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Equipment and infrastructure
The full-time non-permitted operators and the permit holder used boats varying from the traditional
fishing boats known as West Coast “chucky’s” to specialised hard-hulled sight-seeing pleasure boats.
Passenger capacity varied from 6 to 12. With the exception of operators at Yzerfontein, all boats
were permanently moored at harbour facilities. Boats used by more peripheral and opportunistic
operators were described as “basic” working fishing vessels and larger sailing boats and motor boats.
Thus a variety of boats were involved with marine tours and whale watching but the more dedicated
permitted and non-permitted operators generally utilised smaller, faster boats.
Trip characteristics
All non-permitted operators offered a generalised pleasure trip, active throughout the year, based on
one or more local attractions including island-based seal and seabird colonies, dolphins, harbours,
local history and culture and generalised sight-seeing. In the case of operators and ex-permit-holders
around Veldrift and St Helena Bay (Area 2), trips on the Berg River and estuary were also offered.
Whale watching was focussed almost entirely on Southern Right Whales, and dolphins were cited as
an important attraction in this region. Trips varied from 1hr boat trips limited to a harbour trip in (Area
1 & 2) to a maximum of 4.5hrs where the longer trip time was associated with a trip to Dassen Island
(Area 3), and in St Helena Bay where a longer time was required to find whales offshore (Area 2).
Both these latter operators used larger boats (5.5-8m) with onboard cabins and toilet facilities. Only
one operator admitted to actively searching for whales while others claimed to pass them in season
while travelling along a predetermined route they used throughout the year. Operators conducted
only one to two trips per day because of the long trip times in this region. Ticket prices ranged from
R50 for 1hr trips to R500 for longer trips.
Seasonality
The main season for whale-viewing was described as June to December in Area 1, and late July to
mid November, rarely December, in the more southern areas (Areas 2 & 3). Overall demand for
marine tours however was highest in December and March/April in all areas, coinciding with South
African school holidays. A peak in August, linked to the well known flower season, was noted by
operators in Area 1. Operators in Area 3 described their high season as the summer months, again
linked to local South African visitor patterns. These patterns support statements by operators that
whale watching alone was not the most important attraction for their tours, contributing relatively little
to overall boat-based income.
The two non-permitted operators who offered the most whale-focused tours, currently or in the past,
tended to have the most foreign clientele, up to 95%. The current permit holder described a lower
proportion of foreign clients (around 50%). The relative importance of foreigners and locals also
varied with time of year; with locals (maximum 75-90%) being dominant during school holiday periods
around December and March-April while foreigners were present during October-November and
January-February. The overall number of tourists was also generally low during these latter months,
with the best month for overall tourist numbers being December or the summer season.
Perceived trends and opportunities
All operators, including the current permit holder, agreed that any boat tour business based solely on
whale watching was unlikely to succeed due to the low numbers of tourists present during the best
parts of the whale watching season which occurred predominantly in winter. Tourist demand was
identified as the main constraint on number of trips offered.
The lack of active permit holders and turnover in permit ownership supports the consensus view by all
operators interviewed that boat-based whale watching was relatively difficult to sustain in the West
Coast region, particularly in the northern extremities of the region, due to the low numbers of tourists
in general. This is exacerbated by the fact that whales are largely visible in winter, which presents
operators with unfavourable conditions in which to operate. A further problem has been a lack of
marketing and general lack of awareness on the availability and quality of whale watching in the
region by the public. As a result, none of the operators interviewed were solely dependent on their
boat-based whale watching business for income, with most describing the operation as one of many
other business activities. Whale watching was in most cases described as an incidental part of an
existing generalised pleasure trip. The amount of low-level non-permitted activity does however
indicate that some potential for growth of the industry exists here but will rely heavily on appropriate
policing and marketing of the area.
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