A successful search for whales, 24 August 2019
Written by August 24 2019
Today we had another fantastic day on the water and we had the opportunity to go a bit further out from the coastline in search of whales. Going into deeper waters meant that we could enjoy plenty of bird sightings along the way, including some shy albatross, sooty shearwaters, great shearwaters, cape gannets and the usual plenty supply of cormorants, skuas, terns and gulls. Our search for the whales was also rewarded, with humpback whales sighted on all of our tours. They were on the move, as they are migrating and will continue further north to their warmer water breeding grounds. It was nice to still see some of these whales passing by, because as the season progresses we expect to see fewer humpback whales (but not to worry because we are in the season for the Southern right whales). On our last tour of the day we were lucky to see a sub-adult humpback whale breaching (leaping out of the water) several times, and on this tour we also encountered a Bryde’s whale. On our second tour the passengers were delighted to see a sunfish, the world’s largest and heaviest bony fish (weighing in at 1,000 to 2,000 kg). Everyone was also lucky to see penguins on all our tours, either on Dyer Island or swimming in the water. Finally, we always enjoy including a stop at Geyser rock to show a colony of about 60,000 Cape fur seals, relaxing on the rock and rolling around in the water.
Photos from today
A great start to the morning
African penguin raft
African penguins on Dyer Island
Cape cormorants
Cape fur seals on Geyser rock
Humpback whale breaching
Humpback whale dorsal
Humpback whale tail
Shy albatross
Sub Antarctic skua
What species did we see today?
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.
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.
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 Gannet Cape Gannet
Well documented for their aireal displays, experiences with with the famous Cape Gannet are always breath taking, and hold a special place in every photographers portfolio.
Cape Cormorant Cape Cormorant
One of the most famous species of Cormorant in the Western Cape, the Cape Cormorant is well known for it's beautiful turquoise eye and impressive size.
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.
