The north side of the bay is the lowlying cape flats. Delphinidae also contains wellknown species such as the common bottlenose dolphin and the killer whale. Each year the false bay coastline is frequented by a number of whale species, making for exceptional whale watching prospects. One of the many popular attractions for travellers to south africas false bay region is the chance to view marine wildlife. Falsekiller whale article about falsekiller whale by the.
Pseudorca crassidens of the 18 species of toothed whales found in hawaii, the hawaiian false killer whales are the most at risk. Drone films false killer whales hunting down a shark. Go on whale watching tours to marino ballena national park situated in uvita, dominical costa rica and violines island and come across splendid false killer whales, humpback. Hi, my wife and i are visiting cape town for the first time at the end of september. Humpback and bydes whales are commonly spotted away from the shore. The false killer whale is distributed in all temperate and warm waters of all the oceans.
A big thank you to caitlin blain fo the video and to brady doak for the report. False bay delights the bird and butterfly enthusiasts this is an excellent place to view many species of birds and butterflies. The gray whales real name is eastern pacific gray whale. A synthesis of three decades of socioecological change in false. Killer whale sightings in cape town have increased steadily over the. In cape town, you can sometimes spot whales from along the road on the false bay coast. The water in the bay is much warmer than the atlantic seaboard, being fed by the. Simons town boat company is the sole permit holder for boat based whale watching for the western half of false bay stretching from strandfontein all the way to cape point. Birders regard isimangaliso as one of the finest places to spot african broadbills, and colourful species such as the goldbanded forester and forest queen are found in the area. May 04, 2020 since 2009 there has been an increase in the frequency of killer whale sightings in false bay. False killer whales are typically found in tropical waters and it is not known whether they take part in annual migrations. False bay afrikaans valsbaai is a body of water in the atlantic ocean between the mountainous cape peninsula and the hottentots holland mountains in the extreme southwest of south africa. Jul 02, 2015 at 08h28, wednesday, 01st july, the south african whale disentanglement network sawdn responded to approximately 1 nautical mile off hangklip, false bay between gordons bay and hermanus following reports of a humpback whale entangled in rope and buoys.
Oct 23, 2012 isle del cano, a tiny island in coronado bay is a great place to observe the false killer whales. Two orcas, nicknamed port and starboard, were suspects for a number of great white shark deaths. False bay is one of south africas biodiversity hubs, and noone knows what impact the octopus fishing industry is having on all other marine species. Jul 23, 2018 humpback whales in false bay july 2018. You may catch a glimpse of one of these gentle giants breaching out of the ocean while you enjoy lunch in kalk bay, take a stroll on camps bay beach or even drive along chapmans peak. Dec 04, 2017 searching false bay in south africa, to observe the rare hunting habits of killer whales in the area. Avian leisure will make your whale watching boat trip booking with the sole permit holder for boat based whale watching for the western half of false bay stretching from strandfontein all the way to cape point the simons town boat company. Members of jpod had spread out almost half the length of san juan traveling south in haro strait between lime kiln and false bay 48a32. Take your shoes off if you plan to visit this shallow bay. It al starts in november when bulls are looking to mate. Killer whale action in false bay africa geographic. Or download the news24 app here, to receive expertly curated travel. Searching false bay in south africa, to observe the rare hunting habits of killer whales in the area subscribe to discovery uk for more great clips.
On the chest of some individuals, a light grey or almostwhite wshaped marking appears. The killer whale orcinus orca, also referred to as the orca whale or orca, and less commonly as the blackfish, is a toothed whale belonging to the oceanic. The head of the false killer whale is slender and elongated, tapering to a rounded snout. Whale views gordons bay cape town nestling at the foot of the beautiful hottentot holland mountains where they tumble into the sea at gordons bay, whaleviews offers two self catering apartments dolphins leap and dolphins rest. May 30, 2016 whale massstranding training session held at false bay false bay, cape town, 30 may 2016 on saturday 28 may 2016, 90 local members of the south african stranding network sasn attended a three hour training session that was jointly presented by the department of environmental affairs dea branch oceans and coasts and the city of cape town. Orca whales seen yesterday near false bay san juan island. A gray whales throat is only the size of a grapefruit, obviously limiting what it can swallow.
We offer daily whale watching trips from bellingham, orcas island lieber haven and san juan island friday harbor you can book online, or give us a call at 18004434552. Mar 04, 2015 the false killer whale pseudorca crassidens, also known as the pseudorca, or false orca, is, like the orca orcinus orca, actually a large dolphin. False bay is located on the eastern side of the cape peninsula of south africa. Its styled like a traditional leica m rangefinder and brings a host of updates to the hugely popular original leica q typ 116 that was launched in 2015. Federally listed as endangered in december 2012, false killer whales have the lowest known abundance, and are divided into three discrete populations an openocean population, a northwestern hawaiian islands population and the insular population. The family is part of a bigger group of marine mammals known as the odontoceti, or toothed whales. False bay, cape towns peninsula during the late 1800s and 1900s false bay and table bay had thriving whaling stations, there were so many whales in the bays. Heres a killer whale chasing dophins close to simonstowns false bay. The water in the bay is much warmer than the atlantic seaboard, being fed by the tropical benguela current, making it popular for swimming. Today they do not attract quite the level of whale activity as towns further east, but come they still do. May 10, 2016 drone films false killer whales hunting down a shark. This area is sheltered from the open ocean, surrounded by stunning views and provides an ideal winter home for the southern right whales.
Accommodation gordons bay, cape town whale views luxury bed. Pdf humpback whales megaptera novaeangliae are a very vocal. Sperm whales educate their calves and need the great depths of the sea to feed on giant squid. Entangled whale successfully freed in false bay news. In the wild this animal may be confused with the melonheaded whale, for when swimming on the surface its blunt head and dorsal fin is similar in appearance. As always, if you are lucky enough to see false killer whales, please call 0800 far out 0800 327 688 and take lots of pictures. Whale season 2010 in false bay tweet the whale watching season begins in earnest from 1 may 2010 and the public are encouraged to spot whales and report them for recording on the local whale sightings log maintained by a whale of a heritage route. They were out in the waters between false bay and eagle pt. The south african whale disentanglement network sawdn was formed in 2006 to deal with increased whale entanglements around the south african coastline. Locals and tourists flock to the false bay area and are treated to an array of activities by these magnificent mammoth creatures, these include, breaching, spyhopping, fluking, lobtailing and spouting. False bay along the false bay coast, especially between kalk bay and noordhoek, it is common to see whales in the bay. While the false killer whale shares certain characteristics with the orca killer whale including its appearance and the fact that it also attacks and kills marine mammals, it is not considered a killer whale or even closely related to the killer whale. There is one other small group whales along the russian coast.
An epic megahunt has been discovered in the waters of false bay, south africa. Whale watching on the false bay coast in simons town, cape. Watch 40ton whale leaps entirely out of water off the eastern. Killer whales the mega hunt green screen naturfilmfestival. Increased fishing, fishing techniques and fishing equipment coupled with increasing whale migrations saw a need for a specialised task team to follow in the footsteps of similar disentanglement networks globally that deal with the same.
It located on the pacific coast, about 10 miles away from puntarenas. On 26 march we managed to successfully get four from different animals. Oct 14, 2010 the leica q2 is an impressively capable fixedlens, fullframe camera with a 47mp sensor and a sharp, stabilized 28mm f1. Small skillkilling for food in the caribbean and japan. Simons town boat company are the only whale watching permit holders in false bay. For the past week i have been working offshore with two scientists in order to try and get a dna sample from a southern african killer whale.
Every year from around august until late november, southern right whales come into the bays across the capes coastlines to breed and calve. False bay san juan safaris san juan island whale watching. The false killer whale has a dark grey or blackgrey body. Here we examine the occurrence of humpback whale song within false bay. One of the best parts of whale watching along the eastern cape coast is. A southern right whale breaches near the shore of muizenberg beach in false bay cape. Dead whale highlights faults with octopus fishing industry. Every sighting that is sent in lets us know what is happening across the islands. You can do this either from the shoreline, or better still take a boat tour out into the beautiful bay. False bay afrikaans valsbaai is a body of water in the atlantic ocean between the. Pdf trends and interventions in large whale entanglement along. Best place to watch cape town whales false bay simonstown. Yacht holed following whale strike false bay dutch paddlers.
The false killer whale pseudorca crassidens is an oceanic dolphin that inhabits oceans worldwide but mainly frequents tropical regions. In certain lights, though, the head can appear light grey. In simons town for example theres the renowned african penguin colony, while expeditions to view whales, dolphins and sharks also leave from simons town harbour. False bay is world renowned as one of the best places to watch southern right whales, great white sharks, dolphins and the cape fur seal. After a gestation of 12 months calfs are born around decemberjanuary. O ff the dominican west coast, in the caribbean sea, whales and dolphins live all along the year. When the tide goes out, the water empties and leaves a muddy bay where marine birds feast on shell fish until the tide comes back in. On may 8th we received photos from three different islands of three different species. Photo by stefan thiesen buntrabe the false killer whale is a large species in the oceanic dolphin family delphinidae. I was advised that false bay is the best place to go for whale watching, please could you advise where in false bay am i likely to get the best whale watching experience which at the same time is not too far from cape town, also can this all be done in a day trip from cape town, as i am considering hiring a car. Aug 04, 2012 heres a killer whale chasing dophins close to simonstowns false bay. False bay offers views of the olympic peninsula and is located off of false bay road. Six deadly and intelligent killer whales hunting 5000 common dolphins. In western australia in 1986, a pod of 114 false killer whales became stranded at flinders bay, resulting in a threeday rescue.
Whale watching on the false bay coast in simons town, cape town. Find highquality false bay stock photos and editorial news pictures from getty images. False killer whales in hawaii pictures whale watching oahu. We dont usually use the eastern, and refer to them as pacific gray whales. Whale massstranding training session held at false bay. Using passive acoustic monitoring pam we aim to detect the presence of humpback whales in false bay, cape town, south. False killer whale a complete guide to whales, dolphins and.
Brydes whales in false bay western cape, south africa. They live in temperate and tropical waters throughout the world, and occasionally find their way into bc waters. Dave hurwitz, from the simons town boat company, has had several sightings in the last two months, a rather unusual occurrence as they dont not often spend so much time in false bay. Even in the bays of cape town southern right whales are frequently spotted. This photo of a false killer whale from cluster 1 was taken october 20th by kim wood and wild side specialty tours. However, the false killer whale has a distinct and obvious hump halfway down the leading edge of each flipper, and the body is substantially more elongated. A poorly known species, with no accurate population estimates. The best whalewatching spots in the cape the inside guide. Mar 30, 2015 10 hours of spectacular killer whale action were enjoyed on 26 march 2015 in false bay. The first whale we encountered was doublestuff j34 rolling around. Thought to occupy most tropical to warm temperate seas of the world, though is thought to be nowhere common.
The first whaling station was at simonstown 67 years after baron g. At 12h16, saturday, 26th september, nsri simons town crew were activated following reports from the false bay yacht club fbyc of the 35. At least 17 animals ranging in size from a calf thats only a few days old, to massive males. Humpback whales megaptera novaeangliae are highly vocal, producing a wide repertoire. Cape town whale watching is great but when you have some historical insights it mat help.
There is also a reported case of as many as 800 false killer whales involved in a mass stranding. Although there are many other great spots dotted around the western cape and in fact the entire coastline of south africa, weve. The false killer whale pseudorca crassidens is the third largest member of the dolphin family. The whales of false bay southern right whales humpback. The name false killer whale comes from the similar skull characteristics to the killer whale orcinus orca. For more news your way, download the citizens app for ios and. Download premium images you cant get anywhere else. False bay orca pod on the hunt for dolphins youtube. It was first described in 1846 as a species of porpoise based on a skull, which was revised when the first carcasses were observed in 1861. The search for the blue whale a prelude to racing extinction duration. Its illegal for the public to approach a whale within 300 metres, and risk a fine of imprisonment or several hundred thousand rands, said foster.
Whale watching near cape town false bay cape town central. A false killer whale gave birth just metres away from a tourist boat off californias coast. Alongside the orca, short and long fin pilot whales globicephala spp. Enjoy a leisurely lunch at a popular restaurant such as brass bell or polana and you have excellent chances of taking in some marine entertainment as whales are spotted out in the water by excited onlookers. The false killer whale is a large dolphin that can be found traveling in tropical waters. The mouth of the bay faces south and is demarcated by cape point to the west and cape hangklip to the east. Yesterday, the simons town boat company posted a gallery on facebook of orca whales playing in false bay.
589 857 154 1244 531 314 982 1296 776 289 1006 1499 21 431 1126 704 592 1348 882 736 768 1173 794 590 965 1466 1358 1338 299