Close encounters at De Kelders. - We took a boat trip in the morning and had a great time but the whale encounter was limited and at quite a distance as the mother and calf were close to shore. We met up with Dave in the afternoon with expectations were quite low, and set off immediately for the far side of the bay at De Kelders. On arrival we saw 4 pairs of mother and calf southern right whales at very close quarters, as they were hugging the shore in the shallow waters. We observed many breaches and even a load and wonderful whale call from a mother (presumably an instruction to her calf to stay close). Dave has an amazing knowledge of the whales and their environment and if there is an experience to be found, he will find it! This was a try highlight of our trip despite being at the end of the season with the majority of whales having moved away to their feeding grounds.

A wonderful experience - Dave has a very engaging approach, ensuring we had a full understanding of the southern right whale, with facts that have meant we’ve all remembered them! Dave’s knowledge and enthusiasm for whales is evident and we were really pleased to have joined him on a tour. Would definitely recommend.

Passionate, knowledgeable whale tour, unforgettable, land tour recommended. - Dave has that “magic” touch when it comes to Nature. What a passionate and authentic tour. This man lives for his passion; whales and photography. After an inspired story in the museum, Dave took us on the road. His years of experience mean that he takes you into his world where he does everything to give what you came for... whale watching! We were a little later in the season (2nd week of November)... but what seemed incredible became a moment to Never forget... 2 mother Whales each with a youngster who put on a show. What an acquaintance this man has, like stepping into a National Geografic or Discovery episode with Dave speaking. You won't be disappointed if you give Dave space. Hesitated to do a boat tour but glad we went for the land tour with Dave. I say do!

Dave to the rescue! - We booked a boat trip first but unfortunately it got canceled due to bad weather conditions. We didn’t have the flexibility to rebook a boat trip so at first we were very sad to miss this opportunity during our roadtrip through South-Africa… Luckily, Dave came to the rescue! He took his time to guide us towards land based whale-sightings, even though the whales were on the other side of Hermanus. During our trip Dave patiently answered all our whale-related questions and we considered ourselves very fortunate to learn from him. Overall a top experience, we did not have to miss out on the whales, despite our boat trip being cancelled, and we had a great time talking to Dave!

We had a brilliant... - We had a brilliant morning with Dave who is extremely knowledgeable and very personable. Highly recommended.

No question too small - Dave pulled out all of the stops to enable us to see Whales. He was also incredibly informative and passionate and coped with all of our questions!

Dave de Beer made all the difference to our stay! - We weren't quite sure what to expect as everyone in the UK kept saying 'You can't see whales from land, you need a boat trip'. How wrong they were. Whales from land in Hermanus are very common to see, although there is no 100% guarantee! Dave's knowledge is exceptional and his friendliness, warmth and humour an added bonus. We met at the Hermanus Whale Museum on an unusually warm day on the first full day of our arrival in South Africa. The plan was to get the tour from Dave, knowing that if we didn't see any whales on the tour we would use his knowledge about the best places to look for the rest of our stay. We started indoors at the Whale Museum, where Dave shared his vast knowledge about these superb animals as well as his local knowledge of Hermanus and its history. It was so good that we went back a few days later just to read all the information having listened to Dave and seeing them for ourselves. (Museum entrance is ridiculously cheap - approx 2 pounds!) Next, Dave drove us to a couple of points along the coast that are excellent viewing spots and well known to the locals. On the way he gave us lots more information about the areas we were driving through and how Hermanus had changed over the years to become the popular destination that it is now. We didn't see any whales at this time so didn't hang around, but knew that we could walk there from Hermanus another day, in around an hour. To get a better view, Dave drove us up to a lookout point high up in the hills behind Hermanus. This gave us a full view of Walker Bay as well as the town below and was a marvellous place to see out from. Whales were being shy today so we only saw a couple from quite a distance. However, we did see a pod of around 450 dolphins out in the far reaches of the bay, that we wouldn't have spotted without Dave's eye and knowledge. On the way back in his vehicle we had a surprise encounter with a Puff Adder that was stretched out and sunning itself in the middle of the road. I had decided not to drive before arriving in South Africa and was glad it was not me driving at the time - no idea what I would have done! Dave made sure that he didn't drive over it and then spent some time checking that it was out of the way and had moved to safety. Finally, he returned us to Hermanus, offering to drop us at our hotel if we preferred, but we wanted to enjoy the walk back along the cliff - where we saw whales! Dave was briliant throughout, discussing boat tours (we had already booked one for the next day before he mentioned it and it was one that he often accompanied - and would be doing the next day - but not at our time slot), local restaurants to visit and other great bits of information. We didn't see a huge haul of whales when with him but during our 5 days there saw vast numbers in all sorts of places - many of which Dave had recommended. It was a real pleasure to start our visit with someone so friendly and knowledgeable. We knew he had produced a book as friends of ours had previously visited and we asked how to get hold of it. It was available in town but Dave brought a signed copy to our hotel a couple of days later which was really appreciated. Photos attached are not all directly from the tour, but give a flavour of what you might see in terms of whales when with Dave. We did actually see them many times during our stay over the next 4 days. With Dave's advice we knew what to look for and that made such a difference.

Awesome - Awesome few hours with Dave, who’s passion and knowledge of the Whales is second to none. A ‘must do’ in Hermanus.

A Must Do ! - Super morning with Dave, who is so passionate and knowledgable about all the Whales in the Hermanus bay. Went above and beyond to show us as much as possible, really lovely few hours. A Must Do

Awesome whale watching - This was an amazing tour. Dave is passionate about whales and was excellent in sharing his knowledge, and explaining their behaviour. You will absolutely see whales if you’re with him, highly recommended.