The Man Who Shouts About Whales

There is a man in my town whose job is to shout about whales.

When southern right whales come into Walker Bay, the Hermanus whale crier walks the cliff path and blows a kelp horn. Each call is a code. It tells you where along the shore to look.

He can tell you where. Whether they surface is up to them.

I live in Hermanus, and I have guided this coast for more than thirty years. I have walked that cliff path more times than I can count. It still surprises me how a simple horn can turn a crowd of strangers in the same direction, all of them waiting for the same thing.

Some whales come in so close that you hear them breathe before you see them. It is a deep, heavy sound that carries over the water. Then a dark back rolls slowly through the surface, and everyone on the path goes still. Mothers bring their calves into these sheltered waters to rest, and you can watch them for a long time without anything dramatic happening. That is part of the gift. You learn to wait.

I think about the whale crier often, and not only when I am on the coast. There is a lesson in his work for business too.

You can choose the right place. You can choose the right time. You can read the signs, listen to the people who know the water, and stand where the odds are best. What you cannot do is control the outcome. The whale decides whether to surface.

Many of us put most of our energy into the result, which we cannot touch, and too little into the preparation, which we can. Preparation is what puts you on the right cliff when it matters. When the moment comes, you are already there, and you are ready for it.

The same is true of planning a journey. We can choose the season, the coastline and the hour of the day. We can make sure our guests are standing in the right place with time to spare. Nature does the rest, and when it does, nobody on that cliff forgets it.

The whale season here runs from about June to November, so there are still a few weeks left this year. If you have ever wanted to hear a whale breathe before you see it, now is a good time to come.

If you would like to talk about a trip to the Cape whale coast, or anywhere in Southern Africa, I would be glad to hear from you. Visitors to Africa plans private journeys for one to six guests and small groups of up to twelve, and I plan every trip personally. Send me a message and we can start with a conversation.

John Sparks