The Western Cape’s “Other” Whale Season: In Search of Humpbacks Near Cape Town

The Western Cape doesn’t have a whale season, it has two. 

While everyone else is flocking to Hermanus (and the Whale Coast) between June and November to see the Southern Right whales, the West Coast is keeping a secret - a big one!

From November to April, the waters along the West Coast are teeming with humpback whales. Maybe “teeming” is the wrong word, the point is, there are lots of them. And they hang out in “super groups” - groups of whales made up of at least 20, sometimes closer to 200, in what is actually the largest gathering of whales along the South African coast. 

I recently got to experience this first-hand on a whale watching boat tour with Whale Expedition and it was magical!

Image: Supplied

My Whale Expedition Experience

I joined Whale Expedition at their facilities in Yzerfontein, just an hour north of Cape Town. We started the day with a muffin and a briefing before being suited up in our sexy yellow weatherproof jackets. (Who doesn’t look good in luminous yellow, right?) 

Then we boarded the boat - yes, while it was still docked/parked in the driveway. (I had flashbacks to my experience with the Waterfront Duck Co.) The boat with all the passengers on it was towed down to the pier and into the water. 

As we set sail, we saw dassies on the pier - As usual, I was very excited about this. I know, I know, everyone else is here for the 30-ton mammals, but I will continue to lobby for the promotion of the dassie as our national animal, any chance I can find. 

Humpback Whales, Up Close

It was only about 10 minutes in that we spotted our first pod of whales (that’s not the norm though - it usually takes longer). It was incredible to see all these creatures swimming around us. They were enormous. Easily longer than the boat.

What made it even more special was that they were surface feeding, which meant they would burst through the surface with their mouths wide open, and we could see them a lot more clearly. Apparently, that's also not the norm - We picked a good day!

Fun fact: The blowhole breath of the average humpback whale is stinky AF. Our guide explained that sometimes they smell the whales before they see them. This is not something I was emotionally prepared for, but it certainly made the experience even more memorable, and somehow no less awe-inspiring. 

Dassen Island and its Birdlife

After being stationary for a while, taking in all the sights and smells, and getting emotional at the sight of such majestic creatures up close, we proceeded to Dassen Island, named after what? You guessed it! Dassies! 

You’d think it would be crawling with South Africa’s much beloved angry brown floof balls, right? Wrong. I didn’t see a single dassie on the island. It is actually a nature reserve and only birds are allowed to go there. It’s home to a colony of African penguins — we like those endangered little jackasses too — and pelicans. 

From there, we moved to another area where our boat captain and leader predicted we might find more whales. He was right. This time, they came even closer to the boat, surfacing calmly and completely unbothered by our presence. It was one of those moments where conversation stops and everyone just stares, with the sound of gasping punctuating the silence every time a whale pops up out of the water. 

A Very South African Ending

After an amazing morning on the water, we then returned to the main house for boerewors rolls cooked on the braai for an authentically South African lunch experience (probably a novel event for many of the international guests on the tour). Food always tastes better after fresh air, salt spray, and whale-induced emotional overwhelm.

Not only was it an incredible experience but I learnt a lot too:

Why Do Humpback Whales Come to Yzerfontein?

The south easterly wind that usually blows at this time of year pushes the krill towards the coast, creating quite a concentration of food, so the humpbacks travel here from literally all over the southern hemisphere to feed. 

How do they know that? The underside of a whale’s tail is similar to a fingerprint. If you can get a decent close-up of a whale’s tale, you can scan it in on happywhale.com and see where else that whale may have popped up. 

What to Pack for Your Whale Watching Expedition

• Seasickness meds - The Atlantic is not a lake. Don't be "that" person.
• Warm clothing or layers - Yes, it’s summer but Cape Town is notoriously unpredictable and that ocean (and the air that blows off it) is cold.
• A scarf - Trust me.
• A hair tie if you have long hair
• Sunscreen and a hat (one that won’t fall off easily) - You’re still in the sun
• A change of pants if you want to sit on the bow of the boat (or if you get really excited at the sight of whales)

Pretty much my expression the whole time

I did the one-day whale expedition tour, but they also offer four-day trips. 

Find out more or book your experience here.

Other Posts You May Enjoy:

• Discover the best land-based whale watching at the De Hoop Collection
• Learn about shark-cage diving in Gansbaai
• Kayak with dolphins closer to Cape Town
• And if you want to know what else to do in the area, read my complete guide to the West Coast