Bryde’s whales delight sardine watchers along KZN South Coast
Wayne Harrison of the KZN Sharks Board said these elusive whales are seen more often each season, drawn by the abundant sardines.
This year’s Sardine Run has brought an unexpected treat – an unusually high number of Bryde’s whales feeding close to shore along the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast.
Bryde’s whales are generally smaller, more streamlined and their diet consists of a variety of small schools of fish, such as sardines.
Wayne Harrison of the KZN Sharks Board said these elusive whales are seen more often each season, drawn by the abundant sardines moving up the coast.
“This year we’ve seen a hell of a lot,” he added.
“With the sardines around, these whales have been seen feeding right in the surf zones. Just off the Port Shepstone lighthouse, I saw one feeding south of the point, and two at Orange Rocks, Uvongo. I also spotted one at Sea Park a stone’s throw away from the beach and at Umdoni against the rocks.”
Normally deep-water feeders, Bryde’s whales being close to shore are rare for KZN waters, and their presence along the South Coast offers locals and visitors an unique whale-watching opportunity.”
Harrison also noted that there are fewer humpback whales this year, and said his gut feeling is possibly because they followed a deeper route as currents differ from previous years.
“We have also seen a great deal of dolphin activity early in the morning.”
Interestingly, Bryde’s whales are named after Johan Bryde, a Norwegian who built South Africa’s first whaling stations in the early 1900s. Bryde’s whales inhabit warm, temperate oceans worldwide. Some migrate short distances seasonally, while others don’t migrate at all, making them unique among baleen whales.
They face threats like vessel strikes and ocean noise, but are protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act.
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