Close Encounter Whale Watching - Hermanus - South Africa - 2021

Close Encounter whale Watching with Ivanhoe Sea Safaris.

Close Encounters are when you are so close and you can look deep into the dark eye of a Southern Right Whales - Then you know you are close and experiencing something Special!

The crew had this and got so excited on this trip!

With the unbelievable and close encounter whale watching we’ve been having recently, we’re in danger of almost getting used to the sight of them staring at us, with many a whale mugging today!

Our skipper Johan reckons that today was one of the best whale interactions he was ever had!

It was truly out of this world!

We began our tour by cruising by a couple of Cape Fur Seals before stopping to view a mega flock of Cape Cormorants, with their beautiful blue eyes and orange gapes.

Whilst watching this endangered species, we caught sight of some bits of bobs of our Southern Right Whales sticking out the water, so we decided to go in for a closer look.

There were so many whales about today with moms and babies hanging in the breakers whilst single adults mingled in the more spacious backline with the cliffs of De Kelders in the distance.

We approached our first 3 gentle giants slowly and watched them go about their mating, before the whales became completely enamored with us, they circled us again and again, eyes open, watching us.

What we would give to know what they think when they see our boat and the mammals staring back at them!

We had one particularly amazing moment where a whale turned on her side to stare at us, staying there for a breathtaking few moments before a naughty boy decided he wanted attention and climbed on top of her right next to us, causing them both to roll, an abrupt end to an incredible moment of connection.

On board today, we also got the gopro out to try to get some underwater shots, and we were amazed to find one where one of our curious creatures actually stares right up at us, checking the boat out from below.

Best Close Encounter Whale Watching - Under water armature video footage.

Check out our YouTube Page and some underwater footage taken on this trip.

Throughout these incredible encounters, our skipper Johan was able to leave his cabin and join in the viewing, with us being unable to move at all with the whales right beneath us!

We were mugged and mugged again before carrying on to find some more right whales.

On the way we found a Brydes Whale and an African Penguin before spending our last moments with 2 more groups who were equally as curious and playful.

They approached the boat, showed off their tales and practiced the century old mating dance of the species.