A visual journey along South Africa’s coast with Jean Tresfon

Marine conservation photographer Jean Tresfon uses the power of photography to encourage others to conserve and protect South Africa’s unique underwater world.

Last Thursday, Tresfon took to the skies with French photographer Stephane Gautronneau to see for himself if reports of southern right whale sightings in Table Bay near Sea Point were true.

Although now is earlier than the “normal” whale season along the Overberg coast, Tresfon sees a small sub-population of whales feeding in Table Bay every year in March or April and was eager to get some ID shots of them again.

Surfers enjoyed the first wind-free day at Big Bay in quite some time:

‘There were plenty of paraglider pilots jumping off Signal Hill, and the beaches were relatively busy. We found the main concentration of whales offshore from Camp’s Bay, together with a massive bait ball being chased by both common dolphins and dusky dolphins, as well as plenty of gulls.’

A paraglider approaches the coast for a landing at Sea Point on the promenade:

A southern right whale dived as Tresfon and Gautronneau approached, its misty exhalation still hanging in the air: 

‘Several of the whales could be seen just under the surface in the dirty water with mouths agape as they were feeding.’

A southern right whale surfaces with its mouth open while feeding offshore from Camps Bay:

‘A little inshore, we found more pods of dusky dolphins and some kayakers with a front-row seat to the action. At Oudekraal, a dive charter boat was waiting for its divers to surface, although the visibility didn’t look amazing.’

Colourful kayakers at Clifton:

A small pod of dusky dolphins near Maiden’s Cove:

A southern right whale further offshore from Camps Bay: 

Dusky dolphins (and one long-beaked common dolphin) charging after baitfish near Camps Bay: 

‘We followed the coast to Hout Bay, Champman’s Peak, and Noordhoek Beach, with its usual complement of horse riders and dog walkers, before rounding the corner at Slangkop and heading south to Cape Point.’

Noordhoek Beach: 

All that remains of the SS Kakapo after 123 years ashore on Noordhoek Beach: 

Kelp harvesting at Kommetjie: 

‘There had also been many reports of Buffel the elephant seal seen moulting on Diaz Beach, so we circled high above trying to spot him without much luck. I did take some photos anyway and spotted him while zooming in during post-processing.’

Buffel the elephant seal lies half-buried in the sand on Diaz Beach near Cape Point as he sheds his skin during his annual moult: 

‘The southern side of False Bay was very quiet, but that all changed as we arrived overhead Roman Rock lighthouse and found huge shoals of fish scattered over a wide area all the way to Fish Hoek and Kalk Bay.’

Roman Rock lighthouse and helipad: 

‘The common dolphins were charging into the feast, and the shoals shimmered on the surface as the birds flew low overhead.’

A surface shimmer gives away the fish shoals just under the surface as a gull swoops in for a meal: 

The Brass Bell in Kalk Bay: 

‘We circled overhead for a long while before, eventually, the reality of fuel constraints made it necessary to head back across the southern suburbs to Table Bay and home to Morningstar Flying Club. Another 2.5 hours of flight time spent in the Cape Town skies added to the logbook, although it felt like only minutes. Despite having flown this route hundreds of times, no two flights are ever the same!’

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