Whale Watching Tours Collective Wisdom

"About 20 of us were on the boat. We went first to a bay where we spotted a great white shark, then continued to Dyer Island to see penguins, seals and lots of birds. During the three hours we were out at sea, we saw 12 whales, the closest of which was about 20 meters away.

We were lucky with the weather, have heard that the weather can be a problem and people need to be aware of this.

Most useful items were my camera and some snacks.

It was an amazing, fun trip and I would definitely recommend them [Dyer Island Cruises] for whale watching tours. I rate my experience 10/10." Photos

Helga spent four days in Hermanus and the surrounding area. She didn't need to go out on a whale watching tours boat because the whales get so close to land that you can just watch them with your feet on terra firma.

She stayed in a self catering cottage and found her own way around town. » Full Hermanus South Africa report

We spent about an hour watching the whales and it seemed like the calf was drinking from its mother but it was hard to be sure. I managed to get a video of this amazing event.

I also saw a group of three whales from the main viewpoint in Hermanus and one of them breached about seven or eight times in a row.

Deb was busy walking to the backpackers where she was staying when she saw a whale surface about 20 meters from the main viewpoint with a baby alongside it. She watched them for about 45 minutes as they slowly moved further away.

A little later some more whales showed up and they started jumping clear of the water as they staged an amazing show...

One of the larger whales began to breach near the boat and amazingly the skipper had to judge where the whale would surface to get out of the way.

The whale breached a total of 4 times, each one closer and closer to the boat so that the last one was so close it wasn't possible to get the whole whale in the camera frame, only its head (about 40 metres away)...

The "wonderful accommodation" is at cabins with wood and hot water showers provided. You don't need to carry your own bag as these are carried/transported for you.

As it is an unguided trail there were no briefings about the whales but Diane and her friends took their own books along to read up about the mammals. They saw the whales from land at a distance of about 300m. Binoculars are essential.

She recommends you book well in advance and go in July as the weather was "perfect - not too hot".

I would recommend Advantage who was very helpful and answered any questions. They're the only operators doing whale watching in St Lucia. I phoned before, but booked when we got there. They were adaptable with regards to the weather. The day we wanted to go was very rough and windy and they advised against going.

The weather was clear and fairly calm on the day. The boat took 10 people and 3 crew. We were taken by the crew on an open vehicle from the meeting place to the launch place. The crew was efficient and professional. We were given life jackets, pushed out, did beach launch through waves safely, cruised for 2 hours looking for and watching whales (we got very close), then back to shore - easy landing, taken back to the departure point by the same vehicle. We were out at sea for 2 hours.

My children (aged 8 and 12) had an amazing experience they will never forget. We took drinks & snacks, but too busy watching to think about them. Sucking sweets helped my 8 yr old with a bit of nausea.

After the holiday, pics were sent to me by Bien, from Advantage Tours who was the skipper and was taking photos of our tour. He kept his word and sent them without me having to remind him… impressive!

The trip was expensive (for local South Africans) but well worth it."

I stayed at Bibs Backpackers in St Lucia, and would recommend it to others.

I rate my trip 6 out of 10 (but only because I got very seasick). Whale watching is so beautiful and you can't come to St Lucia and not do it!"

We have seen the DVD already several times.

We will everybody recommended to do this boat trip, it was for us one of the highlight of our vacation."

He was amazed that whale sightings were guaranteed by his operator, and, as hoped, they got really close to these huge animals.

He recommends a day or two extra in the town of St Lucia which is set within a world heritage site...

After a rough boat ride leaving the estuary, birders Chris & Julie enjoyed identifying the bird life out at sea. Next they saw bottlenose dolphins and of course the trip wouldn't be complete without the whales of which they saw several different individuals.

The party returned to the shore by beaching onto dry land, very exciting for those not used to boats and the sea. They also got a DVD of the outing.

The trip report will be especially interesting to you if you're a birder, but also to pick up tips on other activities and accommodation in the area.

Despite cold, wet weather Cindy found the whale watching tours at St Lucia her best wildlife adventure activity yet.

Their skipper was excellent at spotting the whales and their boat got very close to the huge mammals and she even saw them breach... » Whale watching cruise review

She was very happy with Mr Bennett's operation, especially his knowledge of the whales. She highly recommends him to others.

The weather was terrible, with very high waves which meant they could not use the cameras and videos (Advantage sent her a nice DVD about whale watching afterwards). She did take seasick pills and did therefore not get seasick, but others didn't and they had to return early to get those girls to shore.

They saw lots of humpback whales, swimming near the boat, and 10 jumps (or breaches) a bit further away but very well seen.

She recommends others book their boat trips in advance and to take the seasick pills.

Klara says it was an amazing experience which she will never forget, despite the heavy wind. Other than the bad weather, the trip completely satisfied her hopes and expectations.