Our luck continues! Marine Big 5 Daily Blog 5 June
Written by June 5 2022
Whale Watching near Cape Town, South Africa Welcome to Gansbaai, home of the Marine Big 5.
Trip Summary 05 June 2022:
This morning we were delighted to be able to showcase our entire Marine Big 5 to our guests aboard Dream Catcher! We first headed along the coastline after departing the harbour and spotted a pair of the endangered Indian Ocean Humpback dolphins. We enjoyed the dolphins for some time before making our way over to our shark cage diving vessel. Here we were able to see both Bronze Whaler sharks, a Broadnose Sevengill Cow shark and a Short-tail stingray around the cage! Not long after moving on from the cage diving boat, we spotted a whale spout in the distance. Upon getting closer, we discovered a beautifully calm Bryde’s whale which comfortably cruised alongside the boat to the delight of our guests and crew on board. We relished in the company of this Bryde’s whale for quite some time until it opted for a deeper dive after which we began making our way towards our island systems. First on our list was Dyer Island where we were able to spot some endangered African penguins. Continuing on into Shark Alley, we were able to enjoy the company of our highly inquisitive Cape Fur seal colony on Geyser Rock. We were also lucky enough to spot a pair of African Oyster Catchers and even a lone African penguin amongst the seals! We then began making our way back towards the harbour but not before spotting a large raft of African penguins amongst other diving birds such as Cape Cormorants and Cape Gannets.
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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.
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.
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.
