It was a day for our feathered and scaled friends, 11 June 2019
A-well, a bird, bird, bird, well-a bird is a word
Written by June 11 2019
Penguins, Albatrosses and more...oh my!
A bright and early start this morning as Dream Catcher made her way out of Kleinbaai harbour and veered to the right towards Danger point. We hoped that perhaps we might encounter some whales around the edges of the bay in deeper waters and whilst we did not have much luck with these sightings we were greeted to a lone African penguin on the waters’ surface and gliding above not just one but four Shy Albatross.
Moving on towards the island system, we spent some time close to Dyer Island observing two nesting African penguins. It can sometimes prove hard to spot these small, tuxedo birds on the island, however today we were lucky to see them right in front of us. Our next stop was over the other side of Shark Alley at the island holding all the Cape Fur seals, Geyser Rock. These creatures are forever entertaining as they frolic in the water and enjoy the sunshine from the rocks. We witnessed some young males appearing to practice their fighting skills at the waters edge.
We then made our way towards Pearly Beach in the hopes that we would spot some whales there, and whilst yet again there appeared to be none we were met with some other fantastic sightings, a group of eight Giant Petrels sitting on the waters surface was seen, a Cape Fur seal enjoying a bit of brunch in the form of an octopus and a Mola mola, also known as a Sun fish, that was having much success in capture some jellyfish at the surface.
Before making our way back the harbor we moved through the Shallows for a brief visit to our sister company, Marine Dynamics, and its’ shark cage diving vessel Slashfin. We arrived at a perfect time as within minutes a juvenile female Great White shark appeared from the deep and launched herself out of the water giving us all an amazing view of these large predatory fish.
After cruising along the coast, in the search of any Humpback dolphins we made our way back to land to warm up with the help of some hot veggie soup.
Guest Comment:
"Great trip. Thank you very much!"
Daily snaps
A stunning start to the day as we headed out of Kleinbaai harbour
The increasing winds brought in a great selection of sea birds.
A Shy Albatross soaring gracefully.
One of the eight Giant Petrels we encountered on our way to Pearly Beach.
Look closely, you might be able to spot the two nesting African Penguins on Dyer Island.
Watching a Mola mola or Sun fish dive after enjoying a brunch of jellyfish.
Another jellyfish snack.
Perfect timing for a stop by sister company, Marine Dynamics, as a Great White shark appeared at the boat.
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2 - Complete the details in that form.
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What species did we see today?
Great white sharks Great white sharks
Gracious, beautiful, misunderstood - three words used by guests of Dyer Island Cruises after witnessing South Africa's most infamous marine species: The Great White Shark.
African Penguin African Penguin
As one of only 17 penguin species left in the world (and the only one on the african continent), the african penguin often breed in offshore colonies, such as Dyer Island.
Cape fur seal Cape fur seal
With a local population of 60,000, it's no wonder our guests capture so many photographs of these wonderfully playful marine mammals.
