Download PDF (2.5MB) - Anchor Environmental

6.3 Eastern Cape
The Eastern Cape is the most undersubscribed whale watching region in the country. Only five of the
available boat-based whale watching permits occur in its boundaries, of which one is currently active
and a second has recently been issued. Apart from these, one permit corresponds to an area shared
with southern KwaZulu-Natal and is classified under that province’s whale watching in this report.
#S
Towns
Provincial boundaries
BBWW Areas
Closed area
Permitted area
Port Edward #S
#S
#S
20
Port St Johns #S
19
Coffee Bay #S
18
Morgan's Bay #S
East London #S
17
#S
#S
Port Elizabeth
#S
Port Alfred
Kenton #S
#S
16
15
Figure 6.3. Map of Western Cape Province showing towns and Areas mentioned in text.
6.3.1 Sunshine Coast (Areas 15-16; Permits: 1 of 2)
Much of the area between Plettenberg Bay and Port Elizabeth is off-limits for boat-based whale
watching. Boat-based whale watching along the Sunshine Coast is thus possible only from Algoa Bay
eastwards, with permits for Algoa Bay (Area 15) and Woody Cape (Area 16). In Algoa Bay, Port
Elizabeth has become a popular tourism destination in recent decades, particularly for domestic
tourism, and more recently for international tourists. Tourism has picked up through development and
marketing of the city’s beachfront areas, as well as due to the increasing attraction of the surrounding
areas for malaria-free game-viewing and hunting. Further east, the region is characterised by small
resort areas on the numerous estuaries occurring at regular intervals along the coast. Some of these
resort areas, such as Kenton-on-Sea and especially Port Alfred, have grown into sizeable towns.
Tourism is still very much dominated by domestic tourism in these areas, and is highly seasonal.
Permitted activity
One active permit holder currently operates at Port Elizabeth, and forms part of the Ocean Safaris
group of permit holders, which is centred in the Garden Route. Though the permit has been held for
the past three years, measurable successes have only been achieved in the last 18 months.
44