11 May 2016

Guide Summary and Photographs

Today was a beautiful day to be out on the water although you can feel that winter is slowly creeping in. We set off bright and early and made our way to the shallows towards Uilenkraalsmond.

We had a Sub Antarctic Skua join us on the way there, these birds move north out of their breeding season and so we have a couple of them in our area at the moment. They often fly with our boat in search of a snack or two which is always a thrill for our guests.

After cruising along the coastline for a bit, we made our way towards the island to see our favourite furry marine mammals. The tide is still pretty low and so we were able to see the molluscs and barnacles on Geyser Rock. We do not see this every day and so it was a nice reminder that a sea safari does not always have to be about the larger animals but also the smaller creatures that make up this amazing eco-system.

Following this, we made our way across Shark Alley to see the African Penguins over at Dyer Island, they were a little tricky to spot today, due to all of the Cape Cormorants who seem to all be back at the island after a couple of days away.

Next, we head towards Pearly Beach in search of a whale or two but, on our way we were alerted by Slashfin, our sister boat, of some Common Dolphins in the bay. After hearing the news, we set off in search of the pod and found them just off of Franskraal.

Common Dolphins are always the highlight of any trip due to their playful and inquisitive nature. We stayed with these dolphins for quite some time, allowing us to view them in all of their splendour. The dolphins were absolutely amazing, bow-riding and jumping alongside us. There were also a few small calves with the pod which made the sighting even more special! The dolphins swam with us half way back the harbour before following a shark boat heading towards the shallows.

Content with this beautiful experience, we head back to the Great White House for some amazing Butternut soup.

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