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  INFORMATION:
  MOSSEL BAY  | EAST LONDON  | LITTLE BRAK RIVER 
  

Mossel Bay Whale Route

Mossel Bay lies almost in the centre of the newly proclaimed Whale Route which stretches from the West Coast to East London in the East. A Whale Route board has been erected at the Tourism Office and the Whale Flag will be hoisted on days when the whales are spotted in the Bay. 

Local whale spotters advise the Tourism Office of the whereabouts of whales in the Bay. This Bay is a favourite shelter for Southern right whales, so called because they were considered the "right" specie to hunt, being of a suitable size and also as the carcasses floated after being harpooned. 

Every year from about May to October whales visit the Bay, often in schools of 10 or more, mostly near Little Brak River. They seek out the safe and calm waters of the Bay during their calving season. The whale cow usually swims around alone until her calf is born, but is sometimes accompanied by one or more female whales believed to act as midwives. They play together and stay in the Bay for about three months for the calves to grow stronger. The males will join the females only after the calves have been weaned, when mating takes place, before they all return to the Antarctic.