Hermanus might not have a lot going for it above ground, but what it lacks on dry land it certainly makes up for in marine life. Here's how I spent my time there:
Onshore whale watching
With lookout points, carefully positioned benches and even its own whale crier, the cliff path along the Hermanus coastline is designed for watching the Southern Right whales which frequent the area between June and November each year. We were initially a bit worried we wouldn't see much as someone working behind reception said they'd seen just one whale all morning, but we went out armed with binoculars and cameras anyway, and oh...my gosh.
We had to walk for about half an hour before any sightings but once we found the whales we were set for the afternoon. Southern Rights behave very differently to humpbacks (the species I saw in Reykjavic and Santa Barbara), something which works in the viewer's favour. For example, when they breach they don't just do it once; they put on quite a show, launching themselves out of the water several times in a row (up to 6!). It seems they like to be seen: as well as breaching*, they also indulge in spyhopping (looking around above the water), sailing (sticking their tails straight up in the air either for temperature control or to use the wind to propel them through the water) and lobtailing (tail slapping, thought to be a form of communication between mothers and calves). We sat on some rocks close to the water's edge watching a group of three which was incredible - they were so close to shore and stayed in the same position for a while, making for fairly easy viewing. The only thing that got in the way was the weather - the high winds not only stirred up the most enormous waves but also whipped right through all our layers, forcing us to quick march back sooner than we wanted.
I made a conscious effort NOT to take (m)any photos - I've been out on whale watching trips before where I've been so focused on getting good shots that I don't take the time to just look, marvel and enjoy. This time I wanted to see them 'properly' rather than through a camera lens. Soz!
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| Best sign ever! |
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| Whale watching over lunch and hot chocolate! |
*These whales breach for communication purposes or apparently for the sheer elation of the act. It can also help in the removal of parasites and the moulting process - Southern Rights have heavily cornified patches of skin called callosities on which barnacles can grow. Since these callosities are unique to each whale, they can be used to identify individuals.
Shark cage diving
Yeah...so the cage diving aspect of the shark excursion didn't go too well... I felt really nauseous about 40 mins after we'd left our base i.e. about 30 seconds after I'd been given a wetsuit to change into. Subsequently spent around two thirds of the trip staring at the horizon trying not to barf up breakfast...and by the time I felt normal I was SO cold that the prospect of changing out of 4 layers into a soggy wetsuit and sliding into a freezing cold ocean was seriously unappealing. I KNOW it sounds pathetic but I stand by my decision (I really don't fare well in the cold - honestly had blue lips when we finally got back on dry land and didn't reach a comfortable temperature for about an hour after that). However, I don't think the overall experience was massively compromised by not diving. I use the term diving loosely - there was no scuba equipment involved. People 'diving' lowered themselves into the cage from the boat and kept their heads above water until the skipper yelled 'DOWN!', after which they dunked themselves under for a few seconds. The only times I wish I'd been in the cage was when 1) a HUGE 4 metre beast of a Great White swam just centimetres away several times in a few minutes, and 2) when a shark breached to try & grab the bait (tuna heads) and hit its nose against the top of the cage.
The view from the top of the boat was amazing. The sharks swam so close, either floating past lazily eyeing up the bait, racing through the water with the intention of 'catching' the tuna heads or jumping right out of the ocean in a furious attempt to feed. It was so cool, sometimes we didn't see them coming and got a bit of a shock when faced with hundreds of razor sharp teeth just metres away! We saw 7 Great Whites in total, lots of fins above water and plenty of breaching. Pretty awesome! Again, no photos (blame sea sickness and being too cold to handle a camera), but a couple of lovely Essex girls I met got some epic snaps so I'll throw those up (no pun intended) onto the blog once they've made their way onto Facebook.
Have felt very at home here - the hostel is bright, colourful and covered in pictures & newspaper clippings about whales and sharks. The TV room is so cosy, both nights I was on the sofa in my pyjamas at 6.30pm with a hot chocolate and the cat curled up next to me - or in the sitting room next to a roaring fire. Can't wait to ditch the hat and fleece when I get back to Cape Town though. Super excited to see everyone again!! :)
