A couple of days ago I picked up and am currently reading a book by Dougal Roberston entitled Survive the Savage Sea. Dougal and six of his family spent 37 days adrift in the Pacific after their 19-ton 43-foot schooner, Lucette, was stove in by a pod of killer whales. With no maps, compass, or navigational instruments, and rations for only three days, they used every survival technique they could as they battled 20-foot waves, marauding sharks, thirst, starvation, and exhaustion.
Thus it was quite serendipitous to be sent a couple of images of Expert Tours, Rainer Schimpf diving amongst a couple of Orca’s off of Seaview earlier this week.
Rainer was escorting German film crew in Port Elizabeth to film a documentary on the Sardine Run as wells as a media production for the SA Foreign Ministry in Germany, to promote Marine Awareness and tourism.
Silke Ptaszynski the main presenter in the SA Foreign Ministry production has travelled extensively and just returned to PE from Norway which employs many people in the Whale watching industry.
The 4 Orca’s were spotted between Noordhoek and Seaview on the 20th March as they showed their offspring how to hunt and kill commons dolphins.
Forming a bait ball the Orcas, gannets and sea life feasted upon the sardines as Rainer and brave tourists entered the water to get photographs and film footage.
Me, after reading Survive the Savage Sea, I would have stayed in the boat.
Silke says that during a 3 month whale season in Andenes (a city in Andoya) 25000 tourists will visit for up to 4 days on average to watch whales – correctly marketed Port Elizabeth could experience a similar growth in marine tourism. “We have whales and Orcas all year around” says Rainer.
Gannets benefit from the bait ball formed by Orcas off the Port Elizabeth coast
Orcas frolic off the Port Elizabeth coast between Noordhoek and Seaview
