A whale of a time! Marine Big 5 daily blog
A whale of a time! Marine Big 5 daily blog
Written by March 19 2020
We had another calm day at sea with a light breeze towards the end of our tour. Just outside Kleinbaai harbour we cruised along the coast towards Slasfhfin, the shark cage diving vessel from our sister company. After a few minutes of patience, we were rewarded with great shark activity of two different great white sharks, how amazing! Afterwards, we were heading across a reef system and had a closer look at kelp, the seaweed that can be found all along the coast here. At Dyer Island we made our usual stop closer by to see the endangered African penguins as well as other seabirds that inhabit the island. Not far from there we have the Cape fur seal colony on Geyser Rock. Although Geyser Rock seemed a little empty there were still plenty of seals to observe. Out of Shark Alley and in deeper water it wasn’t long before our spotter Kira saw a spout of a whale. We approached the whale accordingly and soon saw it wasn’t one but two Bryde’s whales. The mother and her calf were travelling relaxed alongside our vessel Dream Catcher. We couldn’t have asked for a better day at sea!
What species did we see today?
Brydes Whale Brydes Whale
The mysterious Bryde's whales visit the Dyer Island area throughout the year, with most sightings occurring during summer into winter.
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.
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.
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.
Cape Cormorant Cape Cormorant
One of the most famous species of Cormorant in the Western Cape, the Cape Cormorant is well known for it's beautiful turquoise eye and impressive size.
