Did you know that Algoa Bay is a Whale Heritage Area? South Africa is the only country in the world with three Whale Heritage Areas, with the Bluff in Durban and Plettenberg Bay being the other two.

When it comes to biodiversity, Algoa Bay is arguably one of the most outstanding marine environments. During the winter months, the warm shallow waters of its unique half-heart-shaped bay provide ideal conditions for Southern right whales to mate and have their calves.

Later in the year, the bay also serves as a nursery for humpback whale calves before they make the long journey back south to their feeding grounds.

Bryde’s and minke whales are in the bay all year, feeding on sardines and anchovies that are rounded up by long-beaked common dolphins or African penguins.

Algoa Bay is home to the largest colony of African penguins in the world. The foraging activities of these wonderful birds provide feeding opportunities for dolphins and whales all year round.

In 2016, Algoa Bay was named the ‘Bottlenose Dolphin Capital of the World’ for having the largest pods and most frequent sightings. It is not uncommon to come across a pod of over six hundred Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins in Algoa Bay and, in the shallower areas of the bay, there are also frequent sightings of rare Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins, often with new-born calves, which suggests that this species is calving here. Common dolphins can be seen in the bay literally in their hundreds, if not thousands.

📸 @Raggy Charters