A Whale Tale! Marine Big 5 Daily Blog 6 June
Written by June 6 2022
Whale Watching near Cape Town, South Africa Welcome to Gansbaai, home of the Marine Big 5.
Trip Summary 06 June 2022:
What a fantastic day out at sea! With spectacular weather, we launched from Kleinbaai Harbour and were lucky to encounter some Indian Ocean humpback dolphins in the shallow waters along the coastline. We were able to identify the individuals in the pod as some that we had seen a few weeks ago in our bay with a newborn calf. The young one is growing fast! Our trip led us to the shallows where our sister company; Marine Dynamics were out shark cage diving. Here, we were able to spot a beautiful Bronze Whaler shark in front of the cage giving a gorgeous display. After a look around the bay, we encountered more than one sunfish and luck was on our side when we spotted a Southern Right Whale and after being a little elusive, finally gave us a look at its fluke as it took a deeper dive. The trip then led us to Dyer Island where we spotted a number of African penguins on the boulders, taking up the sun while on the other side of Shark Alley, our Cape Fur Seals were showing off their agility in the water. The journey back to the harbour did not disappoint because after just a few looks in the deeper water, we had the most amazing sighting of the first two Humpback Whales of the season that were cheeky enough to give us a tail view as well as an Albatross flying overhead. A wonderful sight indeed wrapping up a beautiful day with 5/5 sightings including two species of whale and a surprise visit from the sunfish (Mola Mola).
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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.
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.
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.
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.
