A Marine Big 5 Adventure, 25 November 2018
A marvellous day doing some wildlife spotting on the Atlantic....
Written by Jax Bath, November 26 2018
Guide Summary.
We had a truly incredible time traversing the bay today, spotting all 5 of our most wanted marine species. We started off our tour today from Gansbaai Harbour, due to the full moon still causing a little trouble with the tide. We set out just after 10am and made our way through deep sea towards the island systems within our own bay, stopping along the way to spend some time with a few African Penguins who were relaxing on the water. Whilst at the penguins, we got a brief view of some Humpback Whales who were heading off down south, back to the feeding grounds.
After taking this stop, we cruised through an area known as the washing machine and into shark alley to spend some quality time with some super playful pinnipeds. We also kept our eyes peeled for our pups, who can be seen hanging out on the beach and being super adorable. We cruised through the alley a few times, taking it all in with action happening all about. We then took a stop over at Hospital Rock to get a close view of some more Cape Fur Seal before heading on into Sponge Bay. Here, we spotted even more African Penguins, checked out the Cape Cormorants and then made our way out the area to catch up with some whales over at Pearly Beach.
We had 5 pairs of Southern Right Whales around, which made for some awesome whale watching. We got to slowly travel along with some of these gentle giants, getting some great views and close passes from moms and babies a like. We got to see some larger babies, but we were also treated to the sight of a little one with some gorgeous white patches on his back. He had a bit of whale lice on the tail, which caused his skin to look a bit orange. We got to see this mom and baby interact with another pair, which was delightful. The other baby was a little bigger and looked like he was looking for a play mate.
Once we’d spent some time with these baleen beauties, we made our way to Slashfin where we spotted 2 Copper Sharks. These animals are also known as a Bronze Whaler and are always a great addition to our tour with their golden colouration. Our last animal of the day completed our Marine Big 5 experience, when an Indian Ocean Humpback Dolphin popped up in shallow water.
Guide Photographs
Swift Terns doing a synchronized mating flight.
Cape Cormorants heading out fishing.
A curious Southern Right Whale Calf
A close look at the Callosite of a Southern Right Whale.
A Bronze Whaler Shark investigating.
Another Curious Bronzie.
An Indian Ocean Humpback Dolphin
A lone Humpback Dolphin surfaces.
Enjoying some wildlife watching.
African Penguins chilling out on the ocean.
A newborn seal pup.
A Cape Fur Seal posing.
A young seal contemplating life.
Shaking it off.
Checking us out.
Did you order a trip video?
If you would like to get hold of your trip footage, please follow these simple steps:
2 - Complete the details in that form.
3 - Forward to whales@marinedynamicstravel.com
4 - Our team will then forward the video onto you.
What species did we see today?
Southern Right Whale Southern Right Whale
Southern right whales attract thousands of visitors every year to experience these gentle giants off the South African coast.
