Number 110: Over the years we have often observed small groups of kayaks out in Walker Bay  – also during “whale season”.  Hermanus features on any list as one of the top whale-watching locations in the world. On my bucket list for many years has been the dream of kayaking with the whales in Hermanus. Yesterday, Monday 16th August 2021, we did it!

On Sunday we saw whales out in Walker Bay. Monday weather was predicted to be  warm with little wind. So we took our chances and what a wonderful experience!

With 8 others including the guide, two per kayak, we paddled from the Old Harbour out into the Bay. Interestingly even when no wind, there are currents and waves. Leaving the harbour involved some mild wave movement and required concentration! 

The experience of being in the sea with a pod of whales sometimes only 25m from our kayaks was simultaneously magnificent, humbling and a little scary!  The whales grow up to 18 metres in length, can weigh more than 60 tons and sometimes live more than 100 years. We saw them breach, “lob tail” and “blow” from our kayak, with accompanying substantial noises.

Southern Right whales (so named because they were easy to hunt due to their slow swimming speeds and that their carcasses  float), migrate annually from Antarctica to South African waters and come to calf in Walker Bay from August to November. It seems that the shallow sandy coves of Hermanus, the warmer, calmer waters provide the whales with an ideal environment to start and eventually complete their three-year- long reproductive cycles.

The seals, birdlife, beautiful rock formations of the Hermanus Coast, salty sea air and spray in the breeze all contributed to this amazing experience.

It took a 15 minute drive from our Onrus home and a short walk from the cliff top to the harbour to reach the kayaks and start of this experience. Possibilities for extraordinary, exhilarating experiences are sometimes close to home!