St. Lucia Estuary Whale Watching

Update for June 2011

2011-06-26T23:01:00.001-07:00

DEAR ALL

Herewith wishing you a blessed Sunday to start with!

We are sure that things will be picking up for all of us soon – we don’t wish this June on anyone again, as it seems it was our worst June ever.

With it still being a little quiet, our first whale watching trip will only depart at 07h30 in the morning, the clients only have to be at the WHALE OFFICE by 07h30 – and as the demand grows we will launch every 2^nd hour after 07h30 as long as the wind and ocean conditions stays good for the day.

We will until further notice continue to offer the FREE HIPPO/CROC cruise to your clients once they’ve done their whale watching trip.

There is not much of a chance to get their 40%’s refunds now, as currently there is plenty whales around, and clients won’t return from sea after 2hours without having seen whales, but you can anyway still mention to them all that just IN CASE they ARE entitled to their 40% refund IF a tour does come back and they haven’t seen whales after 2hours.

Always just keep in touch with us about children on the whale trips from St Lucia with the beach launch, we take every booking with a child on merit, if ocean conditions are good for that particular day we can let the little ones go out as well – if seas are rough, parents must understand this is not a harbour launch and we do sometimes have to then say no to families with younger kids –

We have found that within the last 4days we have had really really bad luck with rough seas and very bad launch conditions down on the beach – fortunately some of the clients were able to go out in DURBAN after they left St Lucia, with the other ADVANTAGE CHARTER boat and they were fortunate to see whales –

Our main objection will always be to first accommodate our clientele IN ST LUCIA, but in those bad inbetween days where we are unable to do our launches, the Durban boat can fortunately launch because of the harbour and it will be kind if you can also refer clientele to them.

Please keep in touch with us – we also announce the following 4 boats got the iSimangaliso Wetland Park FISHING concessions – ADVANTAGE CHARTER, WAVE DANCER, MAVERICK and ASTERIX – no one else will anymore be allowed to advertise or do deep sea fishing from St Lucia without this permit from Isimangaliso.

Our HIPPO/CROC tours are SOOO nice now that it is winter, with hippo’s lying out on the banks – so please keep sending those clientele, as they all return off the boat with huge smiley faces –

Let’s hope for full beds ,vehicles and boats and that all operators alike will gain from any activity done.

Much regards!

Riëtte

ADVANTAGE TOURS IS PROUD TO ANNOUNCE THAT THEY ARE ALSO NOW THE LEGAL boat-based-whale-watching PERMIT HOLDER IN DURBAN as well as in ST LUCIA - DURBAN details below

BEST REGARDS
Riëtte Bennett for
St.Lucia Tours & Charters t/a Advantage Cruiser CC
e-mail for St Lucia : advantage@zululink.co.za

e-mail for Durban: whalewatchingdurban@gmail.com

web : www.advantagetours.co.za - NEW UPDATED VERSION - EXCITING - PLEASE CHECK IT OUT!!!!

SEE OUR FACEBOOK SITES - ADVANTAGE TOURS SOUTH AFRICA

Tel : +27 ( 035 ) 5901259

Fax : +27 ( 035 ) 5901053

Cell for St Lucia : 083 487 2762

Cell for Durban : 082 329 9890

Box 151, St Lucia,South Africa 3936
1 McKenzie Street, St Lucia 3936, ** corner of St Lucia Supermarket ,the very first building and the very first information office as you enter the town of St Lucia after crossing the bridge , at the traffic circle find parking immediately on the right (next to PEP stores) **

our GPS co-ordinates are :: S28 22. 335 E32 24. 773 ....St Lucia Village South Africa - ST LUCIA - PLACE OF WONDER!

Click here to view Advantage's New Video on YouTube!

CONTACT US FOR THE FOLLOWING :

WHALE WATCHING ( the legal permit holder currently in St Lucia and Durban ), HIPPO & CROC BOAT CRUISES ( aboard the luxurious ADVANTAGE CRUISER ), DEEPSEA BIG GAME FISHING, iMFOLOZi /HLUHLUWE GAME RESERVE TRIPS, CAPE VIDAL SNORKEL SAFARIS, TURTLE TOURS, OCEAN ADVENTURE for DOLPHINS and other MARINE MAMMALS , HORSE RIDING , KAYAKING , with experienced skipper/guides Danie, Bien and Berno and lady skipper/guides Riëtte Bennett and Natasha.

Valentines Cruise - 14 February 2011 - Richards Bay Harbor

2011-01-25T23:13:00.000-08:00

For those romantic at heart you will find that some times it is
difficult to find a venue to treat a loved one. Whale Observer Richards
Bay Harbor Cruise can be just the right venue for you. Book now. Seats
are limited ... Office at Small Craft Harbor Richards Bay.

NEW WHALE WATCHING vessel for the ST LUCIA operator

2009-06-11T03:58:00.000-07:00

The ADVANTAGE CHARTER III has just been launched, again with more passenger comfort and safety in mind each vessel built by Danie Bennett is better than the one before. The ADVANTAGE CHARTER III is state of the art for the surf launching conditions in St Lucia, powered by 2 x 300HP Suzuki motors to get through the surf.

This is the 5^th vessel that Danie has completed, his vessels can be viewed on www.advantagetours.co.za under BENNETT BOAT BUILDERS, although up until now he has only built boats for their own use for the ADVANTAGE TOURS company , Danie will now start building boats for the tourism industry. All his boats are built under the auspices of SAMSA, and adheres to all the regulations the authority puts out.

Whale Watching St Lucia South Africa

2009-06-11T03:50:00.000-07:00

Another successful exhilarating whale watching trip this morning - saw 6 HUMPBACK WHALES and 4 Bottlenose Dolphins in close proximity to the vessel.

Many satisfied clientele , and a very emotional experience to see that enormous mammal whooooosh blow and then she emerges.

The Humpback Whales migrate past this coastline from the end of May to the middle of December specifically to mate and calf, as they would not be able to calf in the cold waters of the Antarctic, the little ones won’t have enough blubber to survive.

A trip aboard the ADVANTAGE CHARTER run by the Bennett family is a must if you are visiting the Kwazulu Natal coastline. To view sightings go to www.advantagetours.co.za

FW: WHALE WATCHING SEASON STARTING within a few days

2009-06-11T02:53:00.001-07:00

DEAR KWAZULU NATALLERS’ !

We’re counting the days till we see the first HUMPBACK WHALES that start coming through for the annual breeding and calving migration....!

Like every other year I’ll try and keep in touch throughout the season about our sightings, but as always there are times that it is so hectic that I just don’t get the time.

This year we’ve made our web page much more user friendly, there is 3D picture gallery showing your client exactly what they can expect and what it is all about – so if your client is still hesitant in going , please let them browse the web page www.advantagetours.co.za

All the conditions of admission is also again on the web page and a clear description of what the client should bring along.

The rate for the 2009 season will be R770-00p.p – yes, it is costly, but it is an extreme costly operation, and like you all know Danie, he believes in operating with high standards, and to keep those high standards it obviously costs to maintain.....but like one of our visitors of last year said – R700-00 – wow – a lot of money, but he will gladly pay if a million times over for the same experience! The educational information given throughout the two hours on board will leave the client with much more knowledge about the whales.

Throughout the 2 hours on the water whilst ‘looking’ at the whales your clients will also be part of our research, if a whale breaches we go closer to the spot where they’ve breached to pick up slooth skin which we then send off to MCM to DNA purposes, and obviously do a lot of photo id’ing. We are also part of the South African Whale Disentanglement Unit but this won’t be done with clients on board, as it is a very risky business, and if there is ever a whale to be disentangled we will go out on a separate trip with only qualified trained staff members on board.

Comparing our rate to our Cape colleagues we are still much below, and in the area of St Lucia you have so much more to keep you busy after the whale trip –

As always please make sure that your client is on a legal boat based whale watching trip – all the legal operators in the country is mentioned on the SOUTH AFRICAN BOAT BASED WHALE WATCHING web page www.sabbwwa.org.za

You all know how I excitedly e-mail you throughout the season to say we have seen the most awesome sight on a specific day, and then my finger b.u.r.n.s. in the office to attach a photo, but not all of you want to receive photos on e-mail as it takes too long for your mail to download, so we’ve started an Advantage Tours St Lucia page on Facebook where we will be adding the best photos regularly.

Please make use of the special offer that we put out to you which is valid till the end of JUNE 2009 – if your client goes whale watching, they can have a free early morning or mid-day Hippo / Croc cruise ( not sunset cruise ). This offer only valid from the 1^st of June until the 30^th of June – the free trip can only be claimed after the client has already gone on a whale watching trip – not before -

Please keep in touch with the office re the times of departure.

Herewith wishing you all a great season and hoping for us all to have a whale of a time!

****please scroll down and read all the notices ****

Warm Regards
Riëtte Bennett
St.Lucia Tours & Charters t/a Advantage Cruiser CC
e-mail: advantage@zululink.co.za

web : www.advantagetours.co.za

Tel : +27 ( 035 ) 5901259

Fax : +27 ( 035 ) 5901053

Cell : 083 487 2762
Box 151, St Lucia,South Africa 3936
1 McKenzie Street, St Lucia 3936, ** corner of Dolphin Supermarket , the very first information office as you enter the town of St Lucia after crossing the bridge , at the traffic circle find parking immediately on the right (next to PEP stores) **

our GPS co-ordinates are :: S28 22. 335 E32 24. 773 ....St Lucia Village South Africa

CONTACT US FOR THE FOLLOWING :

WHALE WATCHING ( the only legal permit holder currently in KwaZulu Natal ), HIPPO & CROC BOAT CRUISES ( aboard the luxurious ADVANTAGE CRUISER ), DEEPSEA BIG GAME FISHING, iMFOLOZi /HLUHLUWE GAME RESERVE TRIPS, CAPE VIDAL SNORKEL SAFARIS, TURTLE TOURS, OCEAN ADVENTURE for DOLPHINS and other MARINE MAMMALS , HORSE RIDING , KAYAKING , etc . with experienced skipper/guides Danie, Bien and Berno and lady skipper/guides Riëtte Bennett and Natasha.

**PLEASE ALWAYS INFORM US IN GOOD TIME ABOUT GUIDE CHANGES and cell contact numbers - ** GUIDES TO DOUBLE CHECK ON DEPARTURE TIMES 24HOURS AHEAD OF TIME

Cancellation Policy :

In the event of notification of cancellation, the following cancellation fee shall apply on the full booking :

Less than 3 days prior to arrival: 100% cancellation fee

Whale Watching 24 June 2008

2008-06-29T09:00:00.000-07:00

Great Whale Watching again - beautiful windstill days and ocean conditions perfect! – Danie got a Minke Whale and 16 Humpbacks on the 07h00 trip, I’m still awaiting the sightings of the 2^nd trip.

According to weathersa the sea and wind conditions will remain good for the next couple of days, so please get the message out to your guests – obviously going on the whale watching trip they will have a whole other marine experience whilst out for the 2hours!

“Leviathan …

Upon earth there is not his like,

Who is made without fear.

Will he speak soft word unto thee ?”

From space, the planet is blue.

From space, the planet is the territory

Not of humans, but of the whale…

Above just some words from the book written by Heatcote Williams - Whale Nation –

Did you know ?? - ??

The oil of the whales were used for and in : - soap, margarine, glycerol for lipstick, detergents, nitro glycerine throughout the time of World War I and World War II, for brushes and brooms, linoleum, medical trusses, sausage skin, sword-hilts and scabbards, laces, surgical stitches, tennis racket strings, wax crayons, engineering coolant, golf-bags, varnishes, printing ink, insecticide, calcium for fertilizer, cat and dog food, the oil of the Sperm Whale specifically were the major source of lighting up houses, businesses, streets – no wonder whaling was such a huge industry in years gone by! It’s absolutely amazing how much of the whale was used for all kinds of materials….

Whale Watching 22 June 2008

2008-06-29T08:58:00.000-07:00

Hallo Almal

Around the boat, behind the boat, in front of the boat, under the boat, over the boat, ( ha ha ha ) jaaaaaaaaaaaaa….the Whale Sightings has been absolutely awesome today and yesterday with all your clientele happy chappies and smiling from ear to ear…! After each and every trip we get feedback from the skipper of the day of WHAT he saw, WHERE he saw them , WHAT the behavior was, WHAT the wind speed was etc etc for our logbooks to send data back to Marine and Coastal Management – and Bien was our captain on the 07h00 trip this morning , reported back that he had 5 HUMPBACK Whales, but the clients we’re in such awe, when they came into the office they said they saw about 13-14 Whales – so the perception of the sightings was absolutely stunning.

....people often approach us to comment on how fortunate we are to have the opportunity to watch and experience whales and dolphins firsthand. If we look at the rationale behind these comments, it would suggest to us that people see the opportunity to interact with cetaceans as a fulfilling and life-enriching experience. And it is essential for this reason that whale and dolphin tourism has become such an expanding and globally important industry. Many people travel thousands of miles each year and will un-characteristically get up long before dawn to be on the boat with us to experience a chance to encounter from a close distance with one of the world’s great species…..

Please keep in touch, the weather for the whole of the next week looks perfect, so let’s get those clients out of bed to go whale watching!

St. Lucia Estuary Self Catering Accommodation

2008-05-24T11:09:00.000-07:00

Fishing is picking up in St. Lucia and with the up coming Snoek Derby some of the visitors might like to spend the evening

In St. Lucia .... Be prepaired for the Holiday rush book early ....

Self Catering Accommodation in St. Lucia

Saxmere Lodge	035 5901055
Lake St. Lucia Lodge	035 5901336	035 5901336
Seemeeu	035 5901224
Sunset Lodge	035 5901197	035 5901135

Or Visit our web site StLuciaOrgZa

good sightings ! Tail slaps , breaches

2007-11-20T06:02:00.000-08:00

The clients that went out on the whale watching this morning had a BALL of good sightings ! Tail slaps , breaches , 8 Humpback Whales !!!!!!!!!!!!!1

So it's still wonderful out there , we're taking it day by day with the weather , DON'T NOT book because of possible bad weather , as sometimes people are disappointed IF the ''bad'' day DID turn out to be a GOOD day indeed ….

We'll rather then cancel and refund if need be , but rather make the bookings not to be disappointed .

GROETE vir eers !

Warm Regards
Riëtte Bennett
St.Lucia Tours & Charters t/a Advantage Cruiser CC
WebSite: www.advantagetours.co.za
e-mail : advantage@zululink.co.za
+27 (0)35 – 5901259 (Tel)
+27 (0)35 – 5901053 (Fax)
Cell: 083 487 2762

2007-11-13T23:36:00.001-08:00

Add hierdie addy in jou mailing list...

Jou email subject line word die artikel se opskrif...

Voila... jy update die whaling blog...

Groete

For Africa
P.J. Viviers
0835847473

S.U.C.H. a beautiful day

2007-11-13T23:35:00.001-08:00

Danie phones from the beach – he says it's S.U.C.H. a beautiful day out there with Whale Sharks just behind the backline and ocean conditions perfect for launching !

Dis altyd so lekker om n windstil dag te hê ! The clients enjoy the launching and outing into the ocean so much , and if only we could all work on the beach daily ……..

Jaaaaaaaaaa…some of us also have to man the Estuary boats and offices - coming down to December departures for the ADVANTAGE CRUISER boat on the Estuary –

We'll be changing departure times slightly to accommodate more people and more ''laatslapers '' – from experience we know that no one wants to be on the boat at 08h00 (( although it's the most beautiful time of the day )) , so I've changed departures as from 20 December till about the 4^th of January (( we''ll see how long the demand is there for )) to depart at ::

09h00
11h00
13h00
15h00
17h00

That gives the people who want to sleep late but still want to have breakfast at guesthouses the time to do so , and then be at the jetty by 09h00 ….

Our skippers , me , Natasha , Dave and Steve have all agreed to work longer hours those 10/14 days to accommodate our holiday makers

We just can't continue with this 17h00 trip throughout January , as our staff on the boat living in Dukuduku can't go home so late ….but over December peak season we'll make a plan to employ extra people .

Please remember that this extra effort and staff overtime comes at a cost , PRETTY PLEASE make sure that ALL clients pre pay , we can't afford one single empty seat - please don't phone to make a booking unless its not a d.e.f.i.n.i.t.e booking - all bookings made will be the responsibility of the agent/lodge/guesthouse .

Please however do keep in contact with the office daily if you are unsure about any departure time for a specific day .

ADVANTAGE CRUISER and our staff will at all times make sure to provide a high quality enjoyable and informative 2hour cruise !

DEEPSEA fishing trips aboard the ADVANTAGE CHARTER with Berno will depart daily at 06h00 – only 8 passengers per day

MARINE MAMMAL & Cetacean Trip will depart daily at 06h30 or alternatively on the high tide – only 11 passengers per trip – it's just best to go out on these trips as early as possible , as the ocean going trips are adventurous , clinets get wet and it's nice to come back and have a shower and the a big breakfast …

We are absolutely BLESSED

2007-11-13T08:14:00.001-08:00

We are absolutely BLESSED with the good days inbetween the horrible windy days , of having GOOD WHALE sightings !!!!!!!!!!!!!

The boats got between 4 – 7 Humpback whales this morning on the respective trips , and about 200 Bottlenose Dolphins !

Yes , the trips are still going on , and even if there is no more whales , we'll continue with the Marine Mammal Ocean Cetacean tour , where we'll go and look at whatever there is to see , sea turtles , dolphins , the Jolly Rubino shipwreck ….our qualified Marine Mammal guides will however continue to educate your clientele on the whales whilst on these trips .

Deepsea Fishing with Berno will also start in about 2 weeks time from now !

Fond regards

Advantage Cruiser will NOT BE operating

2007-11-12T02:40:00.001-08:00

Advantage Cruiser will NOT BE operating on the 25^th of December . ( 1 day off to go to church and eat a lot and spend time resting )

We will however have trips on the 24^th and 26^th as normal .

Compulsory ( ha ha ) we will answer telephone calls on the 25^th if you need to make bookings for the 26^th , pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease just don't phone toooooo late in the afternoon , we'll also have some quality time with our family .( and sleep after having toooo big a Christmas lunch )

THEN ….I ( Riëtte Bennett ) don't drink ,so do some of our other skippers also not drink alcohol at all , so I will be sober to do trips on the 1^st of January , we do however as a family enjoy to go to the main street in St Lucia on the evening of the 31^st to see the festivities , so yes , we do get to bed quite late and won't want to get up at 07h00 on the 1^st , and then we do have a problem on the 1^st with sooooooooooo many people in front of our offices , so our offices will not be open on the 1^st of January . You can however get hold of us via telephone .

I think I'll only do two or three trips on the 1^st of January , so it's absolutely 1^st come 1^st serve , we won't take any bookings without pre payment .Please make sure if you phone us from a lodge that your clientele HAVE in fact paid , we don't want to sit on the boat with no-shows ….

Please contact me at any time if you're unsure about anything !

Whale Watching Video

2007-11-08T23:59:00.000-08:00

Whale watching is W.E.T

2007-11-05T06:41:00.001-08:00

The Umfolozi Rover is coming down again , therefore the ocean in front quite fleeeeeeken d.i.r.t.y. ….So maybe a good idea to let your guests know it's not ideal conditions for swimming/bathing .

This morning's Whale Watching trip had an extra bonus of 2 huge whale sharks right behind the backline !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

P.A.C.K.E.T of B.I.S.C.U.I.T.S , BOTTLE OF WATER OR JUICE , either NO shoes , OR S.L.O.P.S , a towel , c.o.m.f.o.r.t.a.b.l.e clothes …

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr….

Read this story :::::

Danie : Good morning ladies and gents , I suggest you take your shoes off as you are going to/might get wet ….(even soaked)
Mrs Client : But I don't want to get wet ….!!!!!!
Danie : But mam , you booked a whale watching tour on the ocean , St Lucia has a surf launch , we a.l.w.a.y.s. get wet …
Mrs Client : But ………uh uh uh uh …no one told us that ….our guesthouse never mentioned getting wet ….
Danie : Sir , would you mind taking those shoes and socks off …
Mr Client : But I don't WANT to ….!!!!!!
Danie : Sir , your shoes ARE going to get wet , and I can see it is e.x.f.r.e.ek.e.n.s.p.e.n.s.i.v.e. shoes …..
Mr Client : But …..!!!!!!!!!! no one told me that ………

And this morning again people complaining asking me how long the tour is going to be and what time they'll be back at the office , when I said about 3 hours , of which 2 hour is on the ocean , ….jjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa, BUT we're going to be VERY hungry by then ………..no one told us to bring a juice and packet of biscuits ….

Please , PRETTY please ask the clients ( I know we do over and over and over again ) but ask them to bring that bottle of water ,juice , packet of biscuits , no expensive shoes , no make up , no jewellery , expensive camera equipment on their own risk ….bla bla bla bla bla ….

It's the same story every single day !

Aggggggggggggggggg..at the end of the day the clients were VERY happy again after this morning 's trips , wet yes , but saw GOOD Humpback Whale Sightings and had them breaching up close !!!!!!

Over and out until the next e-mail ….

Lots of whales out there still !!!!!! ….

2007-11-03T07:35:00.001-07:00

Lots of whales out there still !!!!!! ….

We've been fortunate now to go out 5 consecutive days to do Whale Watching !

Between the trips that went out , on average about 5-7 Humpback Whales spotted per trip , and this week had some huge Dolphin sightings as a bonus !

…..

The weather seems to be kind to us for the last couple of days , and we're just taking it day by day and enjoying it tremendously …

Departures is more dependant on the tides lately , so rather double check with the office about the correct times

conditions haven’t been all that kind

2007-10-28T23:26:00.000-07:00

WHALE WATCHING trips have been very few this last week as the weather conditions haven't been all that kind , the ADVANTAGE boat is out this morning and we're waiting to hear what they've seen ….

The last 4 trips that could go out was Monday the 22^nd of October , and on those trips the skippers saw between 5 and 6 HUMPBACK Whales on each trip . Bottlenose Dolphins are also plentiful and with the onset of summer and warmer water temperatures we seem to have more Whale Sharks around …..

Saturday morning's 05h30 trip was able to get out , but the 07h00 trip had to be cancelled due to low tide and sandbanks , the surf is also enormous , and Danie is a very safety conscious skipper and won't operate through bad surf ….yes, it is very depressing for all of us if the tours can't get out , but from experience this is what happens every year around October /November when we have these strong winds .

We are hoping an praying that the decision to launch again from the Umfolozi River Mouth is taken very soon , as that was still the safest spot for the boats to launch , at the moment all the boat operators are forced to launch in a 1km area in front of the old St Lucia Estuary Mouth , the shore dumpers and sandbanks in this area is just so dangerous , forcing us to rather cancel trips than take chances with people's lives . We are awaiting an urgent answer from the Wetland Authority and the Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism …..

We'll just take the bookings day by day , and obviously Danie will not cancel a trip unnecessarily , so if your pax are booked,they arrive on the beach with the truck and conditions are favourable the boat will definitely launch ….

There is still many whales out there , they're busy though making their ways down south towards the feedings grounds in the Antarctic ….between June – about mid October they move Northwards to go and breed and calf ….

I won't send any photos via e-mail as this does take up a lot of 'gig' space if you forward it so many addresses , but if ever you want ( or you want your clients to ) view excellent photos or video footage , just send them to the WHALE OFFICE .

A Blessed Sunday to you all !

Warm Regards
Riëtte Bennett
St.Lucia Tours & Charters t/a Advantage Cruiser CC
WebSite: www.advantagetours.co.za
e-mail : advantage@zululink.co.za

+27 (0)35 – 5901259 (Tel)
+27 (0)35 – 5901053 (Fax)
Cell: 083 487 2762

Obviously we’re all ecstatic

2007-10-21T07:21:00.001-07:00

Obviously we're all ecstatic that the SPRINGBOK's won the RUGBY WORLD CUP 2007 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Our WHALE WATCHERS crew t.h.i.n.k. they saw a Great White Shark yesterday whilst out on the WHALE WATCHING trip , photographs were taken which will be sent off to our researchers at MARINE and COASTAL MANAGEMENT on Monday morning , and we'll keep in touch within the coming week to confirm if it was indeed a GREAT WHITE SHARK !

SO many excellent Whale sightings in any case again yesterday , as well as Mantaray and lots of Dolphins .

P.L.E.A.S.E. make a point of telling your clientele about who the legal boat-based-whale-watching permit holder is ,(at the current moment still only the ADVANTAGE CHARTER boat in ST LUCIA for KwaZulu Natal ) , as we again had a situation on the beach yesterday when 2 Dutch ladies were totally confused as to who the legal Whale Watching operator is ……(( we won't continue with the facts on e-mail , as it is a situation for the authorities to look into ….))

HAVE A BLESSED SUNDAY !

continue till end of November /mid December

2007-10-19T05:45:00.001-07:00

WHALE WATCHING with Danie and crew will continue till end of November /mid December !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Some of you think that end of October there's no more whales , but November is STILL peak season , MANY whales and lots of mother/calf pairs around !

From experience over the last 10 years , we've even still seen whales till about the middle of December . We also do research for Marine and Coastal Management on the Humpback Whales and have seen over the last 10 years that our Humpback Whales migrating past here tend to stay longer and longer each year .

I'll stay in contact with you towards end of November to say what the sightings is like .

Between the 2 tirps that went out this morning , Bien and Berno saw about 5 Humpback Whales , some Bottlenose Dolphins and also a Whale Shark .

Again throughout mid season , I just want to ask again to tell your clientele to PLEASE listen to the captain'iving the safety briefing at the Whale Office , on the beach and again on the boat - some clients STILL continue to ignore the briefing , standing up in mid surf , taking cameras out when they've specifically being told to sit and hold on - if anybody under those conditions get hurt it will be their own risk entirely .

Some people still continue dressing as if they're going to The Opera , and is then upset if they get wet - pretty please tell them whales are in the ocean ( ha ha ) , and the boat HAS to go on a high speed to get TO the whales , there WILL be splashes of sea water ….

THEN , the clients just absolutely LOVE the BOAT TRIP , the ride , the launch through the surf , just being on the ocean etc - so even if there is no more w.h.a.l.e.s. there will be other Cetacean ,Dolphins , Whale Shark , Zambezi Shark , Sea Turtles etc to be seen , and the tour will then be ''sold'' as the 2hour Marine Mammal Ocean Experience at a rate of R350-00…..STILL going with the ADVANTAGE CHARTER boats and MARINE MAMMAL guides Danie , Bien or Berno who will still give an educational talk on whatever there is to be seen .

Marine Mammal trip throughout the season will depart on the high tide daily , please just check with the office about departure times .

AND to Berno's delight , Bien and Danie will be doing the Marine Mammal trips from December – mid May , and Berno will be F.I.S.H.I.N.G. – yes , the Advantage Charter I , will be available for FISHING CHARTERS , so if you have anybody wanting to catch THAT BIG ONE you can phone us , and the Advantage Charter II will be doing the Marine Mammal trips .

ENJOY the WORLD CUP RUGBY final tomorrow – SOUTH AFRICA versus ENGLAND ……..man man man man it's gonna be a nail biting final !!!!!!!!!!!!!! Croutch , pause , engage …..ha ha ha ha …..

TRY if you can tomorrow to wear something green if you want to show some patriotism to your SA team ….

Appeal to all South Africans and Springbok Supporters:

2007-10-18T00:08:00.000-07:00

Appeal to all South Africans and Springbok Supporters:

This is a patriotic appeal to Springbok supporters and proud South Africans all over the world, and particularly those in London and England. This is a very important message and requires your support to spread the word and make it happen.

This Friday, 19th October, we call upon all South Africans abroad to wear green and gold in public, especially on their way to and from work. Whether it is your Springbok rugby jersey or just a South Africa t-shirt - make sure it's visible. If you are required to wear a suit - wear it over your shirt and tie on your way in to work. If you work casual - wear your green and gold!

This is in response to a similar call made by Thabo Mbeki earlier in the week to South Africans at home, to show our very proud support and solidarity for John Smit and the team as they take on England this Saturday in the Rugby World Cup final.

Let us show the world that we stand as one - 100% behind the men in Green and Gold. Wear your colours not with arrogant pride but with a sense of unity and how far our nation has come!

Most importantly: as a matter of urgency please forward this message by email, SMS or word of mouth to all the South Africans you know. Time is of the essence. Send it back home to family and friends so they can send it on to others abroad. Let's show the world.

This is not only for a bit of fun - press and other organisations have been informed to capture the day. This show of support will hopefully be broadcast and the boys in France will gain a sense of the immense support behind them.

All the best, and most of all, enjoy the game on Saturday!

Come on Bokke!!!!!!

Re: Video's on You Tube

2007-10-16T01:11:00.000-07:00

Hi All,

Having fun on the Internet... Not yet... Check this out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uiVZFEoKKMM

Video footage of St. Lucia.... updated regularly by my self.... Yes it takes time to load... But when its done you can press the replay button and watch it in full movie motion... Remeber the Internet is slow so we have to adapt the quality to match the speed.

Do you want a movie about your bussines on youtube.... We can give you the exposure you need.....

Contact Petrus on 083 584 7473 for a quote....

Regards

For Africa
P.J. Viviers
0835847473

We’re all extremely greatful for the rain !

2007-10-08T01:12:00.000-07:00

We're all extremely greatful for the rain !

But yes , it does have an effect on the whale watching trips , however I'm not grumbling , as the rain at this stage is more important …।!

Danie went out on Sunday morning at 09h00 and saw an enormous amount of Humpback whales , he got about 6-7 pods of Humpback Whales which consisted of about 4-6 Humpback Whales per pod .

And then over the last week there has been an increasing number of Whale Sharks right next to the boat , the Whale Shark is ENORMOUS , about 12'm's in length and comes SO close to the boat you can almost touch it ! However the sides of our boat is too high , so you can't reach out and touch it , but it feels as if …..Last summer season we also had a great amount of whale sharks in our area , 2 or 3 of them that did also unfortunately wash up on the beaches in our area .

Today's trips had to be canceled due to the strong winds that caused the sea to be ''upside down'' , but we'll operate again tomorrow .

Trips at the moment are very tide dependant , we've had SO much bad luck on engine damage on the sandbanks due to low tides , so we're forced to try and operate over the high tide periods .

Many South Africans are not aware of the incredible whale watching opportunities along our coastline .

We are off course spoilt in South Africa , as not only having different species in our waters , but also numerous vantage points as well as a developed infrastructure , making South Africa one of the primary whale watching destinations in the world .

In 1998 Boat-Based-Whale Watching permits were issued to about 20 operators along the South African Coastline from Saldana Bay on the West Coast to Sodwana Bay on the East Coast .

In 1999 , Danie Bennett of the Advantage Charter , St Lucia , was successful to obtain a Boat-Based-Whale –Watching permit issued from Marine and Coastal Management , and after 8 years in the industry is the only remaining legal operator in the whole of KwaZulu Natal .

All the other legal boat based whale watching operators is along the Cape Coast .

Whale Watching season is from about mid May to 2^nd week in December when the Humpback Whales migrate past this coastline to the warm watrs of the tropics off Mozambique and Madagaskar to breed and calf , before going back to the cold polar regions around the Antarctic .Over the last 30 years or so , scientific study has opened our eyes to the intelligence and magnificence of these cetaceans of the deep, and whale watching has now become a global industry .

Please do remember as from 1 November 2007 this region just north of St Lucia known now since 1999 as the Greater St Lucia Wetland Park , proclaimed a World Heritage Site in 1999 , will be renamed to the iSimangaliso Wetland Park . The town of St Lucia will remain St Lucia , Cape Vidal will remain Cape Vidal , Hluhluwe will remain Hluhluwe (pronounced hloohloowie) ,it's only The Park that will be renamed .

WHALE WATCHING KZN

2007-10-05T00:59:00.000-07:00

WHALE WATCHING KZN
The KwaZulu Natal Coast is well known for viewing Humpback, Southern Right and Minke whales. Whales can frequently be seen off the KwaZulu-Natal coast from July to November - mainly Humpbacked Whales, and occasionally Southern Right Whales. From July to September the whales are moving north on their way to their breeding grounds off the Mozambique coast to mate, calve and rear their young. From September to November they return, heading for the nutrient-rich waters of Antarctica where supplies of krill are more prolific. The whales travel close to shore on occasion, particularly along the lower South Coast of KwaZulu-Natal where the continental shelf is close to the land. The Southern Right makes use of extreme coastal waters and sometimes comes as far north as southern KwaZulu-Natal. Boat-based whale-watching, previously only associ ated with the Western Cape, is gaining momentum in the province with a greater variety of species being spotted off the KwaZulu-Natal coast. These include Bottlenose Dolphins which occur all year round in small groups of 30-60 animals. The influx of about 3000 migratory Bottlenose Dolphins following the annual sardine run makes for arguably the most spectacular dolphin viewing in the world. Common Dolphins occur in the winter months with annual migration of the sardines. They can number between 15,000 and 30,000 and can be found in groups of up to 2,000 animals at a time. There are boat-based whale-watching operations in most of our coastal resort towns and whale watching towers at Amatigulu and Umlalazi reserves.

For Africa
P.J. Viviers
0835847473

PRAYER FOR THE SAFETY OF WHALES

2007-10-03T07:16:00.001-07:00

PRAYER FOR THE SAFETY OF वेल्स

Great Sovereign of the Sea and Sky
We've heard the sad, lamenting cries
Of Whales harpooned and killed by men
Who ply the seas in search of them
In vessels great with hearts of stone
They think the world is theirs alone
Oh hear us when we pray to Thee
For whales in peril in the sea
Great Sovereign of the sea and Sky
Forsake not whales , don't let them die
We children of the world have needs
Not noticed in this world of greed

We need to hear the mighty songs

Of whales forever singing strong

Oh hear us when we pray to Thee

For whales in peril in the sea

2007-10-02T08:56:00.001-07:00

Hallo ALMAL

Bien saw only 4 Humpback Whales on the 06h00 trip this morning , but they were very inquisitive and gave a good performance ….

Just a little '' halloooooooooooooooo there …………

WHALE WATCHERS have been getting sopping wet lately , with the sea being a wee bit rough and tough (sic) and spray into everybodys' faces !...............

Danie and Co-Crew will obviously tell you (((your clientele))) all about whale behaviour whilst out at sea , but for those of us that's demoted to office duty (ha ha ) and skippering the Hippo/Croc boat and not getting on the ocean every day ------some educationals on whales and dolphins ……

BREACHING - Breaching involves the whale propelling its body above the surface before returning to the sea with an enormous splash ! This is often repeated , and in Right Whales seems to occur more often in windy conditions . We have the same behaviour on the ""Humpback Coast "", seeing the Humpbacks much more acrobatic when the sea conditions are more rough .The reason for breaching are unclear but it could be a from of communication , the washing away of parasites or dea skin , a form of play or some forms of display .

With Danie having done whale watching for soooooooooo many years now , he can by now tell you whether it's going to be a good day for beaches or not , he obviously by now know a lot about the whales' behaviour to on occasion foretell how they're going to react .

I don't think I have to remind you anymore about asking clientele to book in good time , we all know by now that this time of the year the weather is not kind to us the whole day (((( I'm saying that with lost of respect as I'm very greatful for the good rains …we just don't appreciate the winds !!!))))….we find that we get 2 or 3 trips done early morning and then the wind starts howling , so please make sure to book ahead of time ….

Giiiiiiiiiiiiiittttts , ek's oulik , I've learned ( after 9 years ) to use different fonts on the computer ….hav' always been a good guide yes , but not computer literate at allllllll !

Keep in touch if you have any questions !

BLESSED SUNDAY morning to you all !

2007-09-30T03:44:00.000-07:00

BLESSED SUNDAY morning to you all !

WHALE UPDATE ::::

It's Spring tides at the moment and then for 2 days before and 2 days after Spring tide we can't get over the sandbanks into the ocean , so we can only get the tours done that are booked over high tide ….

Danie took Berno and Bien's boats through the surf this morning , they both saw between 11 – 14 Humpback Whales , a school of about 40 Common Dolphins and approximately 60 Bottlenose Dolphins .

"" ….in an attempt to understand the extremely different world of whales and dolphins , we need to reconsider almost all of our parameters about the world in which we live.Consider for instance that whales and dolphins live in a world nearly void of gravity .That the air they breathe is not continually available to them , and that they repeatedly swim to the surface to take a breath …." "

The daily personalized dvd's that get made about the whale watching trips can be viewed on the big screen at The Whale Office ….

2007-09-29T08:55:00.001-07:00

Hallo Almal

I sent out an email yesterday saying the WHALE SHOP 's name will change to the WHALE OFFICE ….

Some of you didn't understand and I apologise for not sending a more decent email .

After 3 years we've realized that the WHALE S.H.O.P. is much more a WHALE O.F.F.I.C.E and the wording OFFICE will be more appropriate than SHOP , so I've asked Andries to change the signage SHOP to OFFICE ….

The location however is still the same , next to the OCEAN BASKET building , that's where all the WHALE clientele meet for the WHALE WATCHING trips , same cute NIKKI working in the OFFICE , same e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g else …..

WHALE WATCHING this morning went out successfully at 06h00 and 07h00 , but the other trips have to be cancelled due to the low tide and sandbanks not allowing us to be able to get out ….

Bien and Berno both saw an average of 6 HUMPBACK whales between the 2 trips .

Lets hope the weather will last for tommorrow's trips' .

SAW something special

2007-09-25T06:06:00.000-07:00

Dear ALL

We ( Natasha and I ) and 18 passengers , were fortunate on Sunday morning at 08h00 to see something exceptionally special !

Crocodiles mating ! And able to photograph it !

I've been on the water for almost 10 years , and in 10 years this is now only the 2^nd time that I've actually SEEN the crocs mating .

During the mating season , males attract females by bellowing , slapping their snouts in the water, blowing water out of their noses , and making a variety of noises .The larger males of a population tend to be more successful . Once a female has been attracted , the pair wabble and rub underside of their jaws together . Females lay eggs about 2 months after mating .

For the next 6 months we will be on our summer departure times for the Hippo/Croc Tours which is 10h00 , 12h00 , 14h00 and 16h00 and then adding an additional 08h00 tour if there is bigger demand !

It's actually beautiful on the water so early in the morning !

Accommodation in St Lucia was very fully booked over the long weekend , but if possible , try and keep in touch with us if you do have empty rooms , as if someone then walks into the office we know where to refer them to .

WHALE WATCHING was awesome this weekend ! Many trips , the weather was kind for most of the weekend and lots of happy customers !

There is only about 35days before The Greater St Lucia Wetland Park will be known as iSimangaliso Wetland Park - this new name will come into effect as from 1 November 2007 .

Warm Regards

Riëtte Bennett

St.Lucia Tours & Charters t/a Advantage Cruiser CC

WebSite: www.advantagetours.co.za

e-mail : advantage@zululink.co.za

+27 (0)35 5901259 (Tel)

+27 (0)35 5901053 (Fax)

Cell: 083 487 2762

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S.U.N.B.L.O.C.K Lotion

2007-09-20T08:07:00.001-07:00

S.U.N.B.L.O.C.K Lotion is from now on THE most important article to take with you on any trip !!!!!!!! AND a bottle of water !

It's SUMMER again , the sun is blazing hot and all agents must please remind the clientele that in winter it's a jacket , and in summer it's a tube of sunblock lotion that's the most important article !

The guys only did 1 whale trip this morning but saw 5 HUMPBACK whales and approximately 100 Bottlenose Dolphins …and all pax on board got soaked ….fortunately it's hot summer and although WE feel bad if the clients get wet , they just love it !

Long weekend is around the corner and we hope everybody is going to be very busy !

You might have seen a new face on the ADVANTAGE CRUISER Hippo/Croc Boat …I'm busy training Natasha Venter as my new lady skipper ! For the 1^st time in St Lucia we'll have a 2^nd qualified lady skipper on the water ! She should be A-okay to handle the boat within the next month or so , as the office duties is getting so much that I just can't do all the trips myself . Natasha is a qualified guide from one of the Game Lodges in Hluhluwe , and her new love life is in St Lucia , hence her decision to come and find a job this side of the Lake . She is a beautiful girl with a good personality and once she's capable of doing the tours on her own , I'm sure your clients will love her

You can always give me feedback from you sides as well !

P.L.E.A.S.E can I ask another favour ….when you write out an ADVANTAGE ticket , please staple it on an ADVANTAGE brochure ….we have had one or two cases where people have gone to the wrong jetty and that does cause a wee bit of a problem .The ADVANTAGE brochure has the map with directions inside as well as the conditions of admission …

ENJOY THE WEEKEND!

Warm Regards
Riëtte Bennett
St.Lucia Tours & Charters t/a Advantage Cruiser CC
WebSite: www.advantagetours.co.za
e-mail : advantage@zululink.co.za

+27 (0)35 – 5901259 (Tel)

+27 (0)35 – 5901053 (Fax)

Cell: 083 487 2762

For Africa
P.J. Viviers
0835847473

Fw: HUMPBACK WHALE WATCHING update and facts

2007-09-11T00:03:00.000-07:00

Good Morning to everybody !

I decided ( ha ha , liewer laat as nooit ) to give a little bit of interesting information about the HUMPBACK WHALES that we spot this time of the year .

The weather at the moment a.w.e.s.o.m.e , and after the previous weeks' strong winds we seem to have excellent weather conditions at the moment , but as you 've all maybe noticed town is quite quiet at the moment . The sea temperature at the moment about 21 degrees , our night temperatures about 21 degrees and the day temperatures around 25-32 degrees ( yes , we've all felt the return of summer , especially at night the humidity is quite high and Eskom coining it again as we've started to switch the airconditioners back on ) .

About 25 SALMON fishes yesterday tried to get out of the Mouth area back into the ocean ,( they came in across the Mouth area with the high tide and when the tide turned low couldn't get back out to sea again ) , and with the Mouth so ''closed'' they were stuck on the sand and started dying , we and our staff tried to pick up as many Salmon as possible and released them back into the ocean , some were unfortunately dead already , but a lot were saved !..anyway .back to the WHALES .

Bien saw 3 HUMPBACK whales from as close as 50m's on the 06h00 WHALE WATCHING trip on the 9^th of September , they were still swimming north which is a possible indication that it is mothers moving towards Mozambique and Madagaskar to calf .

So far for this season between Danie , Bien and Berno they have recorded a sighting of about 823 HUMPBACK WHALES , ( remember those are only the whales that they can actually count when doing a tour , many days there is whales going past and we don't have trips , OR the weather is bad and we can't get out to count the whales , so this obviously just what we saw , counted , collected skin samples from and photographed on trips actually done ) .

HUMPBACK FACTS :

Scientific Name : Megaptera novaeangliae

Maximum length : 52 feet

Weight : approx 40 ton

Tail (fluke ) width : 15 feet

Flipper length : 15 feet

Daily Ton : 1 ton

Calf's Daily diet : 100-600 liter of milk -depending on the age - calfs drinking from the mother for the first year and thereafter starting to feed

WHO IS IN THEIR FAMILY ?

Whales , dolphins , and porpoises are all members of the Cetacean order of mammals . Two sub-orders of Cetacea exist today , baleen whales ( mysticetes ) and toothed whales (odontocetes ) . Humpbacks , like blues and grays , are baleen whales . Toothed whales include killer whales , dolphins and porpoises .

Further updates and information will be passed on the next e-mail

Warm Regards

Riëtte Bennett

St.Lucia Tours & Charters t/a Advantage Cruiser CC

WebSite: www.advantagetours.co.za

e-mail : advantage@zululink.co.za

+27 (0)35 5901259 (Tel)

+27 (0)35 5901053 (Fax)

Cell: 083 487 2762

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Hippo / Croc Tours will again depart

2007-09-02T02:12:00.000-07:00

Hippo / Croc Tours will again depart at 16h00 ((and not 15h00 like the last 5 months )) as from the 15th of September .
The tour is 2 hours long , so will then get back to the jetty by 18h00 .

THIS time will be in place till mid April next year when winter earlier sunsets set in again .

Please also see the brochure with the departure times , pleeeeeeeeeease ask your clientele to be at the jetty in good time , and always phone the office if you are unsure , as times sometimes change daily as we have a greater demand on tour groups or over peak holiday season with more clientele .

Warm Regards
Riëtte Bennett
St.Lucia Tours & Charters t/a Advantage Cruiser CC
WebSite: www.advantagetours.co.za
e-mail : advantage@zululink.co.za
+27 (0)35 – 5901259 (Tel)
+27 (0)35 – 5901053 (Fax)
Cell: 083 487 2762

WHALE WATCHING boat is out अगिन!!

2007-09-02T02:10:00.000-07:00

JIPppppieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee….THE WHALE WATCHING boat is out again !

HUMPBACK WHALES lying waiting on the migratory line for eager whale watchers , and wondering WHAT happened the last 7 days in St Lucia …….ha ha ha ….these whales have a.c.t.u.a.l.l.y had a ball of a time the last 7 days ……nooooooooooooooooooooooo deepsea vessels to bother them in their breeding , mating and calving patterns …………..

How would YOU feel if you want to make lovvvvvvvvvvvvve , and 10 passengers come and whooooo whaaaaa every 2 hours 50m’s from you ?????????

((that’s off course only a joke !!!!! ))

Jokes apart , everybody is smiling again since the bad winds died down and the high swells have subsided ….soooooooooooo you are welcome to send clients again , hopefully we won’t have to cancel as many trips this week coming !

Enjoy your Sunday , and with been too sad yesterday about Ollie’s passing away , I didn’t feel like wishing you a HAPPY SPRING day for the 1st of September , so a belated HAPPY SPRING then today on the 2nd …..

Warm Regards
Riëtte Bennett
St.Lucia Tours & Charters t/a Advantage Cruiser CC
WebSite: www.advantagetours.co.za
e-mail : advantage@zululink.co.za
+27 (0)35 – 5901259 (Tel)
+27 (0)35 – 5901053 (Fax)
Cell: 083 487 2762

Whale Watching trips had to be cancelled

2007-08-31T07:47:00.000-07:00

It’s already the 6th day that the Whale Watching trips had to be cancelled and all monies refunded due to extreme strong winds this last week causing high swells .

We have clientele that don’t always understand if we cancel the trips , TRUST ME , Danie and his crew WANTS to be on the ocean between the whales , they DON’t want to sit at home and wait to see if and when the wind is going to stop blowing ((((((( AND at home they work on my nerves , eat all my rusks and drink all my filter coffee )))))))….((ha ha ha )) …..AND (((between you and I ((ek skinder nou oor Danie se personeel )) , SOME of his ‘’ground ‘’ staff just LOVE it if there IS tours , that means the BIG INDUNA is on the ocean and can’t see how they sit around at home doing nothing between tours , so IF there is NO tours for a whole 6 days ……boetie boetie boetie ….this ADVANTAGE staff has been WORKING their buts off the last week …die arme goed , I’m sitting here laughingly thinking how I’m sure they’re praying for the wind to die down, so that Danie can go to sea again …..

BUT , DANIE is one of THE most well known skippers when it comes to safety , he will NOT launch the boat in bad weather just to go spend that 10 clients’’ R600-00’’ s , (((although he always need new engines for the boat which costs an arm and a leg ))) , he will rather cancel the trip is there is any safety hazards whatsoever than to take chances . Clientele must keep in mind the Whale Watching is our bread and butter , and won’t just cancel for no reason ….

Remember some people save up a whole year to come on holiday , and if they then arrive at their destination and book tours , only to be cancelled again due to bad weather , it IS also understandable that they will get uptight , but you have to try and explain to your clientele their safety is our main concern , and we will only launch when it is absolutely safe !

Anyway ….’’captain’’ Danie has just phoned , he’s just been down to the beach and conditions is looking better and hopefully all the trips will go out tomorrow .

Remember the Humpback Whales are still around until about mid-December , whereafter they start migrating back to the Antarctic , by that time we will still do 2 or 3 Marine Mammal trips daily at 60% of the Whale Watching cost , obviously then just no guarantee on seeing whales , but the chances of seeing whale shark , dolphin , sea turtles and other marine mammals … The Marine Mammal Guides on board will still however give your clientele and educational talk on the Humpback Whales that do migrate past this time of the year .

Please let me know if there is any other concerns or questions ! And lets pray for rain and calm seas !

Warm Regards
Riëtte Bennett
St.Lucia Tours & Charters t/a Advantage Cruiser CC
WebSite: www.advantagetours.co.za
e-mail : advantage@zululink.co.za
+27 (0)35 – 5901259 (Tel)
+27 (0)35 – 5901053 (Fax)
Cell: 083 487 2762

2007-08-18T07:41:00.000-07:00

In Terms of Regulations of the Marine Living Resources Act ( 1998 ) :

· Is is an offence to approach any whale closer than 300m(soon to be gazetted 500m)
without a permit .
· There is only ONE LEGAL boat-based-whale-watching permit holder in each area.
· No cow-calf whale pairs may be approached by anyone .
· Clients are advised to ensure that their operator has a permit to approach whales
closer than 300m’s(soon to be gazetted 500m’s).
· Clients on board an illegal vessel may be charged with contravening these
regualtions if the operator approaches a whale closer than 300m’s .
· Your local permit holder is : DANIE BENNETT - ADVANTAGE CHARTER

Warm Regards
Riëtte Bennett
St Lucia Tours & Charters t/a Advantage Cruiser CC
web site: www.advantagetours.co.za
e-mail : advantage@zululink.co.za
+27 (0)35 - 5901259
+27 (0)35 - 5901053 (fax)
cell : 083 487 2762

Update - Sandy The Hippo

2007-08-18T07:36:00.000-07:00

Just a little update on SANDY - she’s part of Vincent’s pod (raft) - lying in the water daily either JUST north or JUST south of the bridge , or next to the jetty of The Estuary and below the Protea Hotel .

I took beautiful photos again of Vincent -…..we haven’t seen Vincent

There however seems to be one very aggressive younger male in that pod , yesterday Shaun witnessed this male wanting to attack one of the much younger (about 4 months old ) little calf , Vincent tried to fend it off .....

Anyway – I can tell you all kinds of stories about what’s hap’ning on the water , but it’s SOOOOOO good to be back on the water so frequently and the sightings are awesome !

I need to ask a HUGE favour - P*L*E*A*S*E – pretty please ask your WHALE WATCHING clientele if their ticket you issue them reads a certain departure time , they have to be at The WHALE SHOP 15-20 minutes prior to that time on the ticket ….we still have to do safety briefings and indemnity forms with everybody and Danie gets VERY uptight if the truck doesn’t leave the Whale Shop in good time , arriving on the beach late etc etc etc etc …..

AND….we’ve seen that the sun is setting a bit later lately …..but we’re not going to change the HIPPO/CROC cruises now already - if you remember correctly we only change the times middle of September , it’s no use to depart at 15h30 for the next 30 days , and then chop and change again mid Sept to 16h00 , so lets keep the last departure on 15h00 till middle of September ….

Please phone our offices anytime if you’re unsure !

SOME mornings it’s REALLY cold even on the Hippo/Croc cruise , and I still see people arriving at the jetty without no jackets , they get irritated by the cold once we get going and then keep on asking when are we turning back , other passengers have paid for a full tour – please ask your clientele to bring warm jackets , no matter how warm it is in the parking lot at the jetty , it’s ALWAYS cold on the water in the wind !

I’m out of the office quite a bit doing the boat tours , but Joey is here to attend to your questions .You can phone her anytime . If her phone just rings, it’s because she’s busy on the other line , just try again couple of minutes later .

Warm Regards
Riëtte Bennett
St Lucia Tours & Charters t/a Advantage Cruiser CC
web site: www.advantagetours.co.za
e-mail : advantage@zululink.co.za
+27 (0)35 - 5901259
+27 (0)35 - 5901053 (fax)
cell : 083 487 2762

Brochures update

2007-08-18T07:24:00.000-07:00

Dearest ALL

Please bring some of your brochures to our offices next to PEP stores and also to the WHALE SHOP .

We only have loads of B & B brochures , but no self catering brochures ((alhoewel ons die eenhede aanbeveel daagliks ))

Our new 20 000 brochures have arrived ! This time they have the correct wording and spelling of iSimangaliso Wetland Park …..We will try on Monday to send someone around to come and drop some brochures as well .

In the meantime I can’t remember anymore which ‘’out of town’’ lodges asked for brochures to be posted , maybe you can just e-mail me again .

ALLLLLLLL of you ….the sightings on the HIPPO/CROC boats are SOOO exquisite at the moment , please tell your guests to bring along their cameras , as both me and Berno do a very slow tour and try to go as close as possible to whatever sightings for the best photographic opportunities ! I WISH I can forward you all my excellent photos that I’ve taken over the last week .!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We’re going to make a point of cutting them on disk and playing it on the dvd players in both Joey’s office as well as the Whale Shop if you maybe want to come and sit here a couple of minutes to have a look .

AND THEN the WHALE WATCHING trips stay THE HIGHLIGHT of all the clients ! They have the most awesome time on the boat , walk away with a lot of knowledge gained from qualified Marine Mammal Guides Danie , Bien and Berno !

The sightings is just absolutely excellent , but most of the time the sea just too ‘’rough’’ and seaspray spashing not allowing anybody to take out their own cameras to capture those whales .

We’ve invested in very expensive waterproof cameras and have trained cameramen and make the personalized dvd of ther entire trip , which they can buy for an additional cost of R200-00 from the Whale Shop about an hour after their trip . It’s just always better buying the dvd , than loosing an expensive camera due to water damage , I know for a fact ( from experience) that the insurance don’t cover water damage .

Please let me know if you have any problems or queries , I’ll gladly help

Warm Regards
Riëtte Bennett
St Lucia Tours & Charters t/a Advantage Cruiser CC
web site: www.advantagetours.co.za
e-mail : advantage@zululink.co.za
+27 (0)35 - 5901259
+27 (0)35 - 5901053 (fax)
cell : 083 487 2762

WHALE WATCHING update

2007-08-02T02:44:00.000-07:00

A very good morning to you all !!!! (( and now it’s already afternoon as I’ve been out skippering my Hippo boat almost the whole day ))

CAN you believe it’s August already ???

We had some passengers on the 06h30 WHALE WATCHING trip this morning , Amanda has been coming to St Lucia for the last 3 years JUST to go WHALE WATCHING with Danie , and every time bringing new family and friends with her to South Africa Berno did the 06h30 trip this morning, ( Berno is Danie’s relief skipper ) , and has been skippering the whale watching boat since the beginning of this season …even HE said after the trip that it was THE BEST tour this entire season !

Apparently the 5 or 6 Humpback Whales they saw were just breaching and performing non stop ! Maybe it’s because they knew it was Amanda’s birthday ??

Dear agents , friends in tourism and lodge owners and staff - - - - we’ve lately had many unhappy clientele , that come and swear at us in the office , hit with fists against our counters , because we cancel the trips - - - - Danie also had his share of throwing toys out the cot on the beach yesterday , but the biggest problem is that we are trying to satisfy our clientele ,Danie will only shout and scream if there is any safety factor whatsoever ! Danie will never go out in dangerous seas , and the clients must please understand that we have no control over the weather and it can change bad from one minute to the next , we’ve been operating for tooo long and know how suddenly the winds can come up , or how treacherous the beach can be over Spring and Neap tides . Clientele must please understand that we are very strict in our safety briefing , and they HAVE to listen to what the captains n the beach tell them , they give the briefing for the safety of the whole crew and not just for fun !

There is a very good reason why Marine and Coastal Management decided to grant the Boat-Based-Whale- Watching permit to Danie . He is sometimes also a super *&^ , but a skipper with the most knowledge , passion and care about passenger safety . (( Ja , I can safely say so , as being my husband , he HAS to forgive me - ha ha )) , but then please do understand if Danie decides the trips are not going out , there is a good reason for him doing so . AT THE END OF THE DAY , we don’t have ANY other meansf income , the Hippo Boat and Whale Watching is our ONLY income , we have 22 staff members working for Advantage , they ALL have to be paid , and we DO want to operate as many trips as we can , so if we do cancel , it’s a huge financial burden on the company , we will never cancel trips just for ‘’because ‘’ …

I still get the feeling there are people out there thinking whales swim on some calm dam behind the dunes , as some clientele get very upset because they got wet on the trip , they ARE going to get wet , please ‘’paint’’ the picture of the whale watching trips for them as best you can , TELL and Inform the clients about all the negatives (( getting wet )) and if they THEN still want to go , they WILL then be the kind of clients that we DO want on our boats . We also had this lady on Saturday that got a panic attack as Danie was busy going out , she performed so much that he turned around to drop her off , as he turned to go back in a wave pushed the boat onto a sandbank and caused extreme damage on the one engine ! ALL trips cancelled for the day ! Whale Watching is a high energy adventure tour , and if people are not up to it , they should rather not book and upset a whole boatload of eager clientele . This client never should have booked in the first place , we now sit with about R80 000-00’s damage due to this incident ….

IF and WHEN we DO go out , the whale watching is the best experience any client can have !

AND , I WISH I could have had ALL of you on my boat yesterday morning - we just had the most excellent trip and sightings ! I took wonderful photos of Hippo calfs , the Fish Eagle , Mangrove Kingfisher ! I say this with a lot of respect and humbleness – I AM a good skipper ! I KNOW WHAT people want to seeand hear if they get onto my boat , and so is Berno as well , ENTHUSIASTIC about every tour , not just babbling away because we HAVE to , but because we WANT to ! We make sure that our clientele return satisfied after their trip !

So far our whale count is standing on almost 600 , there are SOOOO many whales out there , OBVIOUSLY we can only count the whales that we see when we go out , on horrrrrrrible windy days plenty little walvissies going past which we can’t count .

There’s been about 7 newborn calf’s spotted since 3weeks ago .

It’s good for us when we can regularly have feedback from the clientele and yourselves , if there are ANY problems whatsoever , we’ll gladly listen and always try and better our service to you and your clientele !

Okay , so after a very long ‘’whiny’’ letter - at the end of the day I just wanted to let you know the trips are still b.e.a.u.t.i.f.u.l , the clients are loving every minute of these soul stirring sightings and the educational information given to them !

Warm Regards
Riëtte Bennett
St Lucia Tours & Charters t/a Advantage Cruiser CC
web site: www.advantagetours.co.za
e-mail : advantage@zululink.co.za
+27 (0)35 - 5901259
+27 (0)35 - 5901053 (fax)
cell : 083 487 2762

BRRRRRRAND new little baby Humpback Whale

2007-07-20T23:13:00.000-07:00

Liewe Julle , Good Morning to everybody

S.P.L.L.L.I.N.T.E.R.N.U.W.E. baba Boggelrug walvissies !

The 1st BRRRRRRAND new little baby Humpback Whale calfs have been spotted for the season !

(((actually Danie already saw a brand new little calf last week , but I forgot to send out the e-mail )))

Another brand spanking new little one was spotted next to its mom on this mornings’ trip !

It’s July 2007 , THIS mom ‘mated’ with her male partner last year in August , and now 11months later she ‘s back here to give birth to her baby (calf )

Remember that the Antarctic is TOO cold for the little calfs to be born there , they won’t survive , she will give birth in the warm water of the Indian Ocean the year after she ‘mated’ , and through the next 4 months the little calf drinks SOOOOO much milk , so as to grow and get some blubber , by the time they migrate back to the Antarctic , the little one is big and fat enough to survive the cold waters .

ALL these facts are given to the clientele on board the boat whilst they out with Marine Mammal Guides ‘ Danie ,Bien or Berno !

There is a slight possibility again of a strong south wind approaching for the weekend , but lets see how many tours we can get done before the weather turns fowl .

We’ve been blessed with a couple of continuous days of good weather lately !

SOME clientele still rock up at the office dressed in high heel shoes , lost of make up , jewelery , dresses and and and …..PLEASE tactfully inform your clientele whales swim in the ocean , the ocean is behind the backline and surf , they ARE going to get wet and cold and and and and and …okaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaai , some trips NO ONE gets wet or cold at all , but it’s best to warm them to dress accordingly !

Cellphones , watches and all electric equipment is taken on the boat on their own responsibility , we can’t promise that their won’t be water damage !

Keep well for now , and all the best for the weekend !

Groete vir almal !

Warm Regards

Riëtte Bennett
St Lucia Tours & Charters t/a Advantage Cruiser CC
web site: www.advantagetours.co.za
e-mail : advantage@zululink.co.za
+27 (0)35 - 5901259

the beauty of what GOD has made

2007-07-16T00:29:00.000-07:00

AGAIN we couldn’t go to churh this morning as it’s too busy in the office , BUTTTTTTTTTT , we have the glory and the beauty of what GOD has made ALL AROUND us !

( ek klink soos n predikant vanoggend ) ….

But , I think we can daily be SO privileged to see what we do , and what ‘’tough’’ job we have to be between the whales , hippos and crocs everyday (ha ha ha – someone has got to do it ! )

Herewith just quickly wishing June from Zulani a happy birthday for her b’day on Friday the 13th of July ! She had her ‘’present’’ this morning , were on the 06h30 Whale Watching trip and WHALES A PLENTY ALL AROUND the boat to also wish her a happy birthday !

Although the swells have been a little high the last 2 days , we have BEAUTIFUL days and WHALES WHALES WHALES WHALES , splashes , breaches , inquisitive whales ‘’watching’’ our clientele on the boat and not visa versa …..but the entire experience just leaving the clientele in awe of what they are seeing !

PLEASE JUST ALWAYS REMEMBER TO BRING ALONG THOSE WARM JACKETS , nevermind HOW hot the sun is shining on the beach , it’s always cool in the wind on the boat - there is also ADVANTAGE rain- and fleese jackets for sale at the WHALE SHOP….and remember to tell the clientele we make a personalized DVD of each and every trip which the can buy at the WHALE SHOP after the boat .

Then …so far for the season I think our notice board outside of the Whale Shop stands on 336 Humpback Whales spotted and counted on the trips that did go out . ( Obviosuly there is MORE whales , but on certain days due to bad weather we couldn’t go out , so that is just our count that we documented for the Marine and Coastal Management research team ) .

On certain days Danie have come across schools of about 200-300 Dolphins , species varying between the Common Dolphins and Humpback Dolphins .

Just a little bit of news on the Hippo/Croc tours on the Estuary , I’m skippering more and more trips myself again ….ALL the trips are SO good , we OFTEN ( almost daily now ) get the Hippo’s out of the water , our ‘’winter’’ months is so awesome , temperatures not tooooo warm , so not as in summer as when the hippos are submerged in the water the entire day .
IF YOU ARE A KEEN PHOTOGRAPHER the Hippo/Croc Tours at the moment has photographic opportunities aplenty …!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I’ll keep you updated throughout the course of the week again on exciting news …In the meantime if you don’t hear form me , it’s because I’m on the boat a lot and enjoying the trips …

ENJOY YOUR DAY !

Warm Regards
Riëtte Bennett
St Lucia Tours & Charters t/a Advantage Cruiser CC
web site: www.advantagetours.co.za
e-mail : advantage@zululink.co.za
+27 (0)35 - 5901259
+27 (0)35 - 5901053 (fax)
cell : 083 487 2762

WHALES are in abundance …..!

2007-07-08T03:20:00.000-07:00

Good morning everybody

We are very blessed to have good weather predicted for the rest of the week !
So fortunate , specifically as our inland holiday makers are going back to freezing temperatures!

WHALES are in abundance …..!

AND …..the HIPPO/CROC tours is also b.e.a.u.t.i.f.u.l at the moment , with us not having these extreme high temperatures we have the hippos lying out on the banks daily .
There are MANY little new born hippo calfs in all the pods , and it is really exciting on the water .

For the moment I’m on the water myself skipping and guiding the tours and really enjoy the South African families’ with their kids ! I try to make the trip as interesting as possible for the children as well !

Thanking you in advance for your support!

Warm Regards
Riëtte Bennett
St Lucia Tours & Charters t/a Advantage Cruiser CC
web site: www.advantagetours.co.za
e-mail : advantage@zululink.co.za
+27 (0)35 - 5901259
+27 (0)35 - 5901053 (fax)

S.O.U.L S.T.I.R.R.I.N.G and highly emotional

2007-07-08T03:18:00.000-07:00

Good afternoon everybody !

After operating for close to 17 years , and watching whales for almost 9 of those years as legal Boat Based Whale Watching permit holder , you’ll think that Danie is so SPOILT and sees it all everyday , and what’s new???? And nothing is exciting anymore …………….wellllllllll………..NOT with the WHALE WATCHING trips .

It is S.O.U.L S.T.I.R.R.I.N.G and highly emotional - we had customers on the 10h30 Whale trip this morning that also phoned after the trip to thank us again , this gentleman could hardly speak , he was sooo thrilled and sooo emotional , Danie phoned me whilst he was doing the 10h30 trip , - he had almost 25 Humpback Whales all around the boat ! When he phoned , I could hear on his voice that he was in awe of what they were seeing , and his voice was full of emotion ((and he sees this frequently throughout the season ,)) , but every sighting of that humangous mammal stays an awesome sight!

I ( we ) KNOW this is an expensive trip , but it is just such an expensive operation to run ….but the R600-00p.p stays worth every second on that boat ! No money can buy that experience .

Keep sending your clientele , and thanking you in advance for your support , the ocean is beautiful and the sea calm , so lets get as many trips in as possible !

Warm Regards
Riëtte Bennett
St Lucia Tours & Charters t/a Advantage Cruiser CC
web site: www.advantagetours.co.za
e-mail : advantage@zululink.co.za
+27 (0)35 - 5901259
+27 (0)35 - 5901053 (fax)
cell : 083 487 2762

Hippo Boat ….had S.U.C.H beautiful

2007-07-08T02:53:00.000-07:00

Just came off the Hippo Boat ….had S.U.C.H beautiful sightings today on the Estuary ! AND what’s always nice is to have clientele on the boat that is also interested in bird watching , as the Kingfishers are really SOOOOOO
cute ! There is 2 ccccccutest little ¾ week old hippo calfs in the 1st Narrows ।

Danie , Bien and Berno had excellent Humpback whale sightings and many Dolphins this last couple of days since the weather cleared up again , and very good feedback from the clientele । One thing that we do year after year get feedback on the whale trip , is the emotional impact it has on the clientele , before you haven’t actually DONE the tour you can’t imagine how excellent it actually is !

Yesterday we again has one of those ‘’tornado’’ like clouds over the ocean across the Mission Rocks area , the clients on the WHALE WATCHING trip came to explain how they observed it again on the ocean and how they actually ‘’saw’’ the cloud ‘sucking’ up the water from the surface ।

The weather for the whole week coming is going to be excellent , so get those clients our there whilst we’ve got such calm seas ! The dvd of everyday’s trip can be watched at the WHALE SHOP , and the tides , temperatures and sightings can be observed at the WHALE SHOP daily on the notice board ।

With me out on the Hippo Boat frequently skipping and guiding it’s sometimes better to rather do telephonic bookings than e-mail bookings । Warm Regards

Riëtte Bennett
St Lucia Tours & Charters t/a Advantage Cruiser CC
web site: http://www.advantagetours.co.za/
e-mail : advantage@zululink.co.za
+27 (0)35 - 5901259
+27 (0)35 - 5901053 (fax)
cell : 083 487 2762

WHALE SHOP strictly by 06h45

2007-06-30T03:13:00.000-07:00

Dearest ALL

The 1st whale watching trip will be departing at 06h45 as from this coming Monday the 2nd of July .
Clients are to be at the WHALE SHOP strictly by 06h45 , and not 07h15 as we’ve been up to now , and then thereafter trips will be 2 hourly .

Danie’s had EXCELLENT whale sightings today , between 4 and 8 Humpbacks on each trip , LOTS(about 60 ) bottlenose dolphins , but spectacular breaches and splashes !

Warm Regards
Riëtte Bennett
St Lucia Tours & Charters t/a Advantage Cruiser CC
web site: www.advantagetours.co.za
e-mail : advantage@zululink.co.za
+27 (0)35 - 5901259
+27 (0)35 - 5901053 (fax)
cell : 083 487 2762

We ((obviously)) have been off the water

2007-06-29T04:19:00.000-07:00

Dearest ALL

HALLO ALMAL

Lekkerrrrrrrrrrrrr koud ! But then we can still be so privileged for residing in St Lucia , as it’s freeeeeeZing inland !

We ((obviously)) have been off the water the last 2 days with the gale force winds , but prior to that had excellent whale watching trips , and paging back through the 2006 diary I see we had much the same weather last year , with 6 consecutive days end of June canceling trips , but then after that continued again with a bumper whale watching season !

I’ve been very ‘’leanient’’ this year with our clientele , you will recall that last year I made them get up much earlier , but seeing that the June bookings were so quiet , I pushed the departure times forward with about 30-60 minutes , however once the bulk of our visitors arrive , we’ll be asking again that we ‘’train’’ our clients (((( jaaaaaaa , get up quite e.a.r.l.y )))) that the 1st trip departs about 06h30 , and then thereafter every 2nd hour .

I want to spin off an idea to some of the lodges , to use as a “”marketing tool”” next year to lure some more clientele over the ‘’quiet’’ June month - IF you are prepared to offer your guests a discounted rate over JUNE , we are prepared to offer them a FREE Hippo/Croc Trip for every Whale Watching ticket bought ! ( something to think about )

Please again to remind clientele that on the whale watching tour they might get a splash damaging camera equipment , WE DO MAKE AND SELL the PERSONALIZED DVD of each and every trip , which can be bought at THE WHALE SHOP , and it’s best to invest in the dvd before having to maybe buy a new camera .

The dvd’s has extra additional whale and hippo footage besides that days’ trip as well .

Please just remember that we can only accept bookings from lodges/guesthouses/agents if you take responsibility over those bookings – we can’t take bookings and then have half the said establishments phoning the night before to cancel clientele , as throughout the day we show many potential clientele away from our office due to the boat being ‘’full’’ , so no last minute cancellations please . We’ll only accept cancellations made a full 36 hours prior to departure .

If you have any questions whatsoever please either phone me or Joey in the office .

Thanking you in advance for your support !

Warm Regards
Riëtte Bennett
St Lucia Tours & Charters t/a Advantage Cruiser CC
web site: www.advantagetours.co.za
e-mail : advantage@zululink.co.za
+27 (0)35 - 5901259
+27 (0)35 - 5901053 (fax)
cell : 083 487 2762

ANOTHER COLD FRONT

2007-06-29T04:14:00.000-07:00

Dearest ALL

Goeie more ALMAL

ANOTHER COLD FRONT approaching on SUNDAY!!!!!!!!

We’re back on the ocean this morning and the Humpback Whales are ALL over , as if they’re also ecstatic about the wind that has calmed down totally !

PLEASE get the news out to all clients wanting to do Whale trips to do it either today still or tomorrow , as it seems according to the 7 day weather forecast on weathersa.co.za that by Sunday and Monday we’re having another cold front and rough seas !!!!!!!

There is space today (Friday )at 13h00 and 15h00 and then tomorrow from 9h00 every 2 hours .

Warm Regards

Riëtte Bennett

St Lucia Tours & Charters t/a Advantage Cruiser CC

web site: www.advantagetours.co.za

e-mail : advantage@zululink.co.za

+27 (0)35 - 5901259

+27 (0)35 - 5901053 (fax)

cell : 083 487 2762

HALLO WHALES BACK ON AIR HA HA HA

2007-06-21T07:30:00.000-07:00

DEAREST ALL

MAN !!!!!!! Dammit shhhh**ttt….!!!!!!

SORRI in advance for the horrible word above , BUT I’ve been OFFLINE for the last couple of days without even knowing it !

You know when you try and ‘upgrade’ your business and think you are getting bigger and better and quicker connections – and then in the meantime my cute IT manager (sorri Douw ) doesn’t ‘’import’’ my addresses to my new program , and I’m sending out e-mail after e-mail after e-mail and it’s not going through …….!!!!!! As AS I click on the group list , the group list doesn’t exist anymore but is totally empty !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! But that took me 4 days to figure out – someone walked in here yesterday and asked if I’m cross with them and deleted them off my mailing list , and I said noooooo , I HAVE been sending e-mails (((((((jaaaaaaaa….to an empty address list )))))))

Nou ja , Douw has just been here to import the addresses again …..thanx Douw !

There ‘s been L*O*T*S of WHALES the last couple of days , I don’t know when last you got an e-mail from me , but we’ve been off the water due to strong winds yesterday , business as usual again today , between 11 – 15 Humpbacks WHALES spotted per trip and PLENTY Dolphins .! There will anyway be more and more whales coming through seeing that the sardines is close to shore as well !

I’m not in the office so much anymore to send e-mails anyway , as I’m skipping and guiding my boat more again like I used to do in the past . Dave has decided to move to Pretoria to be closer to his children and will be leaving soon . Berno is on the ocean side helping Danie with the Whales , so I’m the new designated captain on board , and thanx in advance for anybody offering their services to take Dave’s place , but I really enjoy being back on the boat and for the time being I really don’t need a relief skipper . (( Anybody who anyway replaces Dave is going to have to be an excellent Skipper and Guide , and I’ll never employ anyone that doesn’t have the right attitude towards our clients , high personal and business ethics and sober habits ….SOOOOOOOO ….for the moment it’s ME back on the boat as I fulfil all those high standards , and as you’ll rightfully know , it’s very difficult to find a qualified skipper-cum-guide that has all the other attributes ….jisssssssssie …apologies if THAT sounded if I think I I’m the cats whiskers , but although I’m not computer literate I AM a good skipper and guide , and your clients are in excellent hands when they’re with me on the Hippo/Croc boat ! I’ve been ‘’grounding’’ myself over the last 3-4 years behind the computer in the office to give my skippers more time to earn a sustainable income , but it’s SOOOOO nice to be back on the boat myself and between the new born Hippo Calfs and Mangrove Kingfishers .

Douw also says I’m ‘’naughty’’ and using tooooooo many kilobites(ha)megabites(ha)gigabytes(ha ha ) WHATEVER se byte bite bight ….so if you’re staying in St lucia and want photos , rather pop into the office and we’ll cut you a cd …e-mailing photos is just toooooooo expensive …..he’s billing me doubly extra this month !

PLEASE REMEMBER that the WHALE WATCHING trips are NOT limited only to 07h00 …..it’s just practicalities …..VERY difficult to tow the tractor and boat down to the beach if we have to only launch with 2 or 4 passengers , so that is why we try and fill each tour with at least 10 passengers before the next trip will go out , BUT…..we’ll depart every 2 hours if the demand is there ! AS from end of June when it gets busier , we’ll anyway again do much more than one trip per day ….So don’t think if 07h00 is full you can’t book for 09h00 or 11h00 , as you’re more than welcome to .!

Please let me know if ever you have any questions whatsoever !

Warm Regards
Riëtte Bennett
St Lucia Tours & Charters t/a Advantage Cruiser CC
web site: www.advantagetours.co.za
e-mail : advantage@zululink.co.za
+27 (0)35 - 5901259
+27 (0)35 - 5901053 (fax)
cell : 083 487 2762

Between 11 - 15 Humpback Whales

2007-06-20T08:17:00.000-07:00

Dearest ALL

WHALE WATCHING has been GREAT since the last update , with excellent weather the last week we've had good launces , between 11 - 15 Humpback Whales spotted on each trip , and on certain tours many Dolphins swimming alongside the bow of the boat .

Certainly a trip to remember and cherish , this is THE trip you spoil youself with once in your life ! And bring the family and friends again and again and again !

Today's strong winds kept us off the water , but it should be business as usual as from tommorrow .

I've experienced some internet server problems the last 2-3 days and didn't send out updates , and also back on my Hippo/ Croc Estuary Passenger Ferry guiding and skipping more regularly , so not as much free time anymore to chat on the e-mails .

But I'll keep you updated about sightings AT LEAST once a week , and let you know what's happening .

We've had about 40 NO CHARGE clientele on the boat since my offer for as long as it's still ''quiet'' and a tour has to go out and any owner / employee from the businesses in the surrounding area have never been out , we'll take you out FREE OF CHARGE if you just keep in contact with the office , ((and if you can proof that you DO indeed work at the lodges closeby)) this offer is valid until we get busier , and then with a seat costing a ''normal '' paying passenger R600-00 p.p this is obviously a huge gift to yourself , as this is a soul-stirring experience you get to see these huge mammals from up close and personal . This FREE OF CHARGE offer is only valid as long as there is empty seats at the last minute and we don't have to show away any paying clientele . ''FREE'' seats cannot be reseved for friends and family weeks or even days in advance . Please contact the office if you haven't been yet , and we'll phone you on days that we do have empty seats .

We are also busy taking out a good amount of jounalists , media , agents from publications etc , and we believe all marketing done by ourselves for the whales will generate good income for all businesses in this area

WHALE WATCHING every 2 hours

2007-06-10T01:01:00.000-07:00

Goeie More ALMAL / Good Morning to you all

.and then think about it ...if we say g.o.o.d. morning , it actually does
mean a very good morning to you all - ja , ek is vandag filosofies - it is
SUCH a beautiful beautiful day - we can be ever so greatful to stay where
we do and to enjoy what we have around us ...

Whilst it IS a b.e.a.u.t.i.f.u.l day the WHALE WATCHING trips will go out
every 2 hours as long as the demand is there ,as the day stays windstill we
can operate ! So please tell the clients - we DO have another trip at 11h00
today ( Sunday 10th of June ) and if they want go please to quickly come buy
a ticket .

rrrrrrememberrrrrr the Warm Jacket , and bottle of water , packet of
biscuits ....

Warm Zululand Regards
Riëtte Bennett
St Lucia Tours & Charters t/a Advantage Cruiser CC
web site: www.advantagetours.co.za
e-mail : advantage@zululink.co.za
+27 (0)35 - 5901259
+27 (0)35 - 5901053 (fax)
cell : 083 487 2762

with huge smiles on their faces

2007-06-09T05:44:00.000-07:00

In the beginning of the season I still have the time to send e-mails दैल्य and let you know about the sightings , as it gets busier later I might not be able to....

7th of June Danie and Bien saw 4 Humpback Whales and lots of Bottlenose Dolphins and had a beeeeeeautiful day on the ocean .
Same beeeeautiful day for today the 8th of June - 5 Humpback Whales and plenty dolphins . Lets hope the weather stays this way for the weekend !

The clients return from the boat with huge smiles on their faces , cold and sometimes wet but happy !

REMEMBER to tell your clientele we DO supply raincoats and lifejackets , but they have to bring an additional warm jacket and a towel , bottle of water and packet of Mari or other biscuits .

Camera's , cellphones and watches are best to leave at home ,please not to bother with fancy hairdo's and lots of make-up as you get wind blown and seaspray in your face on occasion which has the mascara running in black stripes down their cheeks , OR alternatively it's the clients own responsibility , we make a very cute personalized dvd of the entire trip which they purchase from the WHALE SHOP and take home after the trip to go and show friends and family what they've seen and how close they were to the whales , and their entire experience on the truck , beach and boat.

Whilst it's in the beginning of the season and the boat has to go out and there is an empty seat at the last minute , locals can let me know if they haven't been yet , and we will take you out free of चार्ज।However this
offer is only for owners/managers/front office personel at lodges and offices , as friends and family can't go no charge .

Once it gets busy throughout the season we won't be able to take out no charges , so please let me know if you haven't been before and we'll let you have the experience .

Please always feel free to e-mail or phone if you are unsure about anything!

**front page of newest Zululand Observer has a beautiful whale photograph - just typing error , the Humpback Whales migrate past this coastline till about mid December , whereafter we'll also continue with whale watching trips to go and find Sperm Whales , the Observer states it's only till September , but that is more or less their time that they calve , they do get spotted much later in the season than September **

Warm Zululand Regards
Riëtte Bennett
St Lucia Tours & Charters t/a Advantage Cruiser CC
web site: www.advantagetours.co.za
e-mail : advantage@zululink.co.za
+27 (0)35 - 5901259
+27 (0)35 - 5901053 (fax)
cell : 083 487 2762

Danie saw 5 HUMPBACK whales

2007-06-09T05:12:00.000-07:00

Dear ALL - Liewe ALMAL

I think today is Marcia from Kian's office 's responsibility to let you know just HOW much she enjoyed the whale watching trip !!!!!!! And Futhi and Amanda also went out this morning on behalf of Buya Futhi , so they can also vouch for the good tour !

SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO many times we can talk and babble and go on and on about THE whale watching trips and how it is TRULY an EMOTIONAL SOUL-STIRRING experience - and YES , it IS expensive I KNOW , but it is a very fragile highly expensive operation to upkeep , and to keep within the
parameters of Marine and Coastal Management Rules and Regulations with the BOAT BASED WHALE WATCHING permit - we just cannot operate any cheaper - but I always try and ''sell'' the tour in such a way , and you can use the same tactic to sell the trip - it's done with only the best qualified Marine Mammal Qualified Guides and specialized 9m+ skippers , its' only THE best 9+m hard-hulled vessel with all the necessary 3rd part liabilities and insurances , it's highly trained boatsman and crew thats in our employ - and
all of this comes at a cost - then we don't even want to burden you with all the other overhead and running expenses - and now I've already blabbed too much again - BUT .....boiling down to the fact that only people that have actually experienced the tour can REALLY talk about the tour , so I'd like to ask Marcia to send out an e-mail and say whether she enjoyed this mornings ' trip or not .

Jaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa....kiepie soos ek moet in die kantoor sit en eposse uitstuur , toemaaaaaaaaar ek kerm sommer net vir niks , as I'm allowed to go whale watching whenever I please , but just KNOW that it THE tour to do before the end of the season .

It's a financial experience you make in your life , and 2 hours that you'll never forget .!!!!!! Please say that to your clientele , as I know they can sometimes uhm and ahh about the rate ...

Danie saw 5 HUMPBACK whales again this morning and about 20 Bottlenose Dolphins !

Please let me know if you have any questions .

Warm Zululand Regards
Riëtte Bennett
St Lucia Tours & Charters t/a Advantage Cruiser CC
web site: http://www.advantagetours.co.za/
e-mail : advantage@zululink.co.za
+27 (0)35 - 5901259
+27 (0)35 - 5901053 (fax)
cell : 083 487 2762