“ whale watching with our other plans? advice please! ”

We are planning a trip that would include about a week in Cape Town, then a R62 trip stopping for one night, say in Barrydale, then spending a few days in Knysna, before ending with a safari in the Eastern Cape. We really want to include whale watching and want advice please on what would work best with everything else. Hermanus seems the obvious choice but seems to make the onward journey, taking in the best of R62 more awkward. Is the whale watching really good at Plet ? If so, would it make more sense to just go there for the few days mid holiday, and not stay in Knysna, which we had thought was the best option on the garden route?? Thanks for any help and insights