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
Walrus pair at sea in Svalbard, Norway
Alpine marmots in Hohe Tauern National Park, Austria
European river otter, Lelystad, Netherlands
Steller sea lions, Vancouver Island, British Columbia
Sea otters, Prince William Sound, Alaska, United States
Sea otter, Prince William Sound, Alaska, USA
Humpback whale mother and calf, Tonga
It’s our birthday too, yeah! Harbor seal pup lying on the beach, Heligoland, Germany
Bing Today Images
Town of Pienza in Tuscany, Italy
Sep 28, 2025
Container ship near a commercial port in Thailand
Sep 28, 2023
Mount Fuji in Japan
Sep 28, 2021
Clouds over Mont Ventoux, France
Sep 28, 2016
