5 Star whale watching, 26 September 2019
Today's tours received the very appropriate title of "5 star whale watching"...
Written by September 26 2019

Today’s whale watching encounters left everyone on board speechless and with all their whale watching dreams completely fulfilled. The Southern right whales were extremely curious and playful, both towards each other and our boat. We had at least 10 whales in a small area, so at times it felt that we were surrounded by whales. They were mostly mother and juvenile pairs, but on one of our trips we even saw what appeared to be a mating group of several adults that were very active at the surface and exhaling in powerful blasts. On several occasions throughout the day the whales approached our boat and were watching us as much as we were watching them. We were even lucky to see a juvenile breaching very close to our boat, probably to call to its mother who appeared shortly after. The rest of our sightings today were just as magical, as is often the case on these kind or perfect calm and sunny days like we experienced today. The Cape fur seals on Geyser rock were as cute and playful as ever, and we even saw two seals feeding on octopus throughout the day. The calm conditions meant that we could also approach close to Dyer Island to see the endangered African penguins that nest there. Both Bronze whaler sharks and Great white sharks were also seen today, and at one point we even saw 6 Bronze whaler sharks together! The final member of the Marine Big 5, the dolphins were also seen today on our third trip out. We were very lucky to see the endangered Indian Ocean humpback dolphins, that are not seen very often because unfortunately their numbers are very low. It was a very special moment with two mother and calf pairs that were surfacing calmly close to the shore. Perfect calm and sunny days like this one are best spent out on the water and we are very glad we could share it with our guests on board today.
Photos from today

A Southern right whale approaching us

Juvenile Southern right whale head

Mother and juvenile Southern right whales

Southern right whale tail

Southern right whale spyhopping

A very flexible Southern right whale

Mother and juvenile Southern right whales joining heads

Breaching Southern right whale

Breaching Southern right whale

Breaching Southern right whale

A surface active group of Southern right whales

Juvenile Southern right whale playing with its tail

Indian Ocean humpback dolphins

Indian Ocean humpback dolphin dorsal

Indian Ocean humpback dolphins

A cape fur seal eating an octopus

Conservation in action – removing marinen litter

A big male Cape fur seal

Cape fur seals

Cape fur seal

African penguins on Dyer Island

Bronze whaler sharks

Bank cormorant

Cape gannet
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.
Southern Right Whale Southern Right Whale
These gentle giants are one of the strongest draws for our visitors, as thousands come back every year to experience the majesty of the Southern Right Whale.
Indian Ocean Humpback Dolphin Indian Ocean Humpback Dolphin
The Indian Ocean Humpback Dolphin is South Africa's rarest coastal cetacean. These animals get their name from their accumulated fat hump under their dorsal fin and have a range of up to 500km.
Great white sharks Great white sharks
Gracious, beautiful, misunderstood - three words used by guests of Dyer Island Cruises after witnessing South Africa's most infamous marine species: The Great White Shark.
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.
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.