Southern Right Charters

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Southern Right Charters Whale Watching The safety and conservation of the whales and marine life is principal.
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Experience an up, close and personal encounter with the gentle giants of the ocean by joining us on a whale watching trip that promises to be an ‘experience to be treasured.’

For the last decade, Southern Right Charters as a licensed permit holder has operated under the ethos and motto of: ‘Observing NOT Disturbing’. Under this ethos we believe it is our obligation to ensure the service offered i

s informative and educational. From June to December you will mostly encounter the Southern Right whales, seals, penguins and marine birds, and often see dolphins, Bryde’s and Humpback whales on many of our trips. We are licensed to approach the whales up to 50m, being curious creatures they usually come right unto the vessel. Our purpose-built catamaran Miroshca, complies with all safety regulations and its configuration provides spectacular viewing and comfort. Four different viewing levels allow passengers the best viewing opportunities. The friendly, knowledgeable crew add that personal touch to ensure an all-round great experience.

07/11/2024

With some bad Wx for the day, - a gap for some admin

Here's a new resighting for the season –
We visually confirmed the match using her partial grey markings on her back, as well as her callosity pattern.

Last seen here in Walker Bay in 2021 – with a fully brindle calf and now again in 2024 – this time with a ‘normal’ black calf.

A 3yr calving interval would indicate she’s one healthy mum, and – considering we’re at the tail end of the season – when looking at her – she’s still pretty fat! (a compliment in the whale world!!)

02/10/2024

In other news…
With expansions, and international marketing on the horizon, and our continual commitment to growing within the industry – we’re opening up a couple of spots to join our team.
Dedicated, Hard working, not scared of long hours, keen for a challenge, great team player – this sound like you?
Then send your CV & Cover letter to the E-mail in the Ad, and lets get chatting!
Cheers

17/09/2024

Resighting time again.
Another one for 2024.
Here we have an excellent example of the “brindle effect” and how it changes as the whales age.
This brindle adult (brindle, - referring to the lighter brown colorations on her back) was last seen in the Hermanus area in October 2021 with a calf.
Now, back in 2024 with another calf in tow. – an excellent example of a Southern Right Whale in great health. With an optimum 3 year calving interval.

She can be easily identified by the patterns on her back as seen here.

Her calf in 2021 as can be seen here was black, however her 2024 offspring being pretty much fully brindle/white in appearance.
It gets confusing – so stay with us ….
There is a Very high probability that her 2024 calf is a male because of the high amount of brindle effect HOWEVER – not impossible to be a female.

The white calf, as it is now – will darken with age.

To our knowledge, there are now 3 brindle 2024 calves in walker bay at the moment, giving great sightings to onlookers.

14/09/2024

14 September 2024

A day that had all the whale action.

Not much more to say!

With it being a noticeably slower start to the 2024 season, - the past few weeks has bought a welcome influx of whales into the area making sightings great from the boat (and land based).

At a complete estimate, - likely 40-50 whales in Hermanus at the moment – making for some awesome sightings (clearly!)
~
We’ve also been seeing the first ‘Brindle” (white) whales of the season in the area lately – so no doubt the Whatsapp groups will be abuzz with Albino talk soon once spotted from shore!

The acrobatic Humpback whale pictured here was also seen in Hermanus on 18 August 2024, adding to the growing number of Humpback whales that are sticking around the area and – as regularly being seen this season finding plenty of food to snack on and keep them interested in staying.

Let’s see how the second half of the season progresses. . . . .

06/09/2024

06.09.24
Not bad for a Friday in Hermanus!
It’s alive out there today

12/08/2024

Southern Right Whale Resighting.
Second one for the season so far…..
This one, easily identifiable by the brindle markings across her back.
Last seen in Walker Bay in September 2022, and now in August 2024.
This whale is a large adult and, on both occasions, seen alone.
What's interesting is that with the brindle markings, which as can be seen are in a V / partial V shape pointing forward (highlighted in the insert zoomed image) we can determine that this whale is a female.
The pigmentation pattern occurs as a result of the presence of both the dominant and recessive alleles of the gene. This is because the dominant allele is not completely dominant over the recessive allele, this results in a combination of the two pigmentation patterns. This pigmentation can only occur in individuals with the gene combination Xx.

Whales with this V shaped, partial grey, pigmentation are, therefore, always female.

Why – is a lone adult female here every 2 years and not the 3 – 5 year calving periods expected.
And further more – without a calf at all on both occasions? Perhaps a failed pregnancy…
No real way of knowing factually, but great insights all the same.

29/07/2024

Heads up for whale season 2024

Species rich waters of Walker Bay, seldom disappoint!

As we near August and with it the peak months ahead for Southern Right Whales in Walker Bay, as always - each year is a lottery of guessing just how many whales will grace us with their presence.
If this whale lottery were to be a predicted game, on the back of 2023’s bumper year, predicting a much lower count for this year would be an easy thumb suck for most informed people!

True to form, unprecedented low numbers of Southern Right Whales in the area for the first 3rd of the season has been on the cards.

With numbers of whales visiting our shores a known variable of the whale migrations. Calving / mating intervals & maturity of population stock for sure playing a roll & likely food source availability also a factor.
Remember - these whales, having been in the ocean longer than we’ve been standing up straight – and will easily adapt to their environment and needs.

However, the ocean seldom disappoints.

Lately, we have been seeing Southern Right Whales daily (albeit lower numbers).

Humpback whales have also been making their presence known with high frequency sightings - much more than we have experienced in recent years.
With a number continuously feeding in the cape waters – staying for prolonged periods in the area. So far, we’ve been unable to determine what the whales are feeding on, but the fact is there is an abundance of food in Walker Bay (& False Bay) keeping several humpback whales in the area.

With identifying Humpbacks done through the ever-efficient Happywhale – a method of uploading an image of the underside of their tails and it being compared on their global database – so far this year we’ve had a very low hit rate of matches, with only 3 humpback whales known in the system
- 1 seen in Mozambique last year
- 1 seen on the west coast feeding grounds in 2022
- 1 has been a residing in the area seen a couple of times in the past weeks between false bay / walker bay.
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This low match rate would indicate a completely different segment of the population is passing at the moment, which – is a great thing and indicates a larger population than perhaps thought.

Brydes whales have been a constant so far, often curious and even feeding around the boat keeping keen eyed onlookers entertained.

As well as a little bit of Killer Whale action in June when we encountered the infamous duo Port & Starboard, entertaining the boat with some lobtailing and other antics!

So, all in all – it's been a mixed & varied bag for the season so far – comparable to that of 2016 (our last season where we experienced lower numbers of whales).

Let's see how the season progresses as we get into the thick of it over the coming weeks. . . . .

13/07/2024

Playful. Powerful. Precise.
Make no mistake, this doesn’t happen every day on a whale boat, but when it does….
The feeling, when being close to these displays of energy literally hits your core.

Today was a great day out there!

20/06/2024

RESIGHTING TIME!
On our 09h00 trip this morning (20th June) we had the pleasure of seeing a whale with a very distinguishable ‘white blaze’ on her back.
When back on land, the team went through our in-house re-sighting log where we keep track of all the whales that are easily identifiable.
This mornings whale was last seen in Walker Bay on 20 August 2018.
At that time, she was with a healthy looking calf.
Some 6 years later we meet again!
That does seem a long time to not have visited again, with the expected calving intervals between 3 – 5 years, 6 years between sightings is a stretch.
It is possible we missed her in 2021 while not operating as much during COVID, or perhaps she had a failed pregnancy -but guess we’ll never really know.
It’s the mystery that intrigues us, but slowly we’ll start to have more answers than questions!

11/06/2024

11.06.24
09:00

Boys are back in town!

Infamous orca duo ‘port’ and ‘starboard’ spotted this morning cruising west along the kelp forests near shore of the Hermanus coastline.

Absolutely amazing sighting.
Regularly playful, lob-tailing and spy hopping as well as coming to check the boat out.

‘Port’ also predated on a mola mola sunfish as a little snack - (see last pics)

What. A. Morning.

30/05/2024

HERE WE HAVE THE ANSWER!
Based on decades spent on the water, - we’ve put it down for all to sea! 🧐
As we start, every year around this time – like clockwork - it's met with some surprise, with many speculating
“Is it really whale season”?!
This graph shows sighting data from the many (many!) seasons we’ve done, and clearly illustrates that from mid-May, the waters of Walker Bay start to come alive.
A key take out – is that there is never, nothing out there, - the chances of seeing something is always there. If you can adapt that adventurous mindset when going on these trips, you are sure to be rewarded.
INFACT – the first 6-8 weeks has the highest chance of the season to see the widest range of marine life…. From whales to dolphins – it's all out there to be seen in the first few weeks of the season.
FOR SURE – it can take longer, and needs some patience, perseverance even at times – but the ocean always provides… you just have to go find it!

-The peak months for Southern Right Whales in Hermanus – obviously we expect to see them all the time, and that’s an amazing time of year too – seeing them gather in mating groups a plenty….
-Common Dolphins & Brydes whales tend to be a bit scarcer in the mid months of the season – generally having moved east following the infamous Sardine Run.
-While Humpback whales also tend to track east, - seeking the warmer waters of the Indian Ocean for their calving and mating periods.
-A semi-resident pod of bottlenose dolphins features regularly all season through, and Orcas – although rarely spotted – have been seen at all times of the year here so the chance is always there!
SO – adapt the adventurous spirit, absorb what the ocean gives you on the day and just enjoy the show of nature.
It's all out there to be seen.

30/05/2024

Open to applications!
Here at Southern Right Charters, we are always looking to expand and find new talent.
If you love the ocean, are keen to put in the hours, outgoing, and good with admin - then get in touch!

Few pre-requisites:
-Must live in/close to Hermanus
-Must have a car & valid driver's license
-Be able & willing to fill in as an AuPair/Tutor/PA
-Be outgoing, honest, and reliable (obviously!)

Send your CV & a cover letter through to [email protected]

Good Luck!

27/05/2024

27.05.24
All out there to be seen - 3 for 3!
Stunning time on the water today, with lots of activity in the bay with all 3 species out there to be seen:

Southern Right Whales
Humpback Whales
Brydes Whales.

Not too bad for May!
next trip out tomorrow (28/05/24).

Let's get out there!

20/05/2024

Friendly faces out there....

While out there, watching whales, we constantly monitor them and are looking for familiar whales we may recognize as old friends.

In reality – the official identification of a Southern Right Whale is done with his/her callosity pattern on their head, – but this can be hard to do in the moment and requires smarty pants science peeps and their algorithms to do.

So, for now, while that technology becomes more available, - we monitor whales with ‘white blazes’ or ‘brindle markings’ on their back – clear, identifying markings easily seen and often instantly recognizable.
Here's a few from last year….

Great to see whales returning, these girls - all with calves each time reseen with a 3 – 4 year calving interval is also a really good overall sign of their health.

Second pic - MIRA, a well-known local whale coming back consistently every 3 years .... always amazing looking out for her.

(We do see a lot more refighting's annually, these are just the easy ones to identify quickly)

Season starts this weekend.... lets see who's out there this year!

18/02/2024

🌊🐋 Happy World Whale Day! 🐋🌊
Today, we want to extend our heartfelt gratitude to each and every one of you who generously donated to the Robin Appleby Memorial Fund, and/or attended the fundraising event held in October 2023.

All funds raised were donated to the Mammal Research Institute (MRI) Whale Unit.

The whale tagged in Robin’s memory is named Sagittarius, celebrating her birth sign.
You can follow this whale (and all other tagged whales) on the MRI website.

The website has upto date data about the whales migration journey and more in depth information around the work being done.

https://www.mammalresearchinstitute.science/whale-unit.

Your support has been instrumental in furthering the understanding and conservation efforts for these whales. 🙏💙
Thanks to your donations, we have been able to contribute towards assisting with the research and monitoring efforts, gathering valuable data that will help make informed decisions to safeguard whale populations and their habitats. 🌟
Today, as we celebrate World Whale Day, let us also celebrate the incredible impact Robin had on our lives and the legacy she left behind.

Once again, we express our deepest gratitude for your unwavering support and for joining us in honouring Robins memory.

Your kindness and generosity are truly making a difference in the world. Let's keep working together to protect our oceans and the amazing creatures that inhabit them. 🌊💙

22/10/2023

FUNDRAISING EVENT - IN LOVING MEMORY OF ROBIN APPLEBY - Southern Right Charters is hosting a whale watching experience to locals, for those who want to get out on the water and experience what Walker Bay has to offer.

The trip will be done entirely on a donation basis.

In memory of Robin, who passed away at the end of last year, all funds raised will be given to the Robin Appleby memorial fund, - of which 100% of the funds raised will be donated to the Mammal Research Institute.

Southern Right Charters will match all funds raised.

DATE: Tuesday 24th October 2023
TIME: 17H00
BOOKINGS ESSENTIAL
Open to the first 45pax.

Wine & snacks provided after the trip

Contact us on 082 353 0550 to secure your spot.

01/10/2023

As we welcome the 10th month, we, like most of the Whale Coast region say “good riddance” to September!

September: 1
Whale Watching: 0

Looking back, we endured multiple cold fronts, with some never seen before weather warnings being issued, unequaled rain fall, some of the highest seas of recent years, coupled with a spring tide, and for higher grounds not too far away, some serious snowfall.

Inhouse, we sustained some storm damage to our harbour infrastructure, with our office, floating jetty & tender boat getting a beating! But – given what others endured, we got off lightly and are thankful for that.

Considering the above, it’s not surprising then, that time spent at sea over the past weeks has been limited.

However, when the opportunities arose – September seeing the numbers of whales in Walker Bay peak, it’s a fair assumption that sightings were consistently on point.

Lots of action out there, coupled with some awe-inspiring sunrises and sunsets.

It’s always great to monitor the sunrise, as it moves further South as the year progresses – and rears its head earlier and earlier each day- a sure sign of summer coming.

Over the past 2 weeks, dolphins & Brydes whales have made several appearances on the sightings board too, as we welcome them back from chasing sardines further up the coast.

So, all in all, not bad when the weather played ball!

31/08/2023

Once in a blue moon.

Seldom do days like yesterday come across ones path.
As August winds down, a monumental month draws to a close.

With strong westerly winds predicted for today, what more fitting way to end the month than on the blue moon occurrence of last night.

Yesterday, starting with a sunrise trip with it all, -
bioluminescent as we left the Harbor at 6:30am, followed by a sunrise, - as picture perfect as any African sunrise can be, calm seas & the colours of dawn rising, with silent moments spent among giants.

The magic of the day ahead unfolded with incredible sightings all day long, and was drawn to a close with some Blue moon rising moments.

As a team at SRC we took the evening opportunity to enjoy the blue moon spectacle from the ever iconic rotary way look out point above Hermanus and cheers the height of whale season 2023.

1 amazing day in pictures.

Here comes Spring!

Address

The Whale Shack, Whale Road, New Harbour. Hermanus
Hermanus
7200

Telephone

+27823530550

Website

http://www.southernrightcharters.co.za/

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Videos

Apart from whales, you'll see plenty of other marine life on your tour with Southern Right Charters. Join us for the tail end of whale-watching season and tick other beautiful animals like Cape fur seals, bottlenose dolphins and African penguins off your must-see list! Book online! 🐬 bit.ly/3Fpg9t0

What's special about our boat? Well, we'll tell you! ⛵ Our purpose-built catamaran offers stability out on the water, as well as various areas from which to view the whales. There are enclosed areas that offer protection from the weather and sea-spray and plenty of comfortable seats to go around. The special sound system ensures you'll be able to hear the whale specialist guide no matter where you're standing and, much to everyone's relief, there are ladies and gents toilets aboard for your comfort. Read more about our boat here: bit.ly/3Q5sabS

Avid snappers won't be able to resist the incredible photo opportunities on our tours. What's that old Nat Geo slogan? We go further, to take you closer... Enjoy! 📸

A golden glow shines over the bay as we head into the final few weeks of whale-watching season. Book your tour dates for November as we bid farewell to these goliaths of the sea. Contact us: bit.ly/46XAnFQ

Do you know the 3 types of whales found in Walker Bay? 🐳 Bryde's Whale 🐳 Southern Right Whale 🐳 Humpback Whale Join us on a whale-watching tour to learn more about these majestic mammals of the deep! Pop us a WhatsApp to book. 💬 +27 (0)82 353 0550

Join us for a dreamy morning on the water as we scout for the ocean's gentle giants together. Southern Right Charters leads three tours per day; 09h00, 12h00 & 15h00; all departing from Hermanus' New Harbour. Private charters are available upon request. Explore our website: http://bit.ly/3Fpg9t0 Or get in touch: ☎️ +27 (0)82 353 0550

Let's head out to sea (see) the whales! 👀 Guests joining us on morning tours should remember to pack a jacket - it can get chilly out on the water! More info: bit.ly/3Fpg9t0

🐋 Operating since 1999 - that's almost a quarter of a century! 🐋 Join Southern Right Charters, a top whale-watching operator in Hermanus, for a tour of a lifetime, getting up close and personal with the beautiful whales that migrate past our coast every year. From a briefing session before we head out to sea, to knowledgeable guides able to explain whale behaviour, you'll head home with a new appreciation for all that happens out in the deep blue. Visit our website: bit.ly/3Fpg9t0

Getting it On in #hermanus Whale Season in full swing!! 📹: 12/07/23 #whalewatching #whaleseason #southernrightwhale #southafrica #ocean #marinelife #capetown #dji #matingormockmating 🤣

23 June 2023. Hermanus. First calf spotted in the bay. This 2023 model, with low mileage was an awesome sight to see. #whale #whaleseason #babywhale #eenwalvisasseblief #whalewatching #ocean #marinelife #walkerbay #southafrica #

June 2023. As the season kicks off - the waters of Walker Bay, Hermanus become known as ‘Humpback Highway’ as these whales migrate past our coastline further east along the coastline. - This year is turning out to be no different. Some shots from a recent encounter out there. June really can offer up some of the most raw, unscripted whale sightings of the year. #getoutthere #whaleseason #whalewatching #hermanus #humpbackwhale #southafrica #nature #ocean

Today 12:00 tour. - stunning shots of a Brydes whale. These whales although smaller than other whales we see in the area- they are giants in their own rights. They can get to +\-14metres long, and weigh around 20tonnes. Being non migratory - they are also the unsung hero’s of the whale watching world in South Africa! Great sightings of them today in Walker Bay. #whalewatching #whale #brydeswhale #whaleseason #ocean #nature #marinelife #dji #southafrica #hermanus #capewhalecoast #tourism