Breaching Southern Right whales in Hermanus, South Africa

Some fast facts on whales - in the captions of these photos - from our friends at The Marine in Hermanus where the Southern Right Whales hang out close to the shore between June and December, with August through to October being the peak season for sightings.

Breaching - describes when the whale leaps out of the water

Spyhopping - describes when the whale pokes its head out to have a look around. The head of a Southern Right Whale is large and covered with wart-like bumps called callosities. These differ in size and position on every Southern Right Whale and they are often used to identify the individual whales.

Sailing - describes when the whale sticks its tail out for an extended period of time

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