Although there are several activities that guests can participate in while at De Hoop Collection, there was one that caught my attention as it involved nothing more than sitting and gazing out to sea for hours!
My kind relaxation, as even though I was born in Port Elizabeth, I had never seen a whale in the wild…and I was hoping that would change today.
When my wife and I arrived at Koppie Alleen, Bites was not yet open; however, we had enjoyed a delicious breakfast, and we were not there for the food or the coffee.
We were here for the whales…
So we sat on the deck of the restaurant and scanned the ocean for any signs of the leviathans that we hoped to see.
Koppie Alleen is one of those rare places where time seems to loosen its grip. Perched on the dunes above the rugged De Hoop coastline, it offers front-row seats to one of nature’s greatest shows — the Southern Right Whale migration.
FYI: The Right whale was so named as it was once considered to be the right whale to hunt, as it floated when harpooned, unlike other species that sank and were then lost in the depths.
Unlike the migration of zebra and wildebeest, where you can see the herds from km away, with whales, you have NO warning.
From June to November, these gentle giants glide into the bay, mothers with calves in tow, breaching and tail-slapping in slow, graceful arcs.
But even when the whales are elsewhere, Koppie Alleen has its own magic. The endless rhythm of the waves rolling in and sighing back again has a way of quieting the mind. You might sit there for hours — at first, waiting for that telltale plume of spray — but before long, you realise the waiting is the reward. It’s a place for reflection, sea air, and the reminder that sometimes the best encounters happen when you stop chasing them.
It was here that I discovered that patience IS a virtue.
Kilometres and kilometres of open and endless Atlantic Ocean with nary a whale in sight.
Why the long swim? The Southern Right Whales come here to mate, give birth, and raise their calves in the relative safety of our sheltered coastal waters. The frigid southern seas are great for feeding on krill, but not ideal for newborns who lack their parents’ blubber insulation.
So, they head to the balmy bays of places like Hermanus, De Hoop, and Plettenberg Bay — where locals and visitors alike gather along the cliffs to watch their graceful breaches and tail slaps.
It’s a spectacle that never fails to stir something deep inside — perhaps a reminder that no matter how vast the ocean, some creatures still know exactly where home is.
But I was not deterred, and I was focused on the probability that I would see at least ONE whale.
My only companions on this stretch were this pair of Red-winged Starlings.
Did you know? The red-winged starling, like other starlings, spiritually symbolises unity, communication, and adaptability.
The red wings can specifically represent protection, good luck, or a new beginning, while the bird’s behaviour can signal that significant changes are coming. It may also point to intuition and having a gift for storytelling.
However, this pair chose NOT to communicate with me, and were intent on interacting with each other.
As I had never seen whales in their natural environment, I had no idea what I was looking for.
I have seen dolphins and porpoises playing in the surf, and I knew that they were the marine equivalent of The Fast and the Furious, but whales? I had no idea.
So I stared at the waves breaking over this ‘rock’ for the longest time before I realised that it was actually moving.
Sitting alone on the beach, my wife had gone off on a beach walk, and I had no one to turn to and exclaim, “WHALE” in awe.
Yet there it was, making slow progress not too far offshore. I suppose that when you are that size and have no natural predators, you can take your time when swimming up the coast.
As more of its back was exposed, the more excited I became…and I chastised myself for not bringing my 560mm, f5.6 lens with me. Oh well, I would have to make do with the 50-500mm that I had brought with me.
I was wondering why, if the whale was so big, its tail was so small.
It took me a while to realise that I was looking at a female and her calf.
The reason for the migration is the fact that the icy waters of Antarctica start to lose their charm for the southern right whales, who pack their metaphorical suitcases, their offspring and head north to the warmer, calmer bays of the Western and Eastern Cape.
In every case, that mother-calf bond is profound — you’ll often see the mother gently guiding her calf to the surface to breathe, keeping it tucked safely under her fin. It’s a short but vital apprenticeship in the ocean’s wild classroom before the youngster swims off into the vast blue world alone.
This was one of three pairs that swam past me that morning.
And it was almost a fluke(pun intended) that all of a sudden, the sea erupted in front of me and the ‘show’ began.
Even though the majority of the female and the baby were hidden under water, there was more than enough to keep my camera and me occupied.
This looks more like the dorsal fin of a dolphin than that of a whale.
But I have been known to be wrong before… and there was a small pod of dolphins accompanying the whales.
The Southern Right whales are sometimes joined by their slightly flashier cousins, the Humpbacks, and occasionally a few Bryde’s whales, although the latter prefer to stick around all year. These gentle giants cover thousands of kilometres, all in the name of love — and, eventually, family.
But first, play time?
So, the next time you find yourself staring out over the ocean and spot what looks like a small bus gracefully flipping its tail, take a moment to appreciate the travellers who’ve come so far for a bit of coastal romance.
The things they do for love.
LOOK AT ME!
Finally, the youngster breeches and shows itself to me…
Southern right whale babies stay with their mothers for about a year, during which time they are nursed and taught essential survival skills before becoming independent.
The mother and calf migrate together during this time, with the calf relying entirely on its mother for nourishment and protection.
A moment that I will not forget in a hurry.
And with an almost dismissive flick of its tail, it slipped below the waves to continue the journey east and then north.
They don’t check into luxury lodges or fight over window seats — they simply glide through life with purpose and rhythm.
In a world where we’re all rushing somewhere, the whales remind us to slow down, breathe deeply, and maybe, just maybe, follow the tides instead of the traffic.
It’s hard to describe what happens in your chest when you see a creature of that magnitude moving with such quiet elegance. There’s awe, certainly — that tingling reminder of how small we are — but also deep gratitude.
Gratitude for the chance to witness something so ancient, so unhurried, and so utterly beautiful. Sitting there, camera forgotten at my side, I realised that the world doesn’t always need to be conquered or captured — sometimes it’s enough just to sit still and let it reveal itself to you.
I was grateful to have been a witness to this wonderful procession.
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