GUESS THE DESTINATION: The first Orcas (killer whale) was sighted in this area since November 2022, where are we today?
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Show Notes
GUESS THE DESTINATION: The first Orcas (killer whale) was sighted in this area since November 2022, where are we today?
GUEST: PATTY BUTTERWORTH– CEO of Plett Tourism
Plettenberg Bay is a seaside town on the Garden Route in South Africa’s Western Cape Province. The sandy Central Beach and Lookout Beach both have surf breaks. To the south, Robberg Nature Reserve is a rocky peninsula with trails and the Stone Age Nelson Bay Caves. Northeast are Birds of Eden, a free-flight bird sanctuary in indigenous forest, and an elephant sanctuary. Whales come near the coast in migration season.
Orcas, or killer whales, are seen infrequently in our bay as they prefer the deeper waters of the open ocean outside the bay’s protection but they do wander into shallower waters occasionally to hunt or feed. A sighting such as this is always a cause for celebration and interest as the season moves closer to winter – known as Whale Season in Plett.
This, amongst others, is the simplest reason why the Plett Ocean Festival and associated Marine Science Symposium, now in their second year, are so vital to the town’s annual calendar: winter is a time of great abundance of marine life, gentle sunshine and great activity beneath the waves. This year’s festival will take place from 30 June – 9 July 2023 with the symposium held once again at the Beacon Island Resort on 30 June, 1 & 2 July 2023.
Plett Tourism’s communications manager, Janet Middleton, a former scuba diving instructor, says: “Sighting orcas in Plett has always caused quite a stir because they usually spend their time further offshore. However, it’s a testament to the exciting and unpredictable nature of the marine environment that you never quite know what you’ll see or what will surface. It’s part of why we love the ocean so much and never more so than during whale season in the winter months.”
What do you call sixteen orcas cruising across Plettenberg Bay on an ordinary Wednesday in March? You call it a great day to be at sea and a sign that the ocean is shaking off its summer skin and beginning to roll out a spectacle like no other.
According to reports, orcas were first sighted by the marine safari at Ocean Safaris. However, young videographer Max Morris on safari with Ocean Blue Adventures filmed the footage below. These 16 apex predators are the first spotted in the bay since November of last year.