5/5! Marine Big 5 Daily Blog 16 May
Written by May 16 2023
Whale Watching near Cape Town, South Africa Welcome to Gansbaai, home of the Marine Big 5.
Trip Summary 16 May 2023:
Our first trip of the day was truly spectacular with all of the Marine Big 5 sighted throughout our tour of the bay! Straight out of the harbour we witnessed an Ocean Sunfish (Mola Mola) predating on jellyfish. In shallower waters, we were lucky enough to spot a pair of the endangered Indian Ocean Humpback Dolphins! By our shark cage diving vessel, Slashfin, we had some great glimpses of the beautiful Bronze Whaler sharks and even a Short-Tail stingray. In the world-famous, Shark Alley, the 60,000-strong Cape Fur seal colony put on quite a show for our guests! By Dyer Island, the endangered African Penguins were spotted on land. We rounded off the trip with a fantastic Bryde’s whale sighting that gave us some great looks as well as a significantly large raft of African Penguins out on the water! Trip number two also enjoyed some great African Penguins out at sea diving amongst a bait ball of small fish along with Kelp Gulls, Hartlaub’s Gulls, and various Terns. The Bronze Whaler sharks also put on a fantastic show on trip number two and we got some brilliant looks at these animals from the boat. The Cape Fur seals were as active as ever on our second trip on the day!
Trip 1.
Trip 2.
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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.
Cape Gannet Cape Gannet
Well documented for their aireal displays, experiences with with the famous Cape Gannet are always breath taking, and hold a special place in every photographers portfolio.
