Marine Big 5 Daily Blog 18 July
Written by July 18 2022
Whale Watching near Cape Town, South Africa Welcome to Gansbaai, home of the Marine Big 5.
Trip Summary 18 July 2022:
Today we had three marvellous trips out at sea! We had a total of 7 Humpback Whales across our trips and a special Southern Right sighting on our final trip. We also spotted Mola Mola (Sunfish) on trips 1 and 2. On our first trip, we even came across a trio of the endangered Indian Ocean Humpback Dolphins. Throughout all of our trips, we were blessed with some amazing seabird sightings such as Shy Albatross, Sub Antarctic Skuas, African Penguins and various species of Terns. At our island systems, we enjoyed our 60,000-strong Cape Fur seal colony and even spotted some endangered African Penguins on Dyer Island. At our shark cage diving vessel, Slashfin, we witnessed some beautiful Bronze Whaler shark action and even the iconic Great White shark. Not failing to mention the impressive Short-Tail Stingray we spotted on our final trip of the day!
Trip 1:
Trip 2:
Trip 3:
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What species did we see today?
Humpback Whale Humpback Whale
One of the best-known whale species, they are renowned for their acrobatic behaviour and complex melodious song as well as extremely long flippers and are a special favourite of Dyer Island Cruises guests and crew alike.
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.
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.
Southern Right Whale Southern Right Whale
Southern right whales attract thousands of visitors every year to experience these gentle giants off the South African coast.
