Whale Expedition SA, Yzerfontein (2025)

03/12/2024

Some days are just made different!
WHAT. A. DAY.

Supergroups – a staple for the area at the moment, with the energy and power that comes with being among these gatherings of giants.
Also – individual whales, taking some time out from daily duties of feeding, coming to be inquisitive and playful. Displaying all the entertainment a humpback can show!

All in all – one for the books.
Can’t wait to get back out there tomorrow!

24/11/2024

Saturdays, Sundays, Searching & Supergroups!

Multiple groups in varied locations, getting us to cover the miles at times.
The groups though – showcasing some of the most incredible surface feeding/lunging seen to date so an awesome beginning of the season.
Some acrobatic displays, close encounters and tails with the amazing seascapes only the west coast can offer as a backdrop - all round its been a pretty awesome couple of days on the water.
Random photo selection to wet the appetite!

18/11/2024

Not Kak!

1 day
2 super groups
100+ whales spotted

Let the 2024/25 super group season begin!

With confirmed knowledge of groups in the area, it was with high hopes & fully charged cameras that we launched early this morning with an elite boat team of knowledgeable locals.

Despite the west coast, west coasting – with thick fog to start the day, - it cleared out a few miles offshore, and as always – the ocean did not disappoint.

First Dassen island, for the obligatory check in with the birdlife, then Northward bound and the search was on.

Supergroup #1 – easily 60 animals strong, a little scattered to start but quickly came together in a tight feeding group.

Supergroup #2 – 20miles further north, 40+ animals with surface feeding, lobtailing, and all the flukes needed to put a smile on everyones face.

Some duskies, birdlife and a few lone whales along 16 mile beach as we headed back in.

Safe to say the ocean was alive and talking – the west coast is ON!

31/10/2024

Taking WhaleExpedition - and with it - the supergroup whale watching industry and the west coast region to the international stage in 2025 with and International Luxury Travel Market during Unexpended upside - an awesome new table cloth while we decide on stand design!

25/10/2024

Finito !
Phase1 complete…..
A Massive shout out to for their ability to think with us, create, and complete this build in record time, - (faster than we have come up with a name for her!!!)

Custom console, spotting platform and seating – this is the epitome of ‘purpose built’.
And that purpose…. Is to find Supergroups of humpback whales, leading the way in the supergroup expedition industry, but also to explore unknown territories.
Further offshore, looking for whales that are known to be there, but no one ventures to –
S***m whales, blue whales, beaked whales – and of course – Fin whales!
Its all out there to be found, - and once launched, we plan to go find it!

Phase2 –
The boat will go to Suzuki for engine and electronics fit out on Monday.

27/08/2024

Here we go then!
Whale Expedition SA we are known for offering unique expeditions to encounter the rich marine life present along the Cape West Coast.
The vision, has always been to create the most in depth, informative & immersive experience.
To be the catalyst – bringing together industry experts from all fields of the whale watching/research fraternities.
Here comes, our first – multiday expedition.
As the ONLY licenced boat-based whale watching company in South Africa to create this product, integrating research teams, professional nature photographers and whale watching industry leaders into one, comprehensive experience.
A bucket list to the itinerary for any whale or nature lover travelling in South Africa.
The Cape West Coast, with its raw expansive horizons, points of interest and rocky outcrops attracts a rich and varied marine life setting the perfect backdrop for adventure.

The area currently hosts the largest annual gathering of Humpback whales in the Southern Hemisphere lower latitudes during the South African summer months – ensuring a once in a lifetime experience.
We have put together a tailored, 5-day itinerary exposing those who join to the raw face of nature at its best.
Expedition dates:
25 – 29th November 2024
January 2025 (TBC)

24/08/2024

Special day, and a worthy visit at this time of year for any nature or whale lover Visiting today - 40+ at their usual hang out spot of

02/03/2024

01.03.24
West Coast winning.
It’s march, so we expect the whale numbers in this area to start to dwindle, as these ocean giants begin their migration back to traditional winter hang outs in warmer waters.

But – the ocean seldom disappoints.
Scattered whales, all playful.

Interestingly – the whales seen have all been seen over the past weeks in the area, a good indication that theres enough food to keep them interested in staying here.
A really great sign.

If the Wx plays the game, we’ll be out again in a few days.
With whales present, but supergroup numbers dropping – we’ll likely wrap up mid-March.

15/02/2024

Expeditions: 09/02/24 – 13/02/24
Consistently, inconsistent. (But exciting!)
4 expeditions during this period, and the results are in!
Every time we went to sea, we found whales- in varying numbers, and a good mix of Humpbacks & Southern Rights.
2 of the 4 expeditions, found supergroups, with obvious feeding behavior and food source in the area.

Among the Humpbacks we did see, quite a few known individuals that have been regularly seen so far this season, both on the west coast, and further south on the peninsula.
But also some complete newbies, and others that have not been seen since 2022, or since November 2023… begging the obvious question of “Where have they been hiding?!!)
So, for now – we dare not, not go! – partly because tail chasing Alex Vogel of will kak us out if we don’t!
The odds are good. There ARE whales in the area, and we will – do everything we can to find them, when we get out there!
No doubt, there will be a shift soon, and when that occurs, - we’ll re-assess.
But for now, - it’s a Go when the Wx allows! – next mission, - over the weekend.

06/02/2024

So, - IS IT STILL SUPER GROUP SEASON?
A question, we’ve been asked (and asking!) a lot lately.
Here's an honest report of the movements lately;
-The last time a ‘Supergroup’ (which by definition refers to 20+ whales within a body length of each other, feeding.) was on 24 Jan 2024
-Many of the whales we saw in that group, had previously been further south on the peninsula for +/- 10 days, and before that – we had also been viewing them in early Jan around the Dassen Island area.
IE: that group of +/- 60-80 animals was the only known group on the peninsula at that time.
-So far for the 2023/24 “supergroup season” just over 450 individual humpback whales have identified-
-This number is lower than previous years. But with the science behind this all so new, and the industry in its infancy stages, - creating conclusions is not possible yet.
-DO these whales use this area as a pitstop, then continue their migration down south?
-Do they move further offshore in certain conditions?
-Is this their migration, and then they return to mating/birthing grounds closer to the equator?

Just a few, of the many more questions, than we have answers regarding these whales!
Being the only operator doing super group expeditions on the west coast, - if we don’t go look, then we won’t know if there's 2 or 200 whales out there!
But for sure, we can monitor patterns, document, and adapt.
What WhaleExpedition is not about, - is selling one experience, knowing it's not available, and then just blaming nature.
Yes, the ocean and all within it are playful and unpredictable, it’s part of what makes what we do exhilarating - but we have to be responsible within that.
Knowing what we want to offer and what the realistic chances of being able to offer that are – need to match.

We have NO doubt, there are whales in the area, possibly different species, possibly scattered humpback whales, and maybe – if all our stars align – some supergroups are out there to be found.
Its full send, methodical, grid search patterns - for the next few days… if we still don’t find the magic, - we will probably be wrapping up this season a little earlier than predicted for this year.
Let's SEE!

24/01/2024

SUPER GROUP SEASON
(of southern right whales!!!)

2 days of endurance out there.
Yesterdays wind stronger than forecasted making conditions a little challenging – and despite best predictions the Humpback whales have been throwing total curve balls on where they’re hiding!

Both days we have seen Humpback whales, albeit scattered – yesterday sightings were short, but we were rewarded with a massive breaching adult whale right next to the boat.

Today, near perfect ocean conditions paved the way for us to cover the miles.
Off to Dassen first – and always a great sign when we find our first sighting of a humpback for the day at the island…
Further north several Humpbacks in the area.

While closing in on Cape Columbine – the Unmistakable ‘V-shape’ blow of Southern Right Whales was seen from a distance.

Soon enough, these callosity covered cetaceans were literally all around us!
20+ animals, diving, showing their massive tails. And just like feeding humpback whales – smelling too! (arguably worse than Humpbacks!)

The obligatory Dolphins, sunfish, and myriad of seabirds were also on the sightings board over the past days.

So, all in all – not too bad - and with the industry legend, tail chasing, ID matching, top whale nut, Alex Vogel onboard today
– the guy, who does all our tail IDíng in record breaking time on the system, and total supergroup addict with . - Only he – can come with us, in humpback supergroup season, and we find him a supergroup of southern right whales – maybe next time Alex!

20/01/2024

20.01.24
Thick fog from the minute we launched had the crew looking, smelling, and listening for any sign of whales!

As with the highs and lows of these expeditions; - the hours of the first half passed with nothing much to see.
(Side note: This year we upgraded the waterproofs we offer guests to Offshore jackets – which came into their own in todays conditions for sure & we would highly recommend!)

We stopped randomly for a sunfish and shortly after – while steaming with little visibility, out of no where - 2 obvious ‘whale footprints’ caught our eye.
(a whale footprint is a smooth patch of water, caused by the up and down motion of the whales tail)

With no clue which way the whales were going, what they were and less than 50m visibility – whale finding skills were put to the test! ‘

On the edge of the range of visibility – up comes 2 unmistakeable Killer Whales, dorsal fins collapsed – Port & Starboard, on a mission.
While we were with them, they were making obvious movement South, which – given they were last sighted in Namibia – this would make sense.

Closer to Dassen Island, +/- 30 Humpback whales. And as suspected - all on a mission heading North.

With excitement onboard high and the whales energetic; moving fast and several breaching & lobtailing – it was a phenomenal second half of the expedition and a great day on the water.

Things a bit quiet tomorrow and some strong southerly winds on Monday – we’ll be out again mid week and see whats happening out there.

19/01/2024

First day out after some strong winds, and an inevitable shift occurred.

We chose a northerly track and were definatly not disappointed.
Whales scattered and in deep water (180metres plus) were testing their diving endurance and our patience at times, but over 20 seen for the day, with some amazing surface feeding at one point.

Also managing to find our record-breaking friend ‘Ampersand’ with her calf again. Instantly recognisable, and putting a smile on everyones face.

Out of the whales seen:
Ampersand & calf - we have knowingly seen them a couple of times up here over the past weeks so shes definatly sticking around the North
1 whale last seen in Hout bay about a week ago
The rest all Newbies (not been recorded).

So, indications would suggest a northerly shift, and more whales entering the area. - With water temperatures looking good, and lots of food in the water – we have high hopes for the coming days!

Let’s see what tomorrow holds….

15/01/2024

15.01.24
Another northbound trek covering the distance!

Southern right whale numbers growing in the area for sure with several seen during todays expedition showing off their massive tails making for some amazing shots.

Further North, plenty of humpbacks- albeit scattered.

Playful too, sporadic breaches, flipper slapping, some even choosing to be curious around the boat and playfully interact with passing fur seals.
Out of the whales we managed to ID today, 1 we saw yesterday:
1 was last seen in this area in November.
The rest have never been seen anywhere before, (newbies) ….
So another great day. Finding these whales asks more questions than answers for now;

The ones seen in November last, where have they been that no one has seen them?
- they surely didn’t go down to Antarctica and back in 6 weeks so been lingering here somewhere……… but where?!

The newbies -
Always a great sign, - more whales in the ocean, but non of them were small, so where have they been all these years that they suddenly pop up here?

For now….. loving being part of a wider team effort trying to decipher this ‘whale Enigma’ !

We nearly went our first expedition this season without seeing any dolphins…. But a pod of dusky dolphins at the harbour wall on return saved the embarrassment, and made for an awesome end to the day.

Some nice strong SE winds for a couple of days. No doubt creating another shift. - so let the games begin again towards the end of the week.

14/01/2024

14.01.24
40+ Humpback whales
5+ Southern Right whales…
West Coast - You Beaut!

The last 2 days, fog hampered visibility, but with little of that on todays forecast - hopes were high.

Off Dassen island, 5+ Southern Right Whales feeding and playful around each other.

Dolphins- Heaviside & Duskys spotted too as well as tons of birdlife.

Then our trek NW began! ….

Nearly 2 hours - and no signs of the missing humpbacks !

Until- blows on the horizon started.
The furthest offshore we’ve been and boy were we rewarded!

In the area 40+ Humpback whales.
Deep water, deep food, thus deep (and long) dives made the viewing exciting.

Among them, Ampersand with her calf. The iconic, record breaking Humpback whale of Southern Africa.
Immediately recognisable with her huge, and unique tail.
Her calf, full of energy and breaching close to the boat too.

Absolutely - stunning expedition.
Early indications seem to show a lot of the whales seen today are complete ‘newbies’ - or not been seen for 2months+.

This is really good news, high whale numbers, more than we think, and a lot of whale movement.

For now mystery continues, on where these guys move to in the weeks they aren’t seen… but we’ll keep piecing it together over the years, get insight into these incredible animals, and maybe one day - work it out!
Tomorrow - let’s see what’s out there!

13/01/2024

13.01.24

Wheres Wally?!
With yesterdays mission (12th) being a bit quiet on the whale front, and the team
covering over 200nautical miles in 2 days these whales are defiantly playing hard to get!

Today we did manage to find scattered whales.

Southern Right Whales making a frequent appearance on expeditions now, and a single humpback whale quite far north- on a mission.

This humpback, although alone had defiantly been feeding somewhere close by, (the smell is unmistakeable!).
So, likely this one not alone in the greater area, but with Thick fog closing us in, after an hour of searching, we called it and came back towards shore.

As always though, the west coast ocean playground never disappoints - Dolphins, seals, penguins, sunfish, and crazy bird life all out there to keep us entertained throughout.

(There is a known group down on the south, but with that groups numbers dropping, and supposedly +\- 500 whales on the peninsula - it begs the obvious question of where’s the rest of em?!)
Tomorrow:
Full Send- North West.

Let’s see!!

Whale Expedition SA

03/12/2024

24/11/2024

18/11/2024

31/10/2024

25/10/2024

27/08/2024

24/08/2024

02/03/2024

15/02/2024

06/02/2024

24/01/2024

20/01/2024

19/01/2024

15/01/2024

14/01/2024

13/01/2024

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