Along South Africa’s southern coast, winter brings a remarkable migration. From June to September, Southern Right whales arrive in the turquoise shallows to calve and nurse their young—often just metres from shore. Their massive bodies rise and fall in slow, deliberate arcs. Spouts drift skyward. Sometimes, if the wind is still, you can hear their low, haunting calls from land.
It hasn’t always been this way. Sixty years ago, these whales were on the brink. Centuries of commercial…
Along South Africa’s southern coast, winter brings a remarkable migration. From June to September, Southern Right whales arrive in the turquoise shallows to calve and nurse their young—often just metres from shore. Their massive bodies rise and fall in slow, deliberate arcs. Spouts drift skyward. Sometimes, if the wind is still, you can hear their low, haunting calls from land.
It hasn’t always been this way. Sixty years ago, these whales were on the brink. Centuries of commercial whaling had devastated populations—especially the Southern Right whale, so named because it was considered the “right” whale to hunt: slow, rich in oil, and prone to floating after death. By 1986, only 60 breeding females were known to remain in South African waters. That same year, hunting was finally banned.
Since then, things have changed. South Africa now protects key marine areas, and the whales have slowly returned. Today, an estimated 10,000 Southern Right whales swim in the Southern Hemisphere—and around 40% of them visit our coastline annually. These endangered giants, once almost gone, are now a regular presence. Locals sometimes glimpse them during a morning run or on their commute, tails flapping just offshore.
Cape Town, Hermanus, Gansbaai and Knysna offer some of the best land-based and boat charter whale watching in the world. Humpbacks, Bryde’s whales, and dolphins often make appearances too.
What was nearly lost is now a privilege to witness. But it’s a quiet miracle—one worth noticing, every single time.
Review