A Lunge Feeding Brydes Whale And A Great White Shark, 07 March 2019
After 4 eco seasons on Dream Catcher, I was treated to one of my dream sightings...
Written by Jax Bath, March 8 2019
Guide Summary.
We’re having some strange weather in the area as of late, with lots of rain in our forecast for the next week. We usually have most of our rain during our winter months, but rain is always welcome in Africa, especially over the last few years where our area has been plagued with drought. Rain doesn’t seem to bother the oceanic animals too much either, though the seals do seem to have a habit of sitting up in the rain instead of napping through it, which makes them a lot more conspicuous on the rocks. This rain has also brought with it some wind and swell, and, as it appears, some fish!
The first thing that alerted us to the presence of fish was our diving birds, with Cape Gannets circling off Danger Point. We had to launch from Gansbaai harbour this morning due to the new moon, which has brought upon a spring tide. After stopping at Danger Point, we ventured into our bay. we had been stopped for a while when I had gone over to the side to speak to Kira who was standing upstairs, as I looked up, to my absolute elation, a whale breaching in the distance. This is a sight that cannot be confused with any other and to our joy, the whale breached again. Brydes Whales very rarely breach on our tours, so we quickly made our way over to see if we could get lucky one more.
By the time we arrived, the whale had stopped breaching and we spent the next while trying to get everyone a view of this sporadic creature, as it swapped sides again and again. The reason for this behavior became crystal clear towards the end of the sighting, when this giant emerged from the depths, expanding its pleats to ensure the maximum amount of water and fish could find it’s way into the animals mouth. Lunge feeding is one of the most spectacular sights of the ocean and something that every whale watcher in the world dreams to see. This sighting alone made the tour, but this was only the beginning, with us going on to see our Cape Fur Seals, thousands of Cape Cormorants and an incredible Great White Shark.
Daily Snaps.
Seals in the rain.
A stunning Great White Shark at Slashfin.
The Brydes Whale.
What an incredible sight!
When lunge feeding, the pleats will expand, allowing the whale to take in more of water and fish.
After 4 eco seasons aboard Dream Catcher, this is my first ever lunge feed.
One more look before the whale went down.
Our seals sitting up straight in the rain.
Our seals with the Cape Cormorants swarming above.
A Curious little seal.
What species did we see today?
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.
