First Southern Right Whales in Algoa Bay 2022
By Lloyd Edwards

Sunday, 26th June 2022

What a joyous occasion to see the first Southern Right Whale in Algoa Bay and what a display we witnessed! Earlier that morning our Operations Manager, Jake Keeton, headed off in our catamaran “My Bru” to Bird Island to see if the white sharks had returned after a visit by the two notorious killer whales, Port and Starboard. He told me that he had spotted four Humpback whales near Cape Recife. With a boatload of international tourists I steamed towards the Western entrance of Algoa Bay. Low and behold, we came across a lone Southern Right whale breaching at least five times in a row!

After all the negativity surrounding the Ship to Ship Fuel Transfers (Bunkering) in Algoa Bay, that was aired on Carte Blanche last night, it was nice to see something positive . . . or was it? Traditionally the Southern Rights would spend most of their three months in Algoa Bay mating and giving birth in the bight of the bay off North End. With the arrival of the Bunkering vessels and their associated noise in 2016, they switched location to the Addo Marine Protected Area off the Sunday’s River Mouth. Recent scientific research around the world and in Algoa Bay points to this underwater clatter as having a extremely negative impact on marine life. Another good reason to get Bunkering halted in Algoa Bay or confined to port.

These whales choose a gently sloping shorelines to give birth and nurse their young, as there is much less water movement. There is also less danger to the calf to get washed ashore in these calmer waters. Scientists have recently discovered another reason why they like to nurse so close to the shore. While cow and calf communicate in whispers, the sounds of the crashing waves also helps to conceal their presence from marauding killer whales. A new-born calf would be easy pickings for a pod of killer whales in the open sea.

Unfortunately the whale we observed off the Cape Recife lighthouse was heading out of Algoa Bay towards the West. I wonder if we will see this animal again, which looked to me like a seriously old and large pregnant female. Was all the noise generated from the Bunkering fleet just too much for her?

This large adult Southern Right Whale breaches in front of the Cape Recife lighthouse. Taken with a Nikon full frame D810, ISO 100, f/8, 1/1000th second and 200mm zoom.