There She Blows!

No, this is not Moby Dick but simply one of the friendly moms in the waters off the cliffs of the village. If you look closely, you can just make out the calf next to her. Yesterday there were about 9 moms & toddlers lulling about in the waters, it having been a real summer's day. Needles to say, the cliffs were packed with onlookers.

Festivalgoers

As if dropped off by a tourist bus, these whales came right up to the rocks. Arriving early to get the best seats in the house, they probably look forward to the upcoming festival in their honour which takes place in the village from 24 - 27 September this year. On second thought, are they the actual guests of honour or are they performers?

A Whale Of A Tale

The summer spectacular is in full swing. As if aware of the approaching whale festival which takes place from 24 - 27 September this year, this whale gave a performance to die for! Right off the cliffs, it felt as if you could simply reach out and touch its tail. A huge crowd of onlookers quickly gathered to enjoy the free show ... maybe a sneak preview of the magnitude of the tales we might expect at this year's festival?

Cry Me A Whale

It's almost time for the annual Whale Festival which takes place from 24 - 27 September this year. Today I bring you the ringer of sightings, Hermanus' very own Whale Crier. At the moment the only whale crier in the world, Hermanus shared this title with India for a while when they also had a whale crier. When a whale is sighted, the whale crier announces the sighting by blowing on his bamboo horn, contrary to popular belief that he actually calls the whales - well, that might be entirely possible what with the whales that have become so much part of the viallge, I wouldn't be surprised if these intelligent creatures had learned the call of the bamboo horn by now.

Theme Day: BIG!

It's theme day, and our topic is big. What better way to participate than to post a picture of one of our biggest villagers, the Southern Right Whale (Eubalaena Australis). Hermanus is the official Whale Capital of the world, with these gentle giants taking up residence in our waters every year from July to January. There are strict policies in place for boat based whale watching, and over the years they have become accustomed to the protection they enjoy here. Whales, like dolphins, communicate through sound. They make clicking, grunting & whistling sounds. When a calf is born after 12 months gestation, tail first, it measures approximately 6 meters. By the time they reach adulthood at the age of 10, the males measure 15 meters and the females 16 meters on average. Their lifespan is estimated at between 90 - 100 years. They present us with a summer performance of fluking, breaching, lobtailing, spyhopping, logging and spouting or blowing. As and when I am fortunate enough to catch their performances on film, I will post photo's.

It's also the official start of SPRING in the Southern Hemisphere, so on that note have a BIG SPRING day!

To see what other City Daily Photo Blogs consider BIG, please Clik here to view thumbnails for all participants

Remember The Past

The Old Harbour Museum is situated in the centre of the village at the site of the old harbour, formerly known as "Visbaai" ("Fish Bay"). The indoor museum houses exhibitions on natural history with whales being the dominant feature, together with aquariums with fishes and inter-tidal creatures and a display of antique fishing paraphernalia. The surrounding cliffs form an excellent spot from which to do land-based whale-watching and huge crowds can often be seen, indicating whales at play right in the bay. At easter times a play commerating the Passion is presented against the stunning backdrop.