Hermanus Bay is a small seaside town, located on the southern coast of South Africa. It may not be big in area but it is definitely big in attraction. Hermanus Bay which is about 115km from Cape Town is famous for its beautiful beach and a place best known for whale watching.
There are many ways to get to Hermanus Bay, you could join tour operators providing day trips to Hermanus Bay from Cape Town or you could also rent a car. The advantage of car hire is that you can stop at service station for a Wimpy burger or stopover at art and craft market, farm shop, fruit orchard and vineyards. You could even decide to buy a hat or a rug from street sellers flogging their wares at traffic stop.
The main attraction of Hermanus Bay is whale watching which occur from June to December. Every year the Southern right whales will visit the South African waters to give birth to their calves.
Hermanus Bay has the reputation of being the best destination for land based whale watching in the world. Southern right whale is a baleen whale and it differ from most whales as it has no dorsal fin on its back and when it breathe out, it form a V shaped cloud above the water.
As the whale stays under water for only 6 minutes, it is easy to spot them on the surface at short interval. The movement of the whale and her calf is a performance on its own. Every now and then the whale will do a back flipped, arching their back and splashing back into the water. At times they will slap their tails on the surface of the water before going under again. They probably know they are being admired and are giving their best performances.
It is not difficult to spot whales but a whale crier adds to the novelty of whale watching. The whale crier, much like a town crier, alert visitors when a whale is seen. Hermanus Whale Crier in the only whale crier in the world. When you see a man with a feather in his hat, blowing a kelp horn, you know you have seen the whale crier.
We were in Hermanus Bay at the end of the whale watching season. However, we were not disappointed at all. After spotting the first pair of whale and her calf, subsequent pair appears at short intervals. It was definitely an oohs and aahs moment.
More information about whaling can be viewed in the Old Harbour Museum in Hermanus.
There are many other things to do in Hermanus besides whale watching. You could opt for an adrenaline fix by swimming with sharks in shark cage diving, explore the Fernkloof Nature Reserve, spent the rest of the day in the craft market or relax in a open air cafe listening to the tunes of the marimba band.
Most of the houses in Hermanus Bay face the sea; hence it has made this place a top destination for holiday homes for the South African. I can see why there is a huge attraction to this coastal town, it have the amenities of modern living, the beautiful combination of sea and mountain and the celebration of many festivities, there is never a dull moment here.
No comments:
Post a Comment