A whale of a day, 14 September 2019
Written by September 14 2019
It’s been another whale of a day in the Dyer Island ecosystem, with plenty of different sightings on all our trips. To our pleasant surprise we started off with 4 humpback whales for the first tour, out in deep water offshore. We haven’t seen humpback whales since 11 days ago, as they are getting less common for us to see now that we are in the season more typical for Southern right whales. We had some great sightings of the humpback whales as they were travelling in pairs, and coming up with the light at just the right angle that we could see a rainbow in their blows. We also encountered Southern right whales on the first trip, and for the rest of the day. With several individuals around we had some great sightings, including of a mother and juvenile pair. When we were further offshore we spotted some pelagic birds, including White-chinned petrels and Shy albatross. We even encountered a Sunfish close to Danger point. The cape fur seals on and around Geyser rock were playful as ever and we also encountered some African penguins in the water near Dyer Island. The shark activity was very good today, with a Great white shark sighted on the first tour and plenty of Bronze whaler sharks seen for the rest of the day.
Photos from today
Humpback whales
Humpback whale and a rainblow
Humpback whale rainblow
Rainblow
Humpback whale diving
Humpback whale tail
Southern right whale and kelp
Southern right whale head
Shy albatross
White-chinned petrel
Cape fur seal showing its teeth
Cape fur seals on Geyser rock
Southern right whale
What species did we see today?
Bronze Whaler Shark Bronze Whaler Shark
The Bronze whaler (also known as Copper sharks) here in Kleinbaai are very curious and interactive. These sharks eat mostly fish, with sardines being one of their favourites.
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.
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.
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.
