Southern Right Whale

SOUTHERN RIGHT WHALES – Southern right whales can be found from the southern shores of South America all the way to the Southern shores of Australia and even further South to Antarctica where they spend most of their time. The name derives from “Southern” to distinguish them from the Northern variety of the same species and the “Right” from the old terrible whaling days because this species was the right whale to hunt. There are only about 8000 Southern right whales left in are oceans. It is estimated that at the collapse of the whaling industry in 1935 there where only 200 Southern Right whales left, of which 60 were adult females able to bear calves. A shocking statistic and testament of how foolish man can be at times. Since then the whale population has recovered with an average of 7% per year. Southern Right whales are members of the whale group known as rorquals. These whales do not have teeth, they have substituted their teeth with BALEEN which are plates made up of keratin, the same as nails in humans. They feed by gulping water through their mouths and then forcing the water out through Baleen sheets. The Krill and small fish they feed on get caught in the plates and the tongue swipes them. A Southern Right whale needs between 600-1600kgs of food per day to sustain it through the year. These whales seldom if ever eat in our waters. Doing most if not all of their feeding along the shores of the Antarctic. They come to our waters during the winter months to mate and give birth. Females can lose up to a third of their body weight in the time they spend mating and calving in our waters. A Southern Right calf can drink up to 600litres of milk per day. The fat content of this milk is very high and ensures a very fast growth rate which enables calves to do the long journey down to the Antarctic. These whales migrate at a rate of 2.7-4.2 km/h and are thus generally slow swimmers. They will do speeds of 15 km/h but only for very short periods of time.  During the months of May – Oct are good times to view these whales while enjoying a Kaskazi Sea kayaking experience in Plettenberg Bay or Cape Town.

• LENGTH – 15 – 17meters
• WEIGHT – 50 – 65 tonnes
• AGE – 80years +
• GESTATION PERIOD – 12months

Bryde's Whale

BRYDES WHALES -  Brydes whales are the only baleen whales of this region that do not migrate south to the Antarctic feeding grounds. The name originates from JOHAN BRYDE, a Norwegian whaler who established two whaling stations along the South African Coastline. Definitely not something deserving his name to be used for such a beautiful and majestic creature of the sea. I personally like to call them the “SHY WHALE” because they are very shy of Humans in my opinion. But the rest of the world knows them as BRYDES whales because after hunting 300 of the poor whales JOHAN BRYDE  noticed that there was a distinct difference between this species and the better known Minke Whale.  There are three different groups of these whales along our coastline. The WEST COAST population that moves north to the equator, a group SOUTH MADAGASCAR an the IN-SHORE population which makes up for most of the “SHY” whales around Plettenberg Bay. These whales feed on anchovy, pilchard, maasbankers, herring and cephalopods. They often travel with common dolphins because they are one of the only whale species that is fast enough to keep up with the dolphins and they are also in search of the same food.  These whales often gather in groups of up to 30 at feeding grounds, a sight i am certain not many human beings have had the privilege of viewing. They are normally in groups of 1-5. You can be lucky enough to view these whales on any Kaskazi Sea kayaking trip in Plettenberg bay or Cape Town.

• LENGTH – 10 – 12 meters
• WEIGHT – 13 – 15 tonnes
• AGE – 40years +
• GESTATION PERIOD – 12months

HUMPBACK WHALES – The humpback gets its name from the curve of its back when diving. It is the fifth largest of the worlds great whales and has the largest flippers our of any whales even the blue whale. The Humpback whale is very social and they from very small but intimate groups often staying within the same groups for most of their lives. This species has a very interesting feeding procedure whereby they blow bubbles which produce a cylinder called a “bubble net.” The fish are driven in the cylinder from below and for reasons unknown do not cross the “bubble barrier.” The whales then take turns taking big gulps from with the cylinder. Humpback Whales also belong to the rorqual species and feed on small fish and Krill in the Southern hemisphere, while those in the Northern hemisphere eat primarily fish like mackerel and sardines. Humpback whales sing louder than most of the other great whales. Their songs can be heard for up to 100miles (160kms) and can last for up to 30minutes. These whales generally cover about 1000miles during migration per month for 3 months and swim at about 12km/h, but can reach speeds of 25km/h.  These whales can be seen at any time of the year while enjoying a Kaskazi sea kayaking experience in Plettenberg Bay or Cape town

• LENGTH-13-15metres
• WEIGHT- 20-40 tonnes
• AGE- 60 years +
• GESTATION PERIOD- 11months

ORCA -  The Orca or killer whale as it is known as is a rare visitor to our shores and only visits a few times a year. Orcas are generally found in small family groups with numbers from 5-10. Orcas are made up of two feeding groups. Transient pods tend to be more opportunistic feeders and will feed on whatever they can find. Resident pods mainly feed by hunting and are often seen to be actively teaching their young how to corral their food sources, mainly smaller species of dolphins and seals and how to communicate most effectively for the hunt.  You will only have a few chances to view an Orca a year while enjoying a Kaskazi Sea kayaking experience in Plettenberg bay or Cape Town.

• LENGTH – 10meters
• WEIGHT – 9tonnes
• AGE – 40years
• GESTATION PERIOD – 11months

INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT WHALES

• Whales can change the shape of their lens and cornea in the eye to accommodate for the refraction in different mediums (sea to air) and the can see perfectly we in or out of water.
• Their Trachea connects only to their blowhole and not to the oesophagus as in humans, therefore they have no risk of food entering the lungs.
• All whales are conscious breathers and thus sleep one side of their brain at a time.
• Whale blubber is rich in oil and covers the whole body except for the appendages.
• Sound travels 4x faster in water than air, making whale communication far quicker than in humans.
• Whale songs are geographically specific. Whales from different regions sing entirely different songs.
• Baleen whales exchange up to 90% of the volume of air in their lungs as opposed to humans 20%
• Brains of whales and migratory birds contain iron-based magnetic mineral magnetite. The theory is that this enables them to navigate by the Earth’s magnetic field.
• If a female calf is raised in a matriarchal pod, she is likely to spend the rest of her life with that pod. Bull calves however will break away slowly to a bachelor pod of whales consisting of different aged whales.

Image Courtesy of Canoe SA

I’m sure you all thought, as I did, ” who needs a technique lesson when all I want to do is paddle and I’m doing that already?” However it’s always good to challenge one’s mind & body, why not include an ocean connection! Kayaking is not just about getting on the water, its about being connected to the a world beneath us, the possibilities are infinite! So besides all the wellness you feel after paddling, you can create effortless paddling, avoid injuries and cover longer distances by improving your technique. I’m no coach , but I will try to recall as much as I can from our enlightening session with Greg van Heerden…

As SA’s canoe coach for the past 10 years, Greg’s focus is to ensure the athletes perform at world class levels while avoiding injury or strain.  To do this he focuses on correct posture, use of prime and stabilizing muscles as well as an awareness of every stroke.  I’m sure, if you are a girl anyway, you have noticed the shirtless surfski paddlers motoring past,  how effortless and graceful they glide across the water. If you want to learn how to glide, this is how its done…

After having a brief look at each of our paddling strokes or styles, the first question Greg asked me was ” What gets tired first while paddling?”  I looked at him with a blank expression, trying to figure out if he was asking a trick question, since I could not remember when last I got really tired.  This is not because I’m paddling fit, I just so often get on the water, paddle and get off again that I’m no longer aware about what I’m doing. First lesson learned.

Paddle with awareness!

As soon as he mentioned my bent arms, I remembered my fist kayak training with Leon Franken, who kept reminding me to keep my arms straight to facilitate using the bigger back muscles (the Lattissimus Dorsi) by rotating the upper body.

Greg suggested moving my sternum to face the shore and alternatively the sunset with each stroke,  but to keep looking ahead to avoid getting dizzy!  I found it useful to imagine the paddle shaft as an extension of my upper body, so as the shaft moved, my body followed, then I could feel the rotation.
A good way to practice this outside of the kayak, is to place a paddle or any stick along the top of the shoulders, behind the neck with your arms hooked over it ( even better if you do it while sitting on an exercise or physio ball) and twist from side to side, so you can feel your hips staying still while your torso rotates.
To help keep your arms straight, engage your triceps and keep your core contracted at all times! Try locking your arms to get the hang of the body twist and keep your focus forward.

To be able to create power in your stroke, It’s important to engage your legs.  As the blade enters the water, You need to push on the corresponding pedal which also helps to start the rotation of your torso.  The first part of the stroke, from foot to knee is the most powerful. Greg encourages a rest phase between strokes, while allowing the kayak to glide.  The resultant cadence and work rate is lower with hardly any reduction in boat speed.

So to break it down into 6  awareness tips:

1. Engage your core; think navel to spine, lengthen your spine , leaning slightly forward
2. Start the stroke with the paddle entering the water at about 45 degrees with your triceps engaged
3. When the paddle catches the water, engage your corresponding leg to power the stroke and start the rotation of your torso
4. Pull straight back to your knee and then allow the blade to move away and start the exit phase.  Don’t pull past your hip – it’s just a waste of energy
5. Follow the centre of the paddle shaft with your sternum to ensure you are rotating properly
6. Glide, rest here momentarily as you set up for the opposite stroke…

As you can gather, there is a lot to it and this summary doesn’t cover half of what Greg shared with us!  Don’t miss the next session – it was more inspiring than you can imagine!

EXTRA TIP: Stretch hip flexors, shoulders,chest and hamstrings.
If you not familiar with these muscles or any stretch programme, pop in any time for your personalized paddle stretch lesson!