Se7en + 1 Junior Whale Spotters in Training…

What could be a better thing to do for Earth Day than to get outdoors and go looking out for whales… We happen to live in a part of the world where land-based whale watching is at it’s best. During our winter months each year we welcome the Southern Right Whales to our shore and the waters of the Southern Cape.

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It is not quite winter yet… And the whales haven’t arrived but we have the perfect viewing spot…

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For when they do…

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These are typical whale sightings from a previous winter.

But enthusiasm is high because for the last two Saturdays we have been getting up bright and early (for us!), and heading to the Food Lover’s Market in LongBeach Mall for breakfast and a lesson in Whale Watching. A Whale of a Heritage Route have introduced “Junior Whale Spotter WorkShops.” Click on the image to find out more…

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Image source:The Whale Heritage Route.

The first week all the children received a poster with the different kids of whales that you find in our area and then we had a lecture describing the different whales and their behaviours. Here’s a great resource we found with images of the different whales that one finds in our waters, as well as the behaviours typical to a particular type of whale. And during the second week’s lecture we examined the pamphlet used by the whale spotters… running throughout the identification guide and the surface behaviour of the whales, and most importantly how to report a whale sighting.

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Fabulous breakfast full of treats, thanks to Food Lover’s Market in LongBeach Mall

How to Report a Whale Sighting


Send an SMS message, with the following details through to the Whale Watch Hotline… and the details get filled into the Whale Sightings Log.

  • Whale or Dolphin
  • Species
  • Numbers
  • Directions they are traveling in
  • Behaviour
  • Where you were based

Each child received their own junior whale spotting card and a gift pack to take home with them…

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I sense this is not going to be a winter of hot-chocolate on the couch but rather every time someone sees a whale from our house we are all going to be leaping up the mountain to have a good look.

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I have to say I was very impressed with the course, the sponsors were fantastic: Food Lover’s Market, Noordhoek, the Blue Gecko and others. If you are interested and would like to know more about the courses available then feel free to contact the Whale of a Heritage Group.

8 Replies to “Se7en + 1 Junior Whale Spotters in Training…”

  1. Cool! For us to see whales it is a long car trip, about 8 hours, and then it is best to go on a whale watching boat. I got to go when I was about 13, but my kids haven’t gotten to see whales. What an amazing opportunity for your children.

  2. Katja it is a fabulous spot, though their are a lot of steps to climb to get there!!! Hopefully we will be seeing lots of whales really soon!!!

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