A Special Encounter and 4 Of The Marine Big 5, 12 July 2019
We had a memorizing Southern Right Whale encounter today....
Written by Jax Bath, July 12 2019
Guide Summary.
Today’s trip started off on a real high note, with a Southern Right Whale circling the boat just outside the harbour. We set out bright and early at 9am, only travelling about 5 minutes before coming across a very curious Right Whale. This was a sub adult animal and a very inquisitive one at that.
The sighting started off with the whale spy hopping, having a look at us from a distance before deciding that we were worth a closer inspection. As the whale came closer, we put the boat in neutral, which is how it remained for the rest of the sighting as this whale couldn’t seem to get enough of us.
The whale began to circle the boat, checking us out from the sides before diving below us and surfacing on the other side. This baleen beauty left us awe struck, and with great visibility, we were able to enjoy watching this whale whether it was below the surface or above. We moved from side to side, guided by the surfacing action of this whale. This young animal is a new arrival to the bay, and has a white patch on its lower back that looks a lot like a butterfly we really hope to see more of this little show stopper soon!
After doing some incredible whale watching, we moved over to the shark cage diving boats where we had some fun watching a very active Great White Shark thrill our cage divers. After a bit of a wait, the shark appeared and we watched it surface again and again before making our way to Dyer Island.
Here, we had 4 African Penguins doing some waddling, so we took a stop to see what they were up to. Penguins have a habit of always looking a little mischievous on these strolls, but it seems as though they were up to no trouble, simply making their way down to the water. We stopped at their fluffy neighbors next, taking in the sights, smells and sounds of Geyser Rock and our 60 000 strong Cape Fur Seal colony.
The last leg of the tour saw us venturing behind Dyer Island where we found 2 Humpback Whales to travel with. We moved along with these animals, watching a variety of pelagic seabird species come out to play too. Shy and Yellow-nosed Albatross could be seen soaring whilst Sooty Shearwaters and White Chinned Petrels skimmed the surface of the water. Once we’d gotten a few good views of the Humpback Whales, we decided to head back into the harbour.
Daily Snaps.
The first friendly face of the day.
Doing a little spy hopping and checking us out.
Another spy hop, this sub adult was so curious.
We were circled again and again by this gentle giant.
You can see just how close the whale was, moving gently around our vessel.
Here, you can see two very distinctive white patches on the whales back. Whales with these patches can be male or female, and about 4% of the population will have patches like this.
Even though it was a sub adult, the whale is still pretty large!
Coming in for a closer look.
Can you see the whale? When the whales are very close to the boat, we put the engines in neutral to let them look at us. Our videographer happened to be at the right place at the right time.
The water was very clear today, so we could track the whale moving below us and predict where it might come up.
Can you see the tail and the white underbelly?
Teasing us by leaving the tail just below the surface.
After having a nice look at us, Mr whale decided to carry on with its day.
A Beautiful Great White Shark at Slashfin.
Peek a boo!
This was a pretty cool shark to watch.
African Penguins deciding if they’d like to follow the leader.
You can’t help but wonder what this penguin was saying.
All the penguins lined up in a row on the skyline.
Two awkward little seals.
Having a sleep.
Chaos in the water.
Look at all the sleepy babies.
Two Shy Albatross flying in sync.
A Humpback Whale travelling along.
We got some beautiful looks at these Humpbacks as they moved by.
a humpback Whale and a Shy Albatross.
A Yellow Nosed Albatross, which we don’t see everyday.
Coming straight for us.
One last look at the Humpback Whales.
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.
Humpback Whale Humpback Whale
One of the best-known whale species, they are renowned for their acrobatic behaviour and complex melodious song as well as extremely long flippers and are a special favourite of Dyer Island Cruises guests and crew alike.
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.
