A Marine Big 5 Kind Of Day, 25 January 2018
What a fantastic out on the ocean blue...
Written by Jax Bath, January 27 2019
Guide Summary.
We got super lucky today, catching up with the entire Marine Big 5 in only 2 hours! It was a really fantastic day to be out, with just a bit of wind which added a nice breeze to an otherwise warm summer’s day.
We started off our tour looking for dolphins and were elated to catch up with a pod of our Indian Ocean Humpback Dolphins. We had a couple of our favorites around, with Summer the dolphin popping up every now and then for us to get some good views. We had a lovely time watching him and the other Humpback Dolphins playing around in the swell, with 2 babies in this group.
After our dolphins we decided to make our way into the shallows to spot a Copper Shark or two. When we pulled up to a cage diving vessel, we were in luck with some of the sharks coming up and putting on a real show for us.
We then went towards the island systems, finding some African Penguins and Cape Fur Seals before travelling behind the island where we got to see Brydes Whale. These fish travel up and down the coast and this one was very relaxed, travelling just below the surface of the water before coming up and giving us a great show.
Daily Snaps.
Our second Brydes Whale of the year!
Dyer Island.
A Stunning Copper goes in for a closer look.
Summer surfacing with a couple of other Humpback Dolphins.
Summer, one of our favorite Indian Ocean Humpback Dolphins.
A suspected new calf in our Humpback Dolphin family.
Traveling shallow.
The African Penguins of Dyer Island.
Cape Cormorants heading out to fish.
Checking out Geyser Rock.
This animal was beautiful and relaxed, so we got some excellent views!
One last shot of the Brydes Whale
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.
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.
