Jul 14, 2009, 13:45 GMT
Hermanus, South Africa - The strident sound of the horn is the signal that these two German visitors have been waiting a long time to hear. Suddenly, they and their fellow tourists dash from the market place to the cliffs and start scanning the waves, binoculars at the ready.
These powerful horn blows are one of the major attractions in the compact coastal resort of Hermanus. They mean that whales have been spotted and what is more by the town's very own whale crier Pasika Noboba. He is claimed to be the only one of his kind in the world. Minutes later two giant grey whales swim past the astounded crowd, raising their tail flippers as if to greet the onlookers.
During the whale-watching season from August to November the man with the curly-shaped bugle and feather-topped hat has only one job to perform - to catch sight of whales off the coast and sound his horn to alert everyone to the whereabouts of the massive mammals.
Glimpsing whales in their natural habitat is the greatest attraction in Hermanus which lies on the celebrated 'Garden Route' some 120 kilometres from Cape Town.
'As many as 25 whales visit Hermanus in the high season,' said Noboba. The females give birth to their young in these waters and stay a few weeks until their offspring are strong enough to move on with the adults.
'I make sure that people know how many whales have been seen and where they are,' said the 30-year-old. He does his rounds along the cliff path six days a week, seven hours a day and sounds the horn whenever a whale comes into sight.
The opportunity to become the Hermanus whale watcher was a dream come true for Noboba who took over the job in summer 2008 and he hopes to keep the post until retirement.
Prior to that he was employed by the local authority to round up wild apes found wandering in residential areas. 'They were a real nuisance and before people started shooting them we decided to drive them away by just making a lot of noise.' He later worked as a tourist guide on boat trips out to see the whales and developed a real affection for the inquisitive giants of the waves.
Noboba does not rely on his horn alone. His mobile phone is the official 'whale hotline' and he receives about 15 calls a day from travel agencies and hoteliers asking him where guests should head for when they want to see whales. At that very moment the phone rings - it is a travel company from Cape Town asking about the chances of spotting some whale activity off the Hermanus shore - a group of New Zealanders is keen to take the trip.
During South Africa's winter local hotels and restaurants derive their income almost entirely from whale-watchers. '250,000 visitors from all over the world come to see us every year,' said Storm Kreusch. She runs the local tourist board. 'The more whales there are, the more people come,' she said.
Pasika Noboba says he loves his outdoor job and making people happy as a result. That means today was a good day. Out at sea one of the grey whales rides up above the water and gives a little leap. The watching tourists can hardly contain their delight and they burst into spontaneous applause. Noboba blows his horn which issues a dark, penetrating tone. For today his work is done.
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