Southern right whales off the coast of South Africa. The Hermanus Whale Festival starts today.
© oversnap/E+/Getty Image
Tail end of a migration. Southern right whales sail home to South Africa
Each year during the Southern Hemisphere’s winter and early spring months (June through November), southern right whales migrate from the far Southern Ocean near Antarctica to the coast of South Africa to mate and calve. Their tendency to swim in shallow waters near the shore–and their curiosity around boats—delights tourists here, and has made the town of Hermanus, South Africa, an international whale-watching hotspot. The town even employs its own ‘whale crier,‘ who sounds a horn when a sighting is made. Today marks the start of the Hermanus Whale Festival, a celebration of these mighty migrants.
Related Images
Silky shark at Jardines de la Reina, Cuba
Sperm whale off the coast of Roseau, Dominica, in the Caribbean Sea
Alpine marmots in Hohe Tauern National Park, Austria
It’s our birthday too, yeah! Harbor seal pup lying on the beach, Heligoland, Germany
Walrus pair at sea in Svalbard, Norway
Sea otters in Prince William Sound, Alaska, 30 years after the Exxon Valdez oil spill
Humpback whale
Sea otter, Prince William Sound, Alaska, USA
Bing Today Images
Town of Pienza in Tuscany, Italy
Sep 28, 2025
Container ship near a commercial port in Thailand
Sep 28, 2023
Toy train ride on the Kalka-Shimla route in India
Sep 28, 2022
Mount Fuji in Japan
Sep 28, 2021
