Inside the Indian Ocean’s last quiet whale corridor

Marine protected areas are increasingly recognised as critical refuges for humpback whales, offering rare stretches of ocean where they can communicate, navigate and breed without the growing pressures of shipping noise and military sonar. Annual migrations along South Africa’s east coast have been growing for over three decades, with iSimangaliso Wetland Park recording more than 11,000 whales in a single migration season, highlighting the importance of protecting these increasingly rare q