The Humpback Whale!

On our way back from a well known fishing area called "The Canyon" we were greeted by 2 Humpback Whales not far off Cape Point - By law we have to keep a certain distance from these amazing animals, but by their sheer size of 40-60 ft long and weighing around 40 tons allows for suburb sightings even from a distance! Fortunately, because we were on our way back from a Pelagic Bird Watching Charter our guests had their cameras with them and were able to get some amazing pictures of the Humpback Whales breaching!

Humpback Whale Facts

• The Humpback Whale is a species of Baleen Whale and feed off small prey such as: Krill, Salmon, Smaller Fish, Mackerel and Herring.

• Full grown adults weigh roughly about 36 000 kg's and range in length from 12 to 16 m.

• They Humpback Whale has a fairly low dorsal fin with a wide base and long pectoral fins.

• They are known for their "breaching" behavior where they will launch themselves completely out the water.

• Their blow is usually seen as a tall, single plume measuring around 4 meters high.

• Males are known to produce a complex "whale song" which can last 10 - 20 minutes, which is rumored to be some sort of communication.

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Humpback Whale Breaching on a Pelagic Bird Watching Charter!

FULL HANDS AND FULL ON SMILES!

Our guests today, Mark and Sharon, joined us on a Half-Day Inshore Charter to Cape Point - We departed from Simonstown at first light and made our way past Boulders Beach, home to thousands of African Penguins, formerly known as "Jackass Penguins". As we arrived at Cape Point we put our lines in the water and before the line was even properly set we had our first strike with a Yellowtail on a Rapala. After Mark landed the first fish, it was on! We continued to pull fish one after another (Katonkel and Yellowtail) until it was time to head back. On our return home we came across a group of Humpack Whales doing there thing in the distance. We managed to get a few pictures to end off the great day! Well done to Mark and Sharon on their catch! :)

EXPLOSIVE DAY OF FISHING!

Today was one of "those" days where everything seemed to turn out perfectly - With warm water, 16.5 degrees to be exact, there were thousands of Common Terns and Cape Gannets feeding off massive Anchovy Bait Balls as we arrived at Cape Point. To our surprise, there was only one other fishing boat out, but hey, we weren't complaining - Just meant more fish for us! We started troweling our lures as we reached the "washing machine" (a well known area at Cape Point for mixed currents colliding) and it wasn't long after that we had our first strike! We started off landing one's and two's of Katonkel for the first hour and then the Yellowtail decided to play! Our guests from Germany (all six of them) took turns in pulling fish, almost non-stop until we had our allowed limit, sometimes all three rods would go off causing for some real action! Before we knew it, we had a boat full of fish and the sun was setting, so we decided to head back to Simonstown.

On our way back we were greeted by three or four different groups of Southern Right and Humpack Whales - We made sure to keep our legal distance and the guests were able to get some good pictures of these incredible animals doing their thing! Once we got back, we helped our guests fillet one or two of their catch and off they went smiling from ear to ear! As we like to support the locals, we decided to give the remaining fish (20 or more) to the local haven, "Happy Valley Home", a place for the homeless and hungry people in Simonstown and it's surroundings. It was a perfect way to end off such a outstanding day at sea! 

SPRING HAD US OFF TO A GREAT START!

Our guests from France joined us today for a Half-day Inshore Fishing Charter to Cape Point - On our route to Cape Point, we had two Humpback Whales pop-up next to us and to our surprise they didn't seem one bit phased by us, in fact they proceeded to follow us in the opposite direction, which was quite something to witness! After a quick stop off for some pictures at one of the smaller Cape Fur Seal colony's near Millers Point, we started seeing a lot of bird-life in the distance which meant business! When we arrived at Cape Point, there were Common Terns going crazy on big shoals of Yellowtail and Katonkel with 14.5 degree water - It wasn't long until we hooked our first fish on a Rapala (backlines), but as the morning went on it seemed that the fish were more interested in us spinning, resulting in a few more pulls! After having pulled a couple of Yellowtail and Katonkel, the guests were happy to be heading back. To end off a superb day at sea we were greeted by another two whales on our route home, this time two Southern Right Whales, which also seemed to be mating/calving!

(Our whale season starts from July and ends at the end of September and one can expect to see plenty Southern Right Whales, Humpack Whales and Bryde's Whales - One of the main reasons why they come into False Bay is to calve as the bay is more protected.)

60 000 SQUABBLING CAPE FUR SEALS!

Our guests from Spain joined us today on a Scenic Eco Trip to Seal Island, False Bay! The island is home to well over 60 000 Cape Fur Seals and a variety of bird life, including 4 different species of Cormorant. With the Cape Fur Seals being the Great White Sharks main source of food, there is always a chance of witnessing a once in a life time encounter between the two species! With the Island being situated approximately 16kms (8 Nautical Miles) from Simonstown, we frequently encounter other magnificent sea animals like Dolphins and Whales, like we did today! :)

PELAGIC BIRD WATCHING CHARTER!

Sundays Pelagic Bird Watching Charter saw only one trawler, but it was heading home (back to Cape Town) with relatively few birds following behind. We did however have a good day out - Birds seen today included a Northern Royal Albatross, Manx Shearwater's, Shy Albatross, Black Browed Albatross and White Chin Petrels. 

Interestingly, we also saw 6 Egyptian Geese heading out to sea, with very little chance of surviving - There was no explanation for this according to our Birding Guide: Cliffie Dorse

On our return to home, we encounted a few Humpback Whales not far off Cape Point, which wrapped up the interested day for us!