The boat, Whale Whisperer, is the first boat in South Africa to be designed specifically for whale watching. It is extremely comfortable and spacious, with an onboard toilet, observation deck, PA system and even a hydrophone! Whale Whisperer is 11.5m long and can take up to 24 passengers, and complies with all the safety regulations set out by the marine authorities. All passengers wear comfortable life jackets during the boat trip.
The trained marine guides are qualified
biologists/conservationists and provide commentary about
the marine life during the trip. The skipper, Wilfred
Chivell, grew up in the area and has been a
spear-fisherman and wreck diver for over 20 years. He
took part in gruelling offshore boat races in the early
nineties. He has a long relationship with conservation
and has worked with the South African Cultural History
Museum, Maritime Museum and South African Museum in Cape
Town; and the Shipwreck Museum in Bredasdorp. Wilfred
has a vast amount of knowledge and is very familiar with
the Dyer Island area. He has worked with top marine
wildlife photographers as well as scientists
specialising in whales, dolphins, seals and seabirds. He
has also visited the Prince Edward Islands as a member
of the bird team to do counts on penguin and albatross
colonies. Wilfred assisted an international
team with the tagging of Cape fur seals at Dyer Island.
Vumani (Kira) Matiwane has been with the company for
four whale seasons. Kira is our whale whistler as
well as guide on our boat.
Kwezi Baleni has been with our company for three
whale seasons and is a guide on the boat. Both Kira
and Kwezi are from our local community being trained
as marine guides.
