Marine Conservation Photographer Jean Tresfon recently took an Overbeg flight from the Breede River mouth to the De Hoop Nature Reserve and Arniston with Adriaan Hoeben, capturing beautiful shots during his marine wildlife spotting trip.
‘Perfect marine wildlife spotting conditions most often require calm seas, clear water and low tide,’ he says, adding that as they took off, none of these elements were in their favour. ‘There was a fresh southeaster blowing with a big swell and dirty sediment laden water along the coast, and it was a pushing spring high tide! But sometimes we just have to play the hand we are dealt and get on with it…’
The De Hoop Vlei, a RAMSAR site of international importance and a haven for birds. Also the site of the original De Hoop Farmstead:
‘As we got airborne over the Breede mouth there was a clear colour/density line on the water with the fresh brown river water being pushed back by the clearer blue salt water on the pushing tide. Entering the De Hoop MPA we made a turn at a favourite reef of mine and found a turtle on the surface being checked out by a shoal of large yellowtail. I always enjoy getting very different species in a single frame and this was a special moment for me.’
Turtle with some curious yellowtail in Papkuilbaai:
‘Rounding Uiterstepunt and the Infanta lighthouse we spotted a small pod of humpback dolphins, including a tiny newborn calf. These dolphins are possibly South Africa’s rarest marine mammal and it’s always a joy to see them.’
Humpback dolphins…spot the two calves including the tiny one on the left:
‘We carried on further West past Noetsie and Vaalkrans before climbing up high and turning inland for the De Hoop Collection Nature Reserve on the banks of the magnificent De Hoop Vlei. After getting a few images of the original De Hoop farmstead we headed back to the coast, past some of the other old farmsteads, noting the abundance of standing water after all the recent rains.’
The magnificent De Hoop Vlei, a RAMSAR site of international importance and a haven for birds. Also the site of the original De Hoop Farmstead:
Vaalkrans, the last night’s accomodation on the iconic Whale Trail:
‘Back over the coast we could see the birds working frantically a little way offshore and headed out to sea to see. We found the baitfish getting pushed to the surface by some predator and just as we wondered what species it was we found a couple of big shoals of yellowtail. Heading back to shore we continued to Arniston and the Struispunt beacon finding a few cape fur seals hunting on Saxon Reef.’
Birds working offshore…but what is pushing up the baitfish:
Cape fur seals hunting on top of Saxon Reef:
‘The return journey started with a bang when we spotted a large aggregation of nearly a hundred duckbill rays and also a turtle swimming amongst them. More mixed species! Just offshore from Arniston we spotted a large shark, most likely a big bronzie, patrolling along the shoreline. From Arniston, past Ryspunt to Skipskop, there were literally hundreds of turtles, including one spotted eating a large jellyfish!’
Huge aggregation of duckbill rays near Arniston:
Turtle spotted eating a large jellyfish at Ryspunt:
‘At Koppie Alleen we found two more big sharks which proved fairly challenging to shoot in the dirty water and then it was back to base over the Sandhoogte saddle for a smooth landing at my bush strip.’
A large shark, possibly a bronzie, spotted near Arniston:
More sharks spotted near Koppie Alleen:
‘So with the poor and non-optimal conditions we only saw multiple sharks, humpback dolphins with newborn calves, hundreds of turtles, a huge aggregation of duckbill rays, cape fur seals and three different yellowtail shoals. That’s just how special the De Hoop coastline really is!’
Waenhuiskrans.Arniston and Kassiesbaai with Saxon Reef in the background:
At the mouth of a freshwater lagoon, in a small protected bay on the De Hoop coast, you will find paradise and it’s name is Noetsie:
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Pictures/information: Jean Tresfon