Tag Archives: Seal Island

Breaching Great White Sharks most likely to be seen in False Bay!

OO Cape Town Great White shark cage Whale Cottage PortfolioLast night I attended an interesting talk on ‘The Great White Shark: a Global Perspective’, given by shark expert and Apex eco-tour operator Chris Fallows at the One&Only Cape Town. Chris’ talk covered the three key seal areas attracting Great White Sharks in South Africa, as well as other well-known shark areas in the world.

I was invited by Ian Manley, the hotel’s PR consultant, to Chris’ talk, one of two (the second will focus on the relationship between Orca killer whales and Great White Sharks tonight), in a series of Guest Speaker Talks, which include Joanne Lifson on 18 June on ‘Lights Canine Action’, Colin Bell speaking on rhino extinction on 3 July, ‘Africa’s Three Big Cats‘ by Lorne Sulcas on 15 July, and more. One&Only Cape Town ambassador Aubrey Ngcungama introduced Chris, who has documented his shark adventures in his book ‘Great White: The Majesty of Sharks‘, and who has filmed documentaries about the Great White Shark with Discovery Channel, the BBC’s Planet Earth, and National Geographic.   In the hotel reception area, a shark cageChris Fallows Great White The Majesty of Sharks with diver, as well as a model of a small shark, were set up to attract attention to the talks programme.

Prior to the start of the talk Chris and I chatted, and he explained that Orcas, known as ‘killer whales‘, are not whales at all, but are members of the dolphin family.   Orcas are known to kill whales, by pushing them under water and making them drown.   In South Africa Great White Sharks can be found where there are concentrations of seals, in three regions: Continue reading →

Orca whales create a splash in False Bay, feasting on dolphins!

The most incredible photographs taken by Simon’s Town Boat Company whale-watching tour operator Dave Hurwitz last Tuesday, of four Orca whales feasting on dolphins in False Bay, have captured the imagination of locals.

Orcas are the largest dolphin size, and also called killer whales, and were observed hunting a school of hundreds of dolphins between Kalk Bay, Seal Island, and Strandfontein. Hurwitz saw four dolphins caught by the Orcas.  His photographs were published in the Cape Argus, Cape Times, and spread like wild-fire on the internet.  Hurwitz observed a similar group catching a dolphin three years ago, and believes that they may be the same group of Orcas.  He said that Orca sightings have been rare in the past, but he had seen the group of four predators every day in the previous two weeks.   He added that there is plenty of action in False Bay at the moment, with four Bryde’s whales too, and up to 600 penguins feeding, a rare sight.

Orca whales are thought to be the most plentiful of all whale species, and occur in all the oceans of the world.  They are 7 – 8 meters long, weigh up to 8 tons, swim in pods of up to 50, can reach a speed of 50 km per hour, and feast on birds, fish, squid, seals, and dolphins, and are also known to attack whales, hunting in large packs, reports the Cape Argus.

Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage.com Twitter:@WhaleCottage

007 to the rescue of …whales, and more shoots!

Former James Bond actor Pierce Brosnan has boldly appealed to President Obama to help put an end to illegal whaling, reports CBS.  Brosnan paid for and appears in an “Save the Whales Now” advertisement, in which he reminds the President of his promise, whilst a candidate for the White House, that he was going to stop illegal whaling.

The “Save the Whales Now” campaign is a joint effort by the following organisations: Humane Society of the United States, The International Fund for Animal Welfare, The Natural Resources Defense Council, and the Ocean Alliance.   It encourages viewers to call the President personally, by providing a telephone number.  The Brosnan ad can be viewed here.

Halle Berry, Oscar-winning actress, and Oliver Martinez are currently in Cape Town, to shoot “Dark Tide” in Simonstown.  Berry plays the role of a diving instructor who comes face-to-face with sharks on a deserted island in the movie, reports the Sunday Times.   Local marine professionals have been retained by the producers, to provide support, whilst a local team of stunt co-ordinators has also been hired.   Filming has taken place in Simonstown harbour and at Seal Island.   The production company has set up its base at Seaforth Beach in Simonstown.

Commenting on the making of the movie, shark conservationist Alison Kock of Save Our Seas Foundation told the Sunday Times that they decided to not get involved and assist the producers, after they had seen the script, and it appeared to be a “shark attack” movie, a thriller in which the actors fight off a shark attack.  Her society’s mandate is to present the positive side of sharks, especially given shark attacks in False Bay generally, and specifically in Fish Hoek at the beginning of the year, when Lloyd Skinner died from being attacked by a Great White Shark.

A fascinating project is that of an Australian movie “Whale Like Me”,which film-maker Malcolm Wright is making.  Wright does not support the catching of whales by the Japanese, and came up with the idea of a documentary, in which the Japanese and the conservationists opposed to whaling swop roles, a “walk a mile in my shoes” type of movie, reports The Australian.  Wright will be living with a whaling family and join a whale hunt off the coast of Japan, while whalers will live with him in the Cook Islands and will swim with humpback whales in the area.

Wright says of his novel documentary: “The key to the film is reconciliation and the way we see reconciliation is walking a mile in each other’s shoes.  My standpoint is we have to now shift from a moratorium on sustainability grounds to a moratorium on ethical grounds, and at least have an international exchange of ideas and come to a conclusion of some sort”.   Hideki Fuji, a Japanese film-maker working on the project challenges the anti-whaling sentiment, asking how whaling and eating whales is different to “the harvesting of other animals for human consumption”.   Wright worked with Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson, and hopes to get his movie released in cinemas.  Filming is planned to start this month.

Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage.com

Cape Town in glowing German TV spotlight

One of the largest German TV channels, ARD, broadcast a wonderfully positive one and a half hour movie called “Traumhotel – Kap der Guten Hoffnung” (Dream Hotel – Cape of Good Hope) last night.    It will be the most positive PR for the city in the German market, which no S A Tourism or Cape Town Tourism budget could afford to pay for in terms of exposure and positive communication.

Although stretching credibility a little by throwing in a side-story about a wonderful game reserve at which wild animals like elephants, giraffe, rhino’s, gnu and other buck walk around the actors as if it is the most natural thing in the world, the scenes shot in Cape Town captured the beauty of the city, and focused on all the most scenic spots, including Table Mountain, The Sentinel in Hout Bay, Seal Island off Hout Bay, Cape Point, the V & A Waterfront, Boulder’s Beach and the penguins, killer whales breaching (killer whales are rarely seen in Cape Town), dolphins (not seen that regularly), the Mouille Point lighthouse, Muizenberg Beach, Greenmarket Square, Noordhoek beach, a Constantia wine estate, and even some shots of a township.  

The main action of the story was set in the Table Bay Hotel, of which the hero of the movie is the General Manager.  He is so well connected that he can organise the move of a soccer stadium to be built from the township to an undefined new area, and can help save the theft of baby lions by poachers at the game reserve.   Not much of his time was spent managing his hotel in the movie!    An impressive cruise liner was also in Cape Town harbour when the movie was shot.

Not one negative aspect of the city was reflected in the movie – it was a glowing testimony to one of the most beautiful cities in the world!    All that was missing was some action at Camps Bay beach, although the closing shot was of the Atlantic seaboard.