5/5! Marine Big 5 Daily Blog 17 May
Written by May 17 2022
Whale Watching near Cape Town, South Africa Welcome to Gansbaai, home of the Marine Big 5.
Trip Summary 17 May 2022:
Not long after leaving the harbour, we came across the thrilling sight of a Cape Fur seal showing off his catch of octopus, which made for some great views! We then continued on into deeper waters where we were incredibly lucky to come across two beautiful but shy Bryde’s Whales. After tracking the whales for a short time we also witnessed a Mola Mola (Sunfish) breaching out of the water and an impressive Indian Yellow Nose Albatross! After this action, we began making our way to Shark Alley. On the way, we came across a large flock of Sooty Shearwater using the water’s surface as a runway! We then reached Shark Alley where we could admire our 60,000 strong Cape Fur seal colony on Geyser Rock and then circled back to Dyer Island where we were fortunate enough to spot several African penguins. After paying a visit to the shark cage diving boats, where we saw a Bronze Whaler shark, we began making our way back to the harbour along the coastline. For the second day in a row, we came across numerous endangered Indian Humpback dolphins with a special new addition. A lovely Humpback dolphin calf was spotted amongst the pod which brought smiles to our guests and crew alike!
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What species did we see today?
Bronze Whaler Shark Bronze Whaler Shark
The Bronze whaler (also known as Copper sharks) here in Kleinbaai are very curious and interactive. These sharks eat mostly fish, with sardines being one of their favourites.
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.
Indian Ocean Humpback Dolphin Indian Ocean Humpback Dolphin
Humpback dolphins are an endangered species, with small populations living very close to shore, typically in water less than 25m deep and an average home range of 120km. Their proximity to land makes these animals particularly vulnerable to human influence.
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.
White-breasted Cormorant White-breasted Cormorant
White-breasted Cormorant is the largest African cormorant and they have an iconic white chest, it is a favourite for many of our repeat visitors, and professional wildlife photographers.
Bank Cormorant Bank Cormorant
Often enjoying a broad diet including klipfish, rock lobster and more, the increasing rarety of the Bank Cormorant makes every moment we see them even more special.
