5/5 Marine Big 5 Daily Blog 19 May
Written by May 19 2023
Whale Watching near Cape Town, South Africa Welcome to Gansbaai, home of the Marine Big 5.
Trip Summary 02 April 2023:
We do not mean to brag, but we had an exceptional day today! We managed to get all 5 out of our Marine Big 5! We started off with a few dolphins, and even though the first pair were quite shy we managed to find the ones that were happy to show themselves to us. Then we moved to the Shallow to see some sharks and spotted a few Bronze Whaler sharks. As usual, the Cape Fur seals and the penguins did not disappoint and we found them just as we expected: on Geyser Rock and Dyer Island respectively. After Shark Alley, we took quite a long way out into the open water to see if we could spot anything, and our efforts paid off! We saw not one, but three Bryde whales, and two of them were a mother-calf pair! Happy and whaled we headed back to shore.
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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.
