Hermanus Whale Cruises runs the biggest whale boat in Walker Bay and is the most interesting company in the harbor on paper: it is owned by shareholders from Hawston, the fishing village 12 km along the coast, and its skippers and guides come from the same community. It is also the cheapest adult rate in the New Harbour, the only boat here that advertises wheelchair access — and the only one that publishes no sighting guarantee at all. Direct rate R1,500 rack for an adult, the lowest published adult fare on this quay.
What the company actually is
The about page states the company has operated in the Walker Bay area since the first boat-based whale watching permits were granted in 1998, which makes it one of the original permit holders rather than a later entrant. It is operated by Sandown Bay Fishing Company (Pty) Ltd; the site says the shareholders are all from the previously disadvantaged community of Hawston, and names Tom Gelderblom and Phillipus May as directors. The skippers and guides are described as registered tourist guides drawn from that community, which is why the same operator also sells cultural tours around Hawston, Kleinmond, Gansbaai, Elim and Genadendal.
The permit claim checks out. The department's list of boat-based whale watching operating permit holders records Sandown Bay Fishing Company, trading as Hermanus Whale Cruises, with Hermanus as its area of operation and permit number BBWW807/201921. Without such a permit no vessel in South Africa may go within 300 m of a whale, and it is an offense even to advertise whale watching.
The boat, the rules and the season
One vessel, the Whale Cruiser: 87 passengers, a crew of five, a top viewing deck seating 28 and a front deck seating 7. Snacks, water and soft drinks are served on board; smoking and alcohol are not allowed; a DVD of the trip costs R100 and takes about half an hour to produce after landing. The company says the boat is wheelchair-friendly, which is worth a phone call to confirm how boarding works on the day.
The site is unusually specific about what the permit allows. As a permit holder for Sub-area 3 it may approach whales to 50 m, and it may then hold position alongside them for up to 20 minutes; the animals, it notes, often close that distance themselves. Trips leave the New Harbour and last two hours, at 07:00, 09:00, 12:00, 14:00 and 16:00, weather permitting.
The calendar is split cleanly. Whale watching runs 1 June to 30 November. From 1 December to 31 May the same boat runs eco marine cruises of one to one and a half hours, looking for dolphins, seals, otters and seabirds. Note that one page of the site still describes the operating period as "June to December" — the dated line on the trip page is the one to trust, and the whales themselves are largely gone by December.
What it costs, and what you are not promised
The rate card lists R1,500 per adult, R1,400 per student and R750 per child aged 4 to 12, with under-fours free, alongside lower trade rates. Eco cruises are R1,200 per adult. Prices are checked regularly.
This company does not appear in the GetYourGuide catalog under its own name. The two-hour "Hermanus: Whale and Dolphin Watching Boat Trip" listing that looks like it ought to be this boat is not: the archived listing page names the activity provider as Southern Right Charters, the neighbor on the same quay. What the platform does sell that includes this harbor is the Cape Town day trip, where a coach operator packages the drive with a boat seat:
Sighting guarantee
No sighting guarantee, no blank-trip rule and no refund policy are published on the operator's site. Treat a sighting as likely in season and nothing more.
- Sightings
- The site makes no success-rate claim and offers no compensation for a trip that finds nothing — unusual in Hermanus, where the neighboring operator publishes a 50% rule
- Weather
- Departures are listed as weather permitting; the terms for a weather cancellation are not published online, so ask when you book
- Approach
- The operator states it is a permit holder for Sub-area 3, may approach whales to 50 m, and may then stay alongside for up to 20 minutes
- Booked on a platform
- Your cancellation window and any refund come from the platform's terms, not from the operator
If a written blank-trip remedy matters to you, get it in writing before you pay — this operator does not publish one.
That absence is the honest headline of this review. Every other operator we have read on this coast publishes something — a success rate, a free re-ride, a partial refund. Here there is nothing, so a blank trip is simply a blank trip. If that matters, book the neighbor or book through a platform whose own cancellation terms give you a fallback.
The practical detail
The physical address is 148 Westcliff Road, in the New Harbour below the town — not the Old Harbour and not the cliff path. Hermanus is about 90 minutes from Cape Town by road, which the company describes accurately; a Cape Town day trip in the partner feed wraps the drive and a boat trip into one booking for $120, without saying whose boat you end up on.
Bring a windproof layer whatever the forecast says, and take a seasickness tablet before boarding rather than after. The top deck is the seat worth having on a full boat, and on an 87-passenger vessel it is worth being early rather than exactly on time.
Price check · GetYourGuide
Live prices, per person, checked regularly. Sorted from lowest.
| Tour | Price | Duration | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cape Town: Marine Wildlife Tour from the V&A Waterfront | $53.33 Lowest | 1.5 h | ★ 4.7 (1,342) | Check dates |
| From Cape Town: Hermanus Whale Watching Full Day Tour | $72 | 8.5 h | ★ 4.3 (45) | Check dates |
| Plettenberg Bay: Whale Watching Boat Cruise | $75.12 | 2 h | ★ 4.5 (423) | Check dates |
| Plettenberg Bay: Whale-Watching Cruise | $75.12 | 2 h | ★ 4.3 (82) | Check dates |
| From Cape Town: Whale Watching and Penguins Tour | $76.44 | 8 h | ★ 4.2 (13) | Check dates |
| Cape Town: Hermanus Whale Watching and Betty's Bay Penguins | $90.14 | 10 h | ★ 5.0 (10) | Check dates |
How it compares with the neighbors
Southern Right Charters, a few meters away in the same harbor, charges more and carries far fewer people on a catamaran you can roam, and it publishes a 50% blank-trip rule — but it has no wheelchair access. Down the Garden Route, Ocean Blue Adventures at Plettenberg Bay is a surf-launch trip in a quieter bay with only two permits in the whole area. The South Africa page compares every port on the Whale Coast, and right whales covers what Walker Bay is actually for.
Our call
The 07:00 or 09:00 sailing in September if you need step-free access or a group rate
It is the only Hermanus boat that advertises itself as wheelchair-friendly, the adult rack rate undercuts the harbor neighbor, and the guides are registered tourist guides from the local community.
Skip it if It if you want elbow room at the rail or a written blank-trip remedy — 87 passengers and no published guarantee.
See Hermanus whale tripsQuestions people ask
Is Hermanus Whale Cruises a permitted operator?
Yes. The site says it has operated in Walker Bay since the first boat-based whale watching permits were granted in 1998 and that it holds the permit for Sub-area 3. The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment's list of operating permit holders records Sandown Bay Fishing Company, trading as Hermanus Whale Cruises, with Hermanus as its area of operation and permit number BBWW807/201921.
Who owns the company?
According to its about page, Hermanus Whale Cruises is operated by Sandown Bay Fishing Company (Pty) Ltd, whose shareholders all come from the historically disadvantaged fishing community of Hawston, 12 km from Hermanus. Two of them, Tom Gelderblom and Phillipus May, are the company's directors.
What does a trip cost if I book direct?
The published rate card gives R1,500 per adult, R1,400 per student and R750 for children aged 4 to 12, with under-fours free; lower standard-tour-operator rates are listed alongside for the trade. The summer eco cruise is R1,200 per adult. Prices are checked regularly.
How long is the trip and when does it leave?
Trips depart the New Harbour and last two hours, with departures listed at 07:00, 09:00, 12:00, 14:00 and 16:00, weather permitting. That is the widest daily spread of any boat in the harbor.
Is the boat accessible?
The company states plainly that the Whale Cruiser is wheelchair-friendly, which no other Hermanus operator claims. It is worth confirming the arrangements at the harbor by phone before you travel, because the quay and the gangway matter as much as the deck.
What is the difference between the whale cruise and the eco cruise?
Season and target. Whale watching runs 1 June to 30 November; from 1 December to 31 May the same boat runs shorter eco marine cruises of one to one and a half hours, looking for dolphins, seals, otters and seabirds rather than southern rights.
Is food included?
The site says snacks, mineral water and soft drinks are served during the trip, and that no smoking and no alcohol are allowed on board. A DVD of the trip is offered at R100 with about a 30-minute wait after landing.
Official sources
Updated September 17, 2026 · partner prices refreshed October 6, 2026
