Heads and tails of Southern right whales

Whales are extremely sociable creatures. Right whales in particular are often seen in a variety of social displays when they are on their winter breeding grounds. They will come right into the shallows where they roll around at the surface, in pairs or even large gatherings. During my winter stay in South Africa I got to see a lot of these social interactions between Southern right whales. The result is many photos of the heads and tails of these social whales:

Mouth slightly ajar

This whale is showing its pectoral fin

Some tail action

Them most beautiful tail

The residents of Dyer Island and Geyser Rock

On Dyer Island and Geyser Rock there (off the coast of Kleinbaai, South Africa) is a biodiverse hotspot for a range of marine life including seals, penguins, large flocks of cormorants and the occasional passing shark. Meet some of the residents and visitors of Dyer Island and Geyser Rock:

Cape fur seal

African penguins and Cape cormorants

Cape cormorants over Dyer Island

An estimated 60,000 Cape fur seals use Geyser rock

The best spot is highest on the rock

Rough seas are a common sight at Geyser rock

Flower Valley, Cape Floral Kingdom

During my time in South Africa I went on a hike in 'Flower Valley' which is part of the fynbos ecoregion of South Africa. This coastal belt of shrubland vegetation is known for its high degree of biodiversity and endemism. Nearly 80% of the fynbos species are endemic (occurring nowhere else)!

The road to Flower Valley

Erica Vestita (aka trembling heath) a beautiful fynbos species

A fine protea specimen

A garden acraea (Acraea horta), found in South Africa and Zimbabwe

The view from the top - totally worth the hike in the heat

The cormorants of the Cape

On my South African marine adventures I often got to see 3 or 4 different cormorant species as well as the Marine Big 5! 

My favourite to see was the bank cormorant, which is endangered and down to fewer than an estimated 500 breeding pairs in South Africa. The huge swarms of Cape cormorants were also very impressive to see.

Bank cormorant (Phalacrocorax neglectus)

A swarm of Cape cormorants (Phalacrocorax capensis)

Crowned cormorant (Microcarbo coronatus)

Bank cormorant in nest-building mode

Cape cormorants flying over Dyer Island

South African marine megafauna

The southern right whale is the star of the show in the South African marine scene. However there are many other bucket list species to see here. There are humpback whales, Bryde's whales, Indian Ocean humpback dolphins, common dolphins, African penguins, albatross  and a whole range of other marine birds to name a few...

Indian Ocean humpback dolphins (Sousa plumbea) in Kleinbaai, South Africa

Cape fur seal (Arctocephalus pusillus pusillus) feeding on an octopus

Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae)

Common dolphin (Delphinus delphis), funnily enough not common at all in this area

Shy albatross (Thalassarche cauta)

Southern giant petrel (macronectes giganteus)

Subantarctic skua (Stercorarius antarcticus)

Kelp gull (Larus dominicanus)

Antarctic prion (Pachyptila desolata)

and one more Cape fur seal for good measure

Out to see Southern right whales

Why I went to live in South Africa for 3 months comes down to a simple reason - whales! Southern right whales to be specific. The Western Cape of South Africa is one of the world's best places to see these friendly gentle giants. The region hosts a steadily increasing population that survived the whaling era. Each year from July to November these whales congregate here, coming together to calve and mate. Their preference is for very shallow water, which means they can often easily be seen from shore as they roll around in the surf!

Often seen in the shallows, rolling around in the surf zone

Southern right whale tilting its head out of the water

Close up of a callosity (essentially a cluster of barnacles and whale lice) on a southern right whale's head

In case you've ever wondered what it looks like to have a southern right whale coming right at you

Life in South Africa

The next series of blog posts are all about life in South Africa - how to was to live in South Africa and the incredible lifeforms I encountered during my 3 months there. This thrilling chapter of my life was spent mostly out on the ocean where there is an abundance of marine life. But I also got to enjoy the African land on a day to day basis. I was living in Kleinbaai (translation: small bay) and guiding whale watching tours for Dyer Island Cruises. This company not only operates responsible whale watching tours, but they are also industry leaders in research and conservation. I feel so lucky for the time I spent with them.

This was my front yard. An incredible playground for sightseeing, nature photography and running

The bay we would launch from for whale watching - a fun ride getting past the wave action

The view from the boat. We often encountered whales and dolphins this close to shore

There was plenty of wildlife to be seen while walking the coastline...

such as this tree agama (the heads of the males turn blue during the breeding season)

and this stunning millipede

It was always a delight to visit the African penguins and the African Penguin & Seabird Sanctuary