Microlighters

For the KZN North Coasters, saw first whale calf of the season this morning off Christmas bay. We took pics on film and will be posting pics. About 2kms out to sea. Awesome. They are coming close in now as its the season. Worth an invesigative flight, a lot of activity. Natal snoek, Tunny a few Manta and obviously Dolphins. Very clear at present.

eish zulu1

I am green with envy

Zulu1, the Cato Crew are planning a trip to the coast fairly soon to come and witness these amazing creatures. We are looking at heading to Balito and then flying down to La Mercy. Do you have any other suggestions or recommendations or will this suffice?

I had many opportunities at Sodies to dive with whales, calves, whale sharks, dolphins and once (not intentionally) with a Zambezi. Never got to see mantas though!

Looking forward to seeing the photies.

Wart wrote:the Cato Crew are planning a trip to the coast fairly soon .

ya, and how long you been saying that?? we waiting.

Hi folk.

The Ballito bay area is always good for sightings of Dolphins, Whales and Manta Rays. You will normally find them less than 500m out to sea. I do not recommend that you fly out to sea further than you can glide back. Because of sinking air over the ocean, work on about a 30degree glide slope. This limits you to only about 900m out to sea, as this would put you at 2000feet, which is the bottom of the TMA off the Ballito point.

So, please do not stray into the TMA off the coast. It is pretty close at the Ballito point.

All my good sightings have been right in close, just behind backline.

Also please remember that Marine Mammals, of which Dolphins and Whales are members , are protected by law. The Marine Living Resources Act requires that there is a NO-GO area of 300m (1000feet) radius of Marine Mammals. ie, if you see whales and dolphins, please do NOT orbit overhead them below 1000feet.

If you do, you WILL frighten them. Their behaviour becomes erractic, and they all dive and remain underwater. The whales go vertical, tails up in the air, and go deep.

Another thing which frightens them is when you allow your aircraft shadow to cross over them. This really spooks them. The entire school will suddenly put on a burst of speed and dive and criss-cross all over themselves in an effort to get away.

I have learnt this not by doing these things intentionally, but by observing them over the past 7 years while doing tourist intro flights.

I have also been called by the director of the Marine Living Resources Centre in Cape Town, asking me please to help them protect the whales and dolphins by speaking to all pilots.

Every-one reading this, please pass the above general airmanship rules on to your pilot friends.

5 years ago, I remember counting 18 whales on one half hour flight, between Umhlanga Rocks and Ballito Point. So far this season (and the season starts in September), I have seen no more than 10 whales in total!!!!

Where have they gone. I know that they are intelligent animals, and I am sure that the continual harrasment from pilots has most probably played a large role in their choosing to calf on the Wild Coast.

Fly safe guys, and please come and share this beautiful experience with us, just remembering the above pointers.

5 years ago, I remember counting 18 whales on one half hour flight, between Umhlanga Rocks and Ballito Point. So far this season (and the season starts in September), I have seen no more than 10 whales in total!!!!

Where have they gone. I know that they are intelligent animals, and I am sure that the continual harrasment from pilots has most probably played a large role in their choosing to calf on the Wild Coast.

I think you are a bit harsh and over-exagerating about us pilots been the course of the whales dissapearing!! Have you given China & Japan a call recently and asked them what they are doing with them????

Yes, HA.

I am also wondering about this.

That's quite a harsh statement.

In Canada, there are MANY whale-watching trips by boat, and they go rather close to them - believe me.

So - if THOSE whales run away from boats and THESE run away from planes, they might all now be in Chinese waters?

No - I am SURE that it's possible and even ABSOLUTELY accurate that whales are easily spooked by planes coming too close and shadows going over them quickly and by surprise.

But - chasing them away COMPLETELY?

Whales are very intellgent and very large migratory mammals. They normally go to the same place each YEAR. Are we saying that they remember those "whirly-birds" and rather go to another place?

Then we also KNOW that the Chinese (or other nations?) are constantly whaling. Why are they able to find whales in the SAME waters every year? If whales "ran from planes" why do they not "run from boats chasing and killing them?"

Remember - only about 7/8 of whales shot are actually caught. They are often wounded badly! The whaling boats chase them for miles, until they get tired, trying to line up for the best shot, and then harpoon them.

They send out terrible cries for help, bringning more whales EVERY time. These rescuers are unfortunately then also "fish bait."

All thsi is very terrible - yet the whales STILL migrate back to those SAME waters EVERY year. The onyl reason why chinese whalers are looking to other areas is because of extinction.

And another but - True or not. Are we not going to agree that - if it is just POSSIBLE that planes are scaring them - in the interest of respecting these fantastic animals, we would rather err on the side of caution and do EVERYTHING in our power NOT to scare them?

I am also not necessarily a believer in the "scared away by pilots" theory, but I will not say I am a marine expert.

So - in the interest of our edification - has anyone done research into this? Surely, if the problems with Pilots are SO serious that Whales are changing their "lifestyle" there would have been research and even publications about this?

Can you share these?

I still personally would rather leave them alone, but hey - that's just me.

Stan.

Yes this is a perplexing question

One thing I wonder is whether or not the whales can actually hear planes above the water. The noise travelling through water from a boats engine is deafening compared to a plane in the air above. If you maintain 500ft agl then you are a mere speck in a very bright sky. Put your head under water and see if you can hear planes passing overhead

Put your head under water and see if you can hear planes passing overhead

I see dead people?

Hi Folk.

Thanks for thinking about the problem...............


You ask if some research has been done, well

The Marine Living Resources Act was written by some bright fellows, and the law requires a 300m radius (unless of course you obtain a permit which allows you to get closer)

I said that over the past 7 years - read that again, 7 years - I have been, together with FF and numerous instructors who have worked for us, proven without a question of doubt, that all whales we have harassed by orbiting for too long or by orbiting too low, have gone 'tail up, together with their calves and mid-wives', and gone deep, really deep, not to surface for as long as we have cared to remain and wait.

Dolphins on the other hand, who swim gracefully, get all panicky and dart all over each other in a frantic effort to get away from the microlight shadow. If the shadow does not pass over the school, then they just all dive down, usually at the signal of one or two of them, who 'slap' the water with their tail. They also remain deep for a long, long time before re-surfacing.

Some dolphin school do not seem to mind, whereas others go crazy in their effort to 'escape'.

I have never known dolphins to mind a boat. They actually come alongside and swim in the bow-wave. The dolphin watching rubber-duck actually just parks beyond backline sometimes, and waits for the dolphins. They come to the boat.

So it is safe to assume that it is not the sound that bothers them. It has something to do with this huge creature passing overhead.

So, I feel qualified to make the statements I have, based on my observations over the past 7 years and thousands of tourist flights I have
personally made along this stretch of coastline.

The reason I made these observations, was because the director of the Marine Living Resources personally phoned me and asked for my help in bringing the above mentioned behaviour of these mammals to the attention of local pilots.

The total number of Whales on our eastern coast does not seem to have diminished, only the number coming back to the coastline between Umhlanga Rocks and Tinley Manor. There are still hundreds of whales giving birth along the Transkei Coast, and further North. They have just stopped coming here.

I do not know the answer, but given the above observations over the past 7 years, I would say to anyone asking "Go figure".

If my style of writing seems aggressive, I am sorry. I do not mean to come across that way.

Just trying to share my views with the readers..............

Hey Dave

If you really want to get aggro, take it out on that fixed wing instructor at Virginia, doing simulated emergencies at Ballito with me (and others) in circuit on Saturday...reg LSP and forget about the Whales. I was nearly taken out... Go on Dave off you go...we need some good essays !!

eish Zulu1

Thanks Dave,

We don't get much opportunity this side to harass the whales as they are generally in False Bay and a) you are in the CTR for CT international and b) there are other big tooth monsters here who like eating old people and surfers. Lets not give them a taste of microlighters yet. On the west coast we get them moving down from the north and again you are above extremely cold water and within the TMA and Ysterplaat's CTR.

The whales and dolphins must have some legacy instinct to avoid attack from the sky, not that there is much these days that can carry a whale away but I suppose it could be dating back to the time of the giant pterodactyls.

I'll put the message out this side for the guys to not harass them.

I do however know of an individual who flew out 10 miles south of Cape Point in a gyro the see a Blue Whale that had been sighted by fishing vessels. Complete nutter.

Thanks Morph. Hey Zulu, you want me to donner him with or without 'eish'

Saw a cow with calf and midwife off Ballito point about 2hours ago. Was about 1km out to sea. Climbed to about 1000feet. Water was lovely and clear. Passenger got great video footage. Whales did not mind me at all at that height.

I was watching the same bunch from my balcony, but the most activity is at Christmas bay, i go to about 1500ft and that way you get to see the entire bays activities. Slightly different to Gauteng isnt it ?!?.

eish Zulu1