Oceans & waters · South Africa · autumn
Whale Migration & Coastal Sightings in Walker Bay, Hermanus
Coastal cetacean feeding and calving aggregations, tracked from seasonal migration windows and coastal marine climatology.
Readiness
Low confidence3
Peak was 65 days ago
Feed limitation & fallback active
Temperature coverage for this window is partial.
Live summary
As of 9 Nov 2026, Whale Migration & Coastal Sightings readiness in Walker Bay, Hermanus, South Africa is 3 out of 100, phase past peak. Accumulated growing degree days since 15 May 2026 are 1541.1 against a peak threshold of 380.0 at base 5°C. The timing model places peak on 5 Sept 2026. Mean cloud cover over the next three days is 37%. Temperature coverage for this window is partial.
- Readiness
- 3 / 100
- Status
- Declining
- Confidence
- Low confidence
- Evidence type
- Forecast
- Model
- Growing degree days
- Timing
- Peak was 65 days ago
- Estimated peak window
- 25 Aug 2026 – 16 Sept 2026
- Climatological peak
- 15 Sept 2026
- Adjusted peak
- 5 Sept 2026
- Accumulated GDD
- 1541.1 of 380.0
- Planetary K-index
- n/a
- NDVI
- n/a
- Cloud cover, next 3 days
- 37%
- Coordinates
- 34.42° S, 19.23° E
- Updated
- 9 Nov 2026, 08:42 UTC
Cool weather moved the peak 10 days earlier, to 5 Sept 2026.
Fourteen-day outlook
Projected readiness for each day. Botanical and wildlife bars use forecast temperature. Meteor shower bars combine stream activity, lunar phase, and forecast cloud cover. Aurora bars use the NOAA 3-day Kp forecast when available and a quiet-oval baseline with forecast cloud cover for days 4–14.
Mon 9
3 out of 100 on 2026-11-09
21% cld
Tue 10
2 out of 100 on 2026-11-10
52% cld
Wed 11
2 out of 100 on 2026-11-11
37% cld
Thu 12
2 out of 100 on 2026-11-12
76% cld
Fri 13
2 out of 100 on 2026-11-13
53% cld
Sat 14
1 out of 100 on 2026-11-14
9% cld
Sun 15
1 out of 100 on 2026-11-15
14% cld
Mon 16
1 out of 100 on 2026-11-16
25% cld
Tue 17
1 out of 100 on 2026-11-17
25% cld
Wed 18
1 out of 100 on 2026-11-18
47% cld
Thu 19
1 out of 100 on 2026-11-19
6% cld
Fri 20
1 out of 100 on 2026-11-20
27% cld
Sat 21
0 out of 100 on 2026-11-21
72% cld
Sun 22
0 out of 100 on 2026-11-22
28% cld
Field notes & historical context
Southern right whales enter shallow cliff-lined bays to calve and nurse within meters of coastal footpaths from July through November.
Baleen whales undertake some of the longest migrations on Earth, commuting between high-latitude summer krill and baitfish feeding grounds and sheltered low-latitude winter calving bays.
34.42° S, 19.23° E · Africa/Johannesburg
Sources & data freshness
Forecast · Low confidence · Updated 9 Nov 2026, 08:42 UTC
- Open-Meteo ERA5 & Forecast
Daily max/min temperatures (GDD base 5°C) and 14-day outlook
- NOAA Fisheries & IWC Cetacean Sanctuary Reference
Coastal migration corridors, calving seasons, and vessel approach rules
Safety & responsible visiting
Wild marine sightings are probabilistic and weather-dependent. Respect mandatory 100 m–300 m vessel approach distances, never fly drones low over resting mothers and calves, and prepare for cold offshore swell.
Natural phenomena depend on live weather, local access rules, and habitat conditions. Verify local advisories before travelling.
Ground-truth provenance
Community reportField observations for Walker Bay, Hermanus
Community observations supplement satellite and weather models with eye-level reports. Every submission is tagged as a Community report with provenance and moderation status—never blended silently into automated readiness scores.
No community field reports have been logged for Walker Bay, Hermanus in this session yet.
Related places
Other Whale Migration & Coastal Sightings regions on the index.