If you happen to be at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town over the weekend, taking a stroll or sitting down for lunch along the harbour, you might have been in for a treat.
While it’s not unusual to spot the odd seal or otter in the bay, it is highly unlikely that one would encounter a whale!
Videos of the solo humpback whale swimming and blowing around the harbour have popped up all over social media.
Some of those who captured the moment seemed to think that the whale was trapped.
@viralvoyager.co Whale trapped in V&A Waterfront Harbour. #capetown #capetownsouthafrica #capetownsouthafrica🇿![CDATA[]]>🇦 #southafrica #whale #whalewatching #whales ♬ original sound - ViralVoyager
IOL reached out to the Two Oceans Aquarium to find out more about the unusual visitor.
“The humpback whale that was seen enjoying the calm waters of the V&A Waterfront has been a regular visitor over the past 10 days. This was his fourth trip into the Waterfront precinct and Table Bay Harbour.
“We kept a watchful eye on him along with the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE ) and the port control officials. This is not a common occurrence but it does happen from time to time. We believe that this whale has been using the Waterfront to rest as there have been some rough seas in Table Bay,” commented Brett Glasby, the Two Ocean’s Aquarium Foundation’s Marine Wildlife management programme coordinator.
@uamanda_b 🐋 Unexpected visitor at the harbor today! Just got front-row seats to some free whale watching! #whalesighting #HarborLife #whalewatching #whalesquad🐳 #whaletok #waterfront #viraltiktok #fyp #fypシ゚ ♬ The Beginning - Flawed Mangoes
The appearance of the whale is a sure sign that whale season is upon us.
From June until December, these aquatic creatures can be spotted along the Cape Coast.
They migrate from the colder waters of Antarctica to our warmer south coast waters to calve their offspring.
IOL