Algoa Bay has been declared a Whale Heritage Web site, making South Africa the one nation on this planet with two accredited websites. Algoa Bay joins the Bluff in Durban. The prestigious standing was awarded by the World Cetacean Alliance (WCA) and supported by World Animal Safety, that recognise a neighbourhood’s dedication to respect and have fun whales, dolphins and different cetaceans.
Whale Heritage Site status provides tourists with an easy way to select responsible whale and dolphin watching destinations; places where people can experience these magnificent animals in their natural habitat and in an authentic and respectful way.
Algoa Bay joins four further Whale Heritage Sites: Hervey Bay in Australia; Tenerife-La Gomera Marine area in Southwest Tenerife, Spain; Dana Point, California US, and the Bluff in Durban, South Africa.
With this accreditation, Algoa Bay will provide the travel industry with another way to identify and support sustainable sites, and create a location for communities to celebrate marine culture, heritage, and biodiversity.
To qualify for this global accreditation, destinations must meet set criteria which include:
- Encouraging respectful human-cetacean coexistence
- Celebrating cetaceans
- Environmental, social and economic sustainability
- Research, education and awareness
Sites must take into account information relating to the relevant local cetacean populations, including their status, numbers, biology, habitat, behaviour and welfare, offering the travel industry a way to protect marine wildlife and support sustainable practices.
Algoa Bay welcomes hundreds of cetaceans every year, including southern right whales, humpback whales, sei whales, minke whales and dwarf minke whales. Other resident species include Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins, common and Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins, and Bryde’s whales. If you’re looking for an exciting career opportunity in South Africa, make sure you click through to our job section.
