Right Whale to Hunt become the Right Whales to Watch in Algoa Bay
By Jake Keeton

1. News

Early whalers gave the Southern Right Whale its name due to it being deemed the right whale to hunt. Their large size, slow speed, long valuable baleen and buoyancy when dead made them an attractive and easy target.

Southern Right Whales are unlike any other species that visit us in Algoa Bay. They have a V-shaped blow, no dorsal fin and large callosities on their heads. These callosities form a unique pattern on each individual whale and can be used to identify individuals. Adult Southern Right Whales average between 14 and 15.5 meters in length with an average weight of 43 tonnes. Despite their size Southern Right Whales are extremely flexible. Drone footage has allowed us to observe how these large whales can turn on a dime with ease.

Good numbers of Southern Right Whales visit us in Algoa Bay every year during July, August and September with a few early arrivals showing up in June. The main reason these whales visit our Bay is to give birth and nurse their newborn calves. Female Southern Right Whales prefer to do this in shallow sheltered bays with a sandy bottom that drops off very gradually from the shoreline. We often observe Southern Right Whales just behind the backline. There is a theory that the sound of the waves breaking close to shore masks the sound of the mother and calf communicating and thus reduces the chance of the calf being detected by Killer Whales. Aside from giving birth these whales also come to Algoa Bay to mate. Their gestation period is roughly one year so they need to mate here in order to give birth here the following winter.

Southern Right Whales have a thick (up to 38cm thick on the back) layer of blubber which keeps them warm in cold waters and serves as a store of energy for their northerly migration. This thick layer of blubber prevents this species from visiting the tropical waters near the equator as they would be in danger of overheating. Southern Right Whales do not feed in our waters. They feed predominantly on krill and copepods in the South Seas. Southern Right Whales are skim-feeders. When feeding they swim forward with their mouth open for an extended period of time. This is very different to other baleen whales like Bryde’s Whales that engulf their prey with one well timed lunge at a time.

Although Southern Right Whales are slow movers they are fascinating to watch. Their behaviour ranges from logging motionless on the surface to breaching. They can be extremely friendly and inquisitive. They will often approach, circle and spy hop around boats as if to show a great interest in its occupants. These encounters can be an incredibly moving experience for anyone on board.

Over the last eight years we have observed a Northward shift in the area that the Southern Rights choose to congregate in within Algoa Bay. In the past these great whales could be found in good numbers along our beachfront, Bluewater Bay and St Georges beach. We now have very few whales choosing to use these areas. They now congregate in a more remote area along the Alexandria Dunefield between Sundays River Mouth and Bird Island. Although it is a bit further for us to travel to see them, the remoteness and vastness of the Alexandria Dunefield has resulted in some special excursions for us and our guests. We suspect that this Northward shift is due to the increased shipping traffic and engine noise that resulted from Coega Harbour becoming operational and the onset of ship-to-ship bunkering in Algoa Bay.

We look forward to spending some quality time with these whales during our cruises over the next few months. It is always exciting to try and count the number of calves that are born into the next generation of gentle giants that will migrate to Algoa Bay in the future.