Synchronised Whale Watching Day 2024
The 16th Synchronized Humpback Whale Watching Day was successfully conducted across seven countries along the East African coast on the 14th of September, with some participants completing their observations on the 15th due to adverse conditions. The initiative was started by Matt Richmond in Tanzania and aimed to simultaneously document the number of humpback whales on a given day, highlighting the importance of these majestic creatures and their annual migration from the Antarctic to the warmer waters of the Indian Ocean.
The 2024 event was a collaborative effort of various marine conservation groups, researchers and citizen scientists saw participants from Kenya, Madagascar, Mayotte, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania and Reunion. SWWD has grown since its early beginnings in 2004 and the number of participants has grown too – a total of 49 people participated and watched from beaches, dunes, buildings with advantageous viewpoints, nature reserves and marine protected areas.
This year the general feeling was that humpback whale sightings were much lower than the previous year with some areas having no sightings at all on the day.Overall a total of 311 humpback whales were sighted over the two days, of which 36 were calves. The counts were as follows: Kenya = 0, Madagascar = 0, Mayotte = 10, Mozambique = 93, South Africa = 79 (including possible double counts as two sites were ±30km apart), Tanzania = 0 and Reunion = 129. Whale occurrence was very high in Ponta do Ouro, Mozambique and Reunion, compared to other sites. No effort data (survey duration) was reported for Kenya, Tanzania and Pemba and Vamizi beaches in Mozambique.
The direction of travel of observed individuals was mostly south = 63, milling = 43, northerly = 31, westerly = 21, not moving = 20 and easterly = 10.
We extend our gratitude to all participants, volunteers, local governments, and sponsors who made this day possible. This event marks an annual tradition that fosters a greater understanding and respect for the ocean and her magnificent inhabitants. We look forward to 2025’s Synchronized Whale Watching Day.
Contributors: Angie Gullan
