Masters students Edith Mertz and Bridget James have been studying the number, distribution, and habits of the whales and dolphins of Mossel Bay – and their results position the town as an important whale and dolphin watching destination.

The pair have been working with a locally-based independent scientific foundation, Oceans Research (www.oceans-research.com) since January of last year.

Observations are carried out on about four days of every week, with the position of each sighting accurately recorded using surveyor’s theodolites.

Six different observation stations have been established at private homes and tourism hotspots along the length of the Bay.

“Humpback dolphins are found year round and there appear to be about 50 individuals that visit the Bay; between 150 and 400 bottlenose dolphins are here most of the year; common dolphins are seen occasionally in large groups of a up to about three hundred specimens; small numbers of Bryde’s whales have been seen between January and April; and groups of about thirty humpback whales, and forty southern right whales a day visited last season,” said Ms. James.

“Also, a pod of between five and twenty false killer whales was seen in May last year.”

Mossel Bay Tourism’s Marcia Holm said that the findings were good news for tourism.

“While the migratory species like southern rights are generally seen between June and October – which coincides with the arrival of international tourists in Mossel Bay, it’s good to have verifiable information that points to the presence of whales and dolphins throughout the year,” she said.

“Mossel Bay has always been known for its boat cruises, but this study proves what we’ve been saying all along: that Mossel Bay is also an ideal place to watch cetaceans from the shore.”

She said that the Bay is also known for its shark cage diving.

“Despite the presence of South Africa’s smallest commercial harbour, Mossel Bay is relatively undisturbed as an eco-system which makes it ideal as a tourism destination.”

More information from Mossel Bay Tourism.