9 May 2016
An epic day out at sea with awesome sightings of our Marine Big 5!
Written by Jax, May 10 2016
Guide Summary and Photographs
Today was an absolutely wonderful day out on the water and one that we will remember for years to come! The tide was very low today and so it was planned that we would return to Gansbaai – and not Kleinbaai- harbour. However, the trip was so fantastic which caused us to stay out long enough for the tide to come back in.
Our first sighting was of the Humpback dolphins which frequent the bay. These animals were unbelievably relaxed with us and stayed with us for a good half an hour. They gave us a fantastic display; swimming on their backs, jumping out the water and playing together much to the delight of us all! We were able to perfectly witness the complex and intelligent nature of these beautiful creatures as they interacted with one another. The dolphins swam next to us for quite some time which is somewhat unusual for this shy species.
After this amazing sighting we head off to the shark cage diving boats where we were able to see a very large Great White Shark go for the bait. After this we head off towards the Island where we spotted a large raft of our African Penguins. We watched them for a couple of moments before we made our way into Shark Alley to get our daily dose of the loveable – although somewhat smelly- Cape Fur Seals.
Following this, we head towards Danger point. On our way, we spotted a group of Storm Petrels. Shortly after this, we spotted our favourite site during off season; a blow. This is where we spotted the Brydes Whales. There appeared to be a lot of fish in the area due to the presence of other marine life and some pelagic birds such as the Sooty and Cory Shearwaters. We watched with glee as two whales surfaced numerous times over the next hour or so. We even had one Brydes whale surface directly below a group of Shearwaters, much to the irritation of the birds! Later on, we spotted a Humpback Whale which also stuck around for some time, allowing for some great photo opportunities. This amazing sight only complemented by some Gannets diving in the distance.
Overall, a spectacular day with awesome guests on a beautiful boat.
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