bastille fortress-prison was seen as a symbol of the uprising of the modern nation, and of the reconciliation of all the French inside the constitutional monarchy which preceded the First Republic, during the French Revolution. Festivities are held on the morning of 14 July, on the Champs-Élysées avenue in Paris in front of the President of the Republic.

In South Africa - French celebrations traditionally take place over the weekend closest to the 14th July and Cape Point Route was tasting cheese, wine and good food and in honour of the things that the French do best!

We have our own little piece of France on the Cape Point Route that is not limited to Bastille Celebrations, but a year round acknowledgement of the activity that the French do best (arguably but in our humble opinion!) - and that's FOOD!

The Foodbarn Restaurant and Deli at Noordhoek Farm Village has at its helm - Frenchman Franck Dangereux, and his partner Pete de Bruin with their talented team. There is always thre is something cooking at the Foodbarn and Franck and Pete look foward to spoiling you.

Franck does regular cooking demonstrations during winter. Get this all the demo's are FREE with your lunch/dinner booking. So Cape Point Route recommends booking now for Tuesday 20 July & Thursday 22 July @ 11h30 or Wednesday 21 July @18h30

Francks demo's for this week (ending 25 July 2010) are:

Potato and celeriac rosti with brie and peppered salad, and

Seared venison with shallot fondant and gooseberry cream, and

Cabbage and potato soup with chorizo

Winter Special 2010:
As always the Foodbarn runs an amazing winter Bistro menu which has to be one of the best bargains ever. For just R185pp you get a 3 course meal and a glass of wine!

Delicious new items on the restaurant menu

The increasingly popular "Andouillette" ... spicy pork belly with chitterlings sausage ... makes a welcome return

Franck has created a superb new dish with the Springbok that Danie (our biltong supplier at the Deli) is supplying us

Escargot will be back on the menu early next week

The Foodbarn Deli has also been hard at work ...

Chef Jos is luring people back with home-made soups made fresh every day

We are using all the Springbok that Danie delivers and will have a Venison Pie by the end of this week

Franck on radio:

Every weekday at around 2:55pm, catch Franck talking food on Cape Talk 567 ... some delicious recipes to cook at home in the evenings ... all recipes posted on the Foodbarn website each day

A cooking tip from Franck:

Microwave a lemon for 15 seconds before squeezing and double the juice you get !

We recommend reservations: Calle the Foodbarn on 021 789 1390 or email info@thefoodbarn.co.za

Winter Weekend Special- Villa St James

Villa St James is an exclusive private villa in St James, Cape Town and accommodates up to 16 guests. They are running a Winter Weekend Special!

PRICE: R6500
Two nights for the price of one!

8 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms, 1 guest toilet
Fully equipped kitchen, laundry facilities, barbecue facilities,
Lounge, TV Room, Billiard Room, Dining Room (22 seater)
Housekeeping, Wireless Internet, Concierge Services.

Valid until 30 September 2010.

Enquire now

Quote "Cape Point Route" to qualify for this special.

Villa St James is an historical National monument in the coastal town of St James.
Ideal for a lavish seaside holiday accommodating 16 guests and/or a magnificent venue for wedding, special occasions and corporate functions for up to 30 guests.

Tel: 021 782 9356 or 082 784 8000 for enquiries.
Email: reservations@villastjames.com

Check out www.capepointroute.co.za for more accommodation options in St James as well as things to do in St James and surrounds.