WATCH WHALES IN FALSE BAY CAPE TOWN SIGHTINGS HOTLINE 079 391 2105

Trivia: Grey and Southern Right Whales move Northwards at this time of the year; the Grey’s in the Northern hemisphere to feed; the SRWs here to calf, nurse and mate.

DATE

PLACE

ESTIMATED

NUMBER &

SPECIES SPOTTED

SPOTTER/SOURCE

051

Thursday 28 June 2012

en route to Seal Island - afternoon trip

1 breaching SRW

Simon’s Town Boat Co

050

Thursday 28 June @ 08h47

off Glencairn

2 whales

Dr Kevin Lentin

viewing from the whale watch deck at

La Maison Cairn Self Catering****

049

Wednesday 27 June 2012 @ 11h59

Froggy Pond, Simon’s Town

2 x SRWs

Alison

048

Wednesday 27 June 2012 @ 10h40

100m off Oatlands Point, Simon’s Town

Pod of SRWs

“perhaps a birth”

Anon

047

Friday 22 June 2012 @ 12h10

mid Fish Hoek Bay

Large school of dolphins

Sean Steyn

viewing from the

Golden River Spur’s

whale watching platform

046

Winter solstice,

southern hemisphere

Thursday 21 June 2012 @ 09h00

just South of the Simon’s Town Dockyard,

opposite Dorrian Rd

2 whales

Amanda

045

Tuesday 19 June 2012 @ 15h30

just outside Simon’s Town Dockyard

2 x Humpbacks

Stuart

044

Wednesday 13 June 2012

inside the Simon’s Town Dockyard

2 x SRW

Stuart

043

Sunday 9 June 2012 @ 10h30

mid Fish Hoek Bay,

Cabo de Goede Hoop

2 x SRW

Ron Davis of

Neptune’s Rest Self Catering****

high up on the

Fish Hoek mountain side

042

Saturday 9 June 2012 @ 16h16

off Glencairn

1 x SRW

Liz Linsell of

Muizenberg Historical &

Conservation Society

whilst on the road

041

Friday 8 June 2012

Fish Hoek Bay

Large school of dolphins

sweeping across the bay

Sean Steyn

viewing from the

Golden River Spur’s

whale watching platform ;

Lorraine

040

Sunday 3 June 2012 @ 11h00

200m off Murdoch Valley North,

Simon’s Town

2 – 3 SRWs

“cruising N/S” and breaching

Margaux

039

Sunday 3 June 2012 @ 09h42

between the Roman Rock lighthouse and the Simon’s Town docks

1 x SRW

Carina Downes

whilst up at the Redhill

viewing platform

038

Saturday 2 June 2012 @ 17h30

behind the backline, Surfer’s Corner,

Muizenberg,

Cabo de Goede Hoop

1 “lazy” SRW

Dominique

viewing from The Beach Lodge

whale viewing deck at

Surfer’s Corner

037

Saturday 2 June 2012 @ 13h00

Cape Point

1 SRW

“heading South”.

Cathy/@bintiness

036

Saturday 2 June 2012 @ 09h54

300 m off Oatlands, Simon’s Town

1 breaching whale (SRW?)

“heading South”.

Anon

035

034

Friday 1 June 2012 @ 12h00

off Jager Walk, Fish Hoek Bay

1 SRW –

“breached twice”

Peter

whilst on Fish Hoek Beach

Same pod

Friday 1 June 2012 @ 11h58

off Jager Walk, Fish Hoek Bay

Whales “blowing”

Sean Steyn

viewing from the

Golden River Spur’s

whale watching platform

Friday 1 June 2012 @ 11h45 – 12h05

500m out opposite Elsje Peak/off Sunnycove, Fish Hoek Bay

1 x SRW

“very still aside from

one blow”

Richard

Same pod?

033

Friday 1 June 2012 @ 11h38

opposite the Glencairn Quarry

1 x SRW and calf.

“Mom breaching now!!”

Karyn Cooper

of Apex Predators

whilst on the road

032

Friday 1 June 2012 @ 11h00

opposite Elsje Peak/off Sunnycove, Fish Hoek Bay

3 SRWs –

one performed an “almighty breach”

William

031

Friday 1 June 2012 @ 09h30

immediately behind surfers on the backline @ Surfer’s Corner,

Muizenberg

1 whale

Steph of

Café du Metro,

Surfer’s Corner, Muizenberg

030

Wednesday 30 May 2012 @ 08h00

St James

4 x whales –

“2 large and 2 small”

Robyn

029

Wednesday 30 May 2012 @ 12h30

Murdoch Valley North,

Simon’s Town

20-40 Bottlenose dolphins

“cruzing from North to South.

The pod made several very sudden changes of direction. Breaching in the middle of the pod from an individual (maybe several), which seemed bigger, was observed on several occasions - possibly an Orca?! - but the distance did not allow to be certain”.

Margaux

028

Tuesday 29 May 2012 @ 17h15

between Fish Hoek & Glencairn

1 whale

Ailison

whilst on the Fish Hoek

mountainside and later

when on the road

027

Tuesday 29 May 2012 @ 08h15

700 metres off St James

1 x SRW heading NE.

“Quite active with a

single half breach”.

Patrick

026

Monday 21 May 2012 @ 11h00

far out Fish Hoek Bay

4 SRWs

Stuart

025

Saturday 19 May 2012 @ 09h30

close to the rocks,

Surfer’s Corner, Muizenberg

beached juvenile pygmy sperm whale. Badly lacerated and bleeding. The whale was euthanised.

Alan

024

Wednesday 16 May 2012 @ 14h09

Murdoch Valley South,

Simon’s Town

1 x SRW

heading south

Anon ;

Kathy

023

Wednesday 16 May 2012 @ 12h27

Glencairn

1 x SRW

@Learn2divetoday

022

Wednesday 16 May 2012 @ 08h30

off Fish Hoek Bay

2 x very large schools of

dolphins moving in a line Sunnycove/Strandfontein

Lorraine viewing from the beach

021

Tuesday 15 May 2012

de Cabo Falso

More dramatic Orca activity!

Simon’s Town Boat Co

020

Tuesday 15 May 2012 @ 14h00

Miller’s Point

“Vast school of dolphins heading out past Millers Point now. Couldn't see any whale accessories though!”

@bintiness

019

018

Tuesday 15 May 2012

Kalk Bay

1 x whale

@cestlaviebakery

017

Tuesday 15 May 2012 @ 10h30

Kalk Bay Point

Whale blow

Sean Steyn

viewing from the

Golden River Spur’s

whale watching platform

016

Monday 14 May 2012 @ 08h30

far off Fish Hoek Bay

“saw a huge splash after a breach and then whales blowing”

Lorraine

015

Sunday 13 May 2012 @ 09h45

off Boulders, Simon’s Town

Gannets aplenty –

“a prelude to

dolphin & Orca action?”

Evelyn Lyle

(Photographer)

014

Saturday 12 May 2012 @ 17h33

Muizenberg ex St James

“the 2 whales are now off Muizenberg side fin flapping in greeting”

@WhalesStJames ;

@SharkSpotters

013

Saturday 12 May 2012 @ 15h30

St James

2 x SRWs

@WhaleStJames

012

Saturday 12 May 2012 @ 15h00

cruising from St James towards

Kalk Bay about 400m offshore

2 x adult SRWs

heading south

David and Jane

011

Saturday 12 May 2012 @ 12h15

off St James pool

2 x SRWs –

“very lethargic”

Patrick

010

Friday 11 May 2012

de Cabo Falso

Orcas

hunting Common Dolphins

Check out this Canadian link:

http://www.orcaspirit.com/vancouver-island-marine-wildlife/vancouver-island-orcas-killer-whales

Simon’s Town Boat Co

009

Thursday 10 May 2012 @ 11h50

Roman Rock Lighthouse,

Simon’s Town

2 whales and

many cormorants

Dolphins to the left.

Cathy Withers-Clarke/

@bintiness

008

Thursday 10 May 2012 @ 09h37 – 10h57 and later

Fish Hoek Bay

An “enormous”

school of dolphins enter the

bay from the south.

Eyewitnesses report

2 x SUPs and some kayakers

rowed up to and then worked

their way through the school ie

they failed to take evasive action. Reported to DAPG for possible

follow up.

SUP working his way through

the dolphins. Not shown are

kayakers too.

Lorraine;

Sean Steyn

viewing from the

Golden River Spur’s

whale watching platform

007

Wednesday 9 May 2012

False Bay

4 x Orcas hunting

Common dolphin

(estimated at a school of 500)

African Shark Eco-Charters

006

Tuesday 8 May 2012

Seal Island

4 x Orcas hunting

Common dolphin

Apex Predators

005

Monday 7 May 2012 @ 11h30

off Fish Hoek Bay

1 breaching

Lauren & Barbara of

Cape Point Route whilst

driving on the mountainside;

Viv and Kim of

Scenic South website

viewing from the beach

004

Sunday 6 May 2012

Muizenberg

4 x Orcas hunting

Common dolphin

SharkSpotters

via The Grosvenor B&B

003

Saturday 5 May 2012

1nm East of York Shoal,

False Bay

(Note: York Shoal is about 2 km

SSE of Seal Island)

4 x Orcas,

the same pod spotted

over four consecutive years.

Read the report here

Comment by Dave Hurwitz of Simon’s Town Boat Co: This pod comprises of probably 5 animals - In addition
to the 4 witnessed hunting, Dave had a definite sighting of a large
triangular male dorsal about 2 miles South of the pod.
This is transient pod (i.e. not resident) with only about 7 confirmed sightings over the past 4 years, but we suspect that they spend far more time in the bay than we realise.

Giant dorsal fin in amongst

hundreds of fleeing dolphins

Apex Predators &

Simon’s Town Boat Co

002

Saturday 5 May 2012 @ 14h30

St James

±20 dolphins.

@WhaleStJames

001/

First sighting

Saturday 5 May 2012 @ 07h40

Surfer’s Corner, Muizenberg

50 dolphins

“riding the waves”

@Learn_2_Surf

PRE-SEASON SIGHTINGS 2012

000

May 2012

off Hot Point, just east of Lizard Point on the Cornish coast (UK)

1 NRW

one of the most endangered

species in the world.

Click here to read more…

The whale was seen by a group of teenage anglers, Jim Cave, a local resident, and by a canoeist

011

Sunday 29 April 2012 @ 08h00

Fish Hoek Bay

Dolphins sweeping past

Sean Steyn

viewing from the

Golden River Spur’s

whale watching platform

010

Thursday 26 April 2012

off Cape Point

Cathy Withers-Clarke

whilst out on a drive

009

Wednesday 25 April @ 06h52

off Danger Beach, St James

1 x “Humpbacked” whale

@WhalesStJames

008

Saturday 14 April 2012 @ 11h00

off Strandfontein

1 or 2

barefootRose

007

Wednesday 11 April 2012 @ 09h29

opposite Cooked Restaurant

Surfer’s Corner

Muizenberg

Clint Beetge of

Cooked Restaurant,

Surfer’s Corner,

Muizenberg ;

Steve and Leigh whilst

sitting inside Cooked

006

Easter Monday 9 April 2012 @ 14h30

Miller’s Point

The Clarkson family of

The Blue Gecko Restaurant,

Fish Hoek

whilst out on a drive

005

Monday 9 April 2012 in the morning

Cape Point

Cathy Withers-Clarke

whilst out on a drive

004

Saturday 7 April 2012 in the evening

St James

Sarah

003

21 March 2012

Simon’s Town

1 x Bryde whale,

dolphins, fish and

Cape Gannets aplenty

Simon’s Town Boat Co

000

Thursday 22 March

Silvermine Wetlands

Fish Hoek

1 x Little Crake,

a migrant water bird –

a very rare sighting close to

the beach.

See also http://hardakerwildlife.wordpress.com

Gillian Barnes

002

Wednesday 21 March 2012 midday/early pm

Surfer’s Corner, Muizenberg

3 or 4 and

V-shaped plumes =

SRW!!

Says Sally “Had my binocs on massive fish-run with unusually

large (for me)

concentrations of birds. And then saw the plumes - closer than the

fish run”.

Sally

viewing from a very high building/vantage point in Muizenberg that overlooks the corner

001

Monday 27 February 2012

Cape Point

2 SRW

Patrick Morris

This sightings log keeps False Bay West Shore on the International Whale Watching/Spotting Radar

References To Historical Notes in the Log. Refer to www.awhaleofaheritageroute.co.za/copyright.htm

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either call A Whale Of A Heritage Route on 079 391 2105 or

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WHEN YOU SPOT A WHALE

either call A Whale Of A Heritage Route on 079 391 2105 or

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