Addo Big 7: Whales, Sharks & the Marine Section

Most visitors know Addo Elephant National Park for its extraordinary terrestrial wildlife — the world’s highest elephant density, the Big Five, the Big 7. Fewer know that the Greater Addo Elephant National Park extends 120,000 hectares into the Indian Ocean, making it one of Africa’s rare parks where the Big 7 designation is literally true: all seven species — including southern right whale and great white shark — are accessible within the park’s protected boundaries.

The Marine Section

The Greater Addo Elephant National Park’s marine protected area encompasses the coastal waters of Algoa Bay, from the Sundays River mouth south of the terrestrial park to beyond Woody Cape. The offshore islands of this area — the Birds Island Complex, comprising Bird Island, Stony Point, St Croix Island, and Brenton Island — form one of Africa’s most significant seabird and marine mammal habitats.

Southern Right Whale

Southern right whales arrive on the South African coast from their Antarctic feeding grounds each year to calve and nurse their young in the sheltered bays of the Eastern and Western Cape. The season runs from June through November, with peak activity typically in August and September. Algoa Bay, which the Greater Addo marine section encompasses, is a reliable calving ground for mother-calf pairs.

Whale watching from Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth): boat trips from Gqeberha harbour operate June through November, providing at-sea viewing of southern right whales at close range. Shore-based viewing is possible from several coastal viewpoints along the Eastern Cape coast. The combination of a Hapoor Dam elephant morning drive and an afternoon whale watching boat trip from Gqeberha harbour, all in the same day, is a uniquely Addo experience — terrestrial and marine Big 7 species in a single afternoon and morning.

Great White Shark

Great white sharks patrol the seal colonies of the offshore islands year-round, feeding on Cape fur seals. The population around Bird Island and St Croix is resident and reliable. Boat trips from Gqeberha to the offshore islands observe shark activity at the seal colony perimeters; cage diving is available through several operators based in Gqeberha harbour, providing in-water encounters with great white sharks.

The Offshore Islands — African Penguins and Gannets

St Croix Island hosts one of the world’s largest African penguin colonies — over 20,000 breeding pairs at peak estimates. The penguin colony is accessible by boat from Gqeberha; the experience of seeing tens of thousands of African penguins at a sea colony (as opposed to the well-known but much smaller land-based colony at Boulders Beach near Cape Town) is genuinely extraordinary. Bird Island holds the largest Cape gannet colony in South Africa. Boat trips visiting both islands in a single day are available from operators based at the Gqeberha waterfront.

Completing the Big 7 at Addo

The practical programme for experiencing all Big 7 species at Addo:

1. Days 1–2: Terrestrial park game drives from Addo Main Camp — elephant (guaranteed), lion, leopard, rhino, buffalo (Big Five).
2. Day 3 morning: Final terrestrial drive at Hapoor Dam.
3. Day 3 afternoon: Whale watching boat trip from Gqeberha harbour (June–November) for southern right whale (Big 7 species 6).
4. Day 4: Cage diving or offshore island boat trip from Gqeberha for great white shark (Big 7 species 7) and African penguin colony.

The complete Big 7 programme across three to four days, all within 90 minutes of Gqeberha airport, all malaria-free. No other destination in Africa offers this.