Watching the whales in Hermanus, South Africa

How our whale-watching adventure nearly didn’t happen

I woke up in our charming rooftop apartment in B&B The Potting Shed in Hermanus to a beautiful sunrise. This was a pleasant surprise after yesterday’s dark clouds, blustery wind and drizzly rain. The second surprise was far less pleasant: a text message from the whale watching company where we’d booked that day’s trip. The trip, I was informed, had been cancelled due to “strong winds and high swells”. We could either get a refund or we could reschedule to the next day. Disappointing: this was one of the things we were looking forward the most and we only had the one day in Hermanus, so rescheduling was not an option. So there was only one possible solution to this problem: we were going to need a bigger boat.

We told the landlord, Steve, our tale of woe over breakfast. He promised to help and delivered: after a few phone calls he managed to book us a trip for that afternoon, leaving at two. After breakfast we went for a walk along the coastal path, where we saw that the waves were indeed enormous. Watching them crash against the rocks, we could only conclude that this new boat was either much larger or its captain much braver.

Briefing and boarding

We arrived in the harbour a little before two o’ clock, checked in and paid at the offices of Hermanus Whale Cruises and had a good look at the boat. It looked sturdy enough. We got briefed on the type of whales that we could hope to see and their habits. What we didn’t get was a safety instruction, but, in my experience, in a lot of countries safety instructions basically amount to “Don’t be reckless”.

Once the briefing was done, we boarded. A member of staff handed out lifejackets, but didn’t push the issue. The thing is, we’re Dutch, and two things generally hold true for us: we don’t wear bike helmets if we can avoid it, and we don’t wear lifejackets. Maybe we put a little too much faith in our biking and swimming abilities. Anyway, we said no to the lifejackets and we hadn’t taken any motion sickness medicine either. Living on the edge! Marc and I found a spot downstairs along the side of the boat, the children braved the staircase and climbed to the top deck and off we went: off to see some whales!

Whales! Whales everywhere!

I later found out that we’d been on that boat for more than three hours, but it felt like mere minutes. Our captain took us across the bay and from then on, all I remember is staring in awe at the gigantic animals, some of them accompanied by smaller, but still enormous babies. We couldn’t get too close to them because of regulations. A good thing, too – you wouldn’t want to stress them out. And you wouldn’t want a stressed-out whale to capsize your boat.

All the whales we saw were Southern Right Whales, and we also spotted seals and penguins. Out in the (almost) open sea, the sound of the waves wasn’t too loud. We could hear the whales splashing in the water, and the sound of them clearing their blowholes carried surprisingly far. Probably the most exciting moments came when a whale dived nearby. You never knew whether it would resurface right next to the boat – or disappear completely. The passengers pointing excitedly told us exactly where to look. Even more thrilling was when we were the first to spot a whale.

I only made the mistake of looking back once. When I saw a gigantic wave towering over the boat, with another barreling right behind it, I decided to keep my eyes firmly on the front and sides of the boat. Best to trust the captain – he’d done this before.
Because of the swells, the whole tour felt like a bit of a fairground ride, but none of us were scared and nobody got seasick. I didn’t see any other passengers hanging over the railing either, and a good time was had by all. We thoroughly enjoyed our afternoon and wouldn’t have missed it for the world.

Tips for the 55+ traveller

For me as a slighly older traveller and professional worrier, the questions “Can I even do that?”, “Should I pre-book?” and “Will it be scary?” are never far from my mind. If this sounds familiar, here’s some advice:

Arranging the trip:
Most companies recommend pre-booking online. Be aware that cancelling less than 24 hours before the trip usually means a 100% fee. If you want more flexibility for weather or you’re trying the see the whales from the land first, you could try showing up without booking. But on busy days, you might miss out.
Some operators offer a partial refund if you don’t see whales, or they let you join the next tour free or at a discount.
If the company cancels, you get an option to reschedule or, if that doesn’t work for you, a full refund.

Physical limitations and concerns:
If you’re prone to motion sickness, you might want to take medicine two hours before boarding. You wouldn’t want to spend the entire trip feeding the fish.
Boarding the ship is not hard. The jetties are sturdy and the gangways are not too steep or wobbly. Some of the operators offer wheelchair-accessible trips. Check this before you book.
You’re on a boat and it moves. A lot. When you’re moving around, make sure you hold onto something at all times.
It can get cold out on the water. Wear layers and possibly a waterproof jacket, although we didn’t get wet.
If you’re not Dutch, wear a lifejacket. If you are Dutch, don’t be an idiot and wear a lifejacket.
As for how scary it was, I wasn’t scared at all – except maybe when I saw that one intimidating wave. And the ones behind it. Trust the captain to decide when it’s safe. On choppy days, the big boats are better. I wouldn’t have wanted to be on a small boat, but only the big ones went out that day.

Was it worth it?

Absolutely! In the end, a cancelled trip, big waves and a sturdy last-minute boat with a brave captain turned into one of the many unforgettable experiences of our trip. If you ever find yourself in Hermanus, don’t let worries hold you back. The whales are worth it!

You can find general information about travelling to South Africa here