Whale Watching from Richard's Bay to St Lucia

This was my 3rd Whale watching experience in South Africa and all 3 in 1 year. My 1st trip was to Hermanus in August this year with my youngest son, where we watched the Whales from the shore line out in the bay.
The 2nd trip was with Advantage Tours based in St Lucia, again in August and with youngest son and hubby.
The 3rd trip was again with Advantage with my eldest son and his girlfriend in September.

This trip was by far the best. We left Richard's Bay at 5.30am, expecting to only be out for 2 hours, but they requested we join them for the trip to St Lucia, where they had arranged a lift back for us and we would be out at sea for nearly 4 hours.

We saw around 15 hump backed whales, we saw babies, we saw them breach where they leap out the water, lots of sky hopping, head first out the water, tail flips and waves.

We were also accompanied for around 30 minutes by a pod of dolphins and we were encouraged to clamber up on the front of the boat to watch them more closely.

After a beach landing, the owner treated us to a hippo and crocodile boat cruise in the estuary with drinks and snacks, before driving us back to Richard's Bay.

This post was originally published in September 2014.

Cape Town to Hermanus

Cape Town to Hermanus

First stop was a short walk to collect the car rental and then a long wait for the teenager to get ready and we set off in the direction of Hermanus, making numerous stops along the way for photographs, snacks and toilet stops. Hoping to see Penguins and Whales.

 Bettys Bay didn't disappoint us with the penguins on the rocks, there is a small R10 charge per person and wooden walkways to allow you to view the birds in their natural habitat. We got drenched in the rain and sleet. It was too windy for umbrellas.

 Ok Guys, I'll count, you hide.

OK don't panic, we did, this isn't an oil spill or contamination, it's river water. The staining occurs naturally due to humid acids and tannins found in the fynbos soils.

There was way too much to see at Hermanus to stop and focus cameras and stare through a lens out to see, there were Whales, sky hopping and breaching, bodies high out the water. one over here, another over there, tails waving, it was a  very busy and the bay was full. I did manage to take a couple of pics, but you need a good eye with the first one to spot the tail.

I'm thankful that the teenager is into photography, he spent the 1st 36 hours in the hotel. As he keeps reminding me, he had a 12 hour flight to reach South Africa then another 28 hours by train to get to Cape Town and he is supposed to be on his UK summer holidays.

 Rock Dassie

We finished off our last night in Cape Town with burgers on the waterfront.

Today we are driving to Table Mountain. The cable car is closed for annual maintenance, but there are still some fab views of the City to be seen, next will be over Chapman's Peak, before heading to the airport for a 2 hour flight home at 7pm.

We will beck in Pretoria till Sunday am, when we head north in the car for an 8 hour drive to St Lucia, on the coast, just below Mozambique, for a weeks stay. This trip hubby and Bob the dog will be joining us.