World record: Humpback whale sighting

VS

Vicky Stark

4 May 2026 | 15:45

`We were seeing groups of 100, 150 in different areas so we knew it was an exceptional day.'

World record: Humpback whale sighting

Chris Fallows photograph of humpback whales. PIC: Facebook screengrab

Wildlife photographer Chris Fallows and his wife Monique believe they've set a world record for photographing the highest number of baleen whales seen in a single day - over 300.
CapeTalk's Lester Kiewit chatted to Chris.
"We've been working with the humpbacks on the West Coast for about 10 to 12 years now and we've seen a steady increase in their numbers. But the last few years in particular have seen truly incredible supergroup numbers.
"And on the 30th of December off Dassen Island, we were truly blown away. We were seeing groups of 100, 150 in different areas, so we knew it was an exceptional day. " 
"It was just incredible. Pretty much everywhere you pointed a camera there were 10, 15, 20 whales. And the previous world record stood at about 160 animals."
Chris believes this shows a significant recovery of the humpback whales which were almost extinct at the end of the industrial whaling era.
"They were down to a few thousand... So, yes, it's a very positive sign... and I think it's a reflection of a change in sentiment towards the species and then also enlightened governments."
But obviously they do still face threats like entanglement in crayfish nets, he said.
To listen to the full discussion, click the media player above.

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