12 March 2017

Guide Summary and Photographs

Today’s trip was definitely the coldest of the year so far and a good indication that winter is near. We launched a little later today at 12:00 and made our way along the shoreline towards the shark cage diving vessels. From a distance, one could see what looked like a black cloud surrounding the boats. This could only ever be one thing in our bay; our resident Cape Cormorants. These Black Birds flock in their thousands when out on a fishing expedition and it is always the highlight of any trip.

As we approached, the birds were all around, making for some excellent photo opportunities. Some of my favourite snaps can be found below, which includes one our sister company’s beautiful vessel, Slashfin. These birds indulge many of the senses as one is able to hear the beating of their wings, smell their distinctive scent and watch in awe as they move around the boat. After this sensory overload, we stopped by Slashfin where we spotted not a Great White Shark but, instead, a Southern Giant Petrel. This Large oceanic bird was sitting in the chum slick, a terrible idea for any creature, and almost met its end after we left when a curious Great White tried to take a nibble.

Following our stop at Slashfin, we head towards Dyer Island via the Clyde and picked up a piece of sea bamboo. This plant had many epiphytes growing on its blades which is not something we see every day and definitely adds an element of beauty to this large sea weed.

When we arrived at Dyer Island, we spotted a couple of little African penguins hobbling along the boulders in their usual spot. It is so hard to believe that only 40 years ago, we had 23, 000 breeding pairs but due to our exploitation, spotting even just two members of the colony is now considered a lucky find.

After this, we visited the Cape Fur Seals who were both highly active and entertaining today. We had many jumping seals which is always a great photographic challenge as they just move so fast. We also had many seals on the island today which made for quite a pungent smell although their cute little faces and movements more than make up for this.

Next, we found ourselves on the way to Danger Point where we managed to spot a Bryde’s Whale although this individual was a bit shy. We also had a White Chinned Petrel and a couple of Cape Gannets around the boat. After this we went back for some very welcome soup on this cold autumn day.

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