Ocean Odyssey is Knysna’s only official whale watching permit holder in the area. Our Close Encounter Whale Watching Tours offers a unique experience for passengers as we traverse the Garden Route coastline in search of our migratory giants – Humpback & Southern Right Whales – annually from June to November.
With a maximum capacity of 25 passengers per tour, expect an intimate and personalised experience aboard our vessel which is accompanied by our skilled skipper and nature site guide. The tour departs from Thesen Island marina and cruises through the diverse Knysna estuary up to the impressive, rugged headlands. Passing through the Knysna Heads is an experience on its own! Once we skilfully manoeuvre our way through the headlands, we enter the vast Indian ocean where all the fun begins!
Keep your eyes peeled for the tell-tale signs of whales – their distinctive blow, a large body jumping out of the ocean and/or a big white splash! But you aren’t the only ones looking, our eagle eye spotter located at elevated viewpoints on the headlands is keeping a close eye on the coastline and communicating any activity to our crew and directing the vessel to sightings – this helps increase chances of sightings as this is marine life in their natural environment!
Approaching our gentle giants is done with incredible skill and respect. Our permit allows us to approach whales up to 50 meters, but it’s not uncommon to encounter curious whales that approach the vessel, and, in this instance, we remain stationery and observe their beauty until they move along. Whales are not the only marine life that can be experienced on this tour, our coastline is teeming with three species of dolphins – Bottlenose, Common and Humpback dolphin, Cape Fur seals, Brydes Whales (Non-migratory whale) African penguins, pelagic birdlife and from time to time depending on water clarity you may sight a shark or two! Whilst sighting the array of marine life that can be experienced, we also highlight the beauty of our unique coastline – the caves, and coves, cliffs and beaches – the magnificent natural scenery perfectly compliments the experience!
The duration of the activity is 1.5-2 hours and is sea and weather conditions permitting! We highly recommend booking this for the first day you are in the area, in the event of poor conditions we can reschedule you to the next best ocean-going day.
Bottled Still Water
Life Jacket
CHECK-IN IS 30 MINUTES PRIOR TO DEPARTURE TIME –
All passengers are required to complete our indemnity form.
Ready to be kitted out with lifejackets and present for our pre-departure briefing.
• Minimum of 4 passengers is required to proceed.
• Please dress warmly, it’s always cooler on the ocean than on land
• Children welcome (Min age 3 years old), Skipper will advise parent of young children if they feel conditions maybe uncomfortable for them – please contact our offices.
• Food and beverages are NOT permitted on board – water is available and is included in the tour
We booked the tour last minute, and I must say it was one of the best experiences we had in South Africa. The tour was excellent, the guides were very knowledgeable, outgoing, and friendly and did everything possible to make our trip worthwhile. We also got to see the humpback whales. All in all, it was a marvelous experience! Would do it again! - Bogdan
This was a wonderful trip. We saw so many whales. The crew were fantastic in tracking the whales and also very knowledgeable. It far exceeded our expectations. The memories will stay with us forever. - John
It was a wonderful whale-watching tour we did together. Weather was sunny. We saw 2 whales and some delfins. The tour through the Knysna Heads was a nice experience. Thank you very much! - ELISABETH
Wie immer ein ganz grosses Highlight des Urlaubs. Es war nun schon unsere 3. Ausfahrt mit Johannes innerhalb von einem Jahr! Er kann die Natur zwar auch nicht bestellen, aber irgendetwas findet das Team immer in den Weiten des Meeres. Und dann ist da ja noch die Fahrt aufs Meer und das vergisst man nicht so schnell. Allein die Durchfahrt durch die Heads lohnt de Ausflug und das Team zu erleben, auch den Teil an Land. Und es lohnt sich ebenso mal eine Blick auf die Kuchenbar. Das selbstgemachte Tiramisu ist grandios und war fur uns ein wunderbarer Abschluss der Ausfahrt. - Sven
I am so pleased we booked this trip and that we were able to switch days to avoid the rain as it was one of the highlights of my time in South Africa. The boat ride was thrilling enough but the whales and dolphins made it perfect and the amiable crew were a delight. Thank you so much! - Jane
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