Amazing wildlife! Marine Big 5 daily blog
Written by March 22 2020
Although it has been a little overcast, we had some amazing wildlife activity. On the route along the coast towards the shark cage diving boats we have spotted a small pod of the endangered Indian Ocean humpback dolphin. The members of the group were well known to us since several years. We saw Captain Hook, Top Notch and Number 25 with her calf. The great sightings continued at the shark cage diving boats where we saw at least 3 different great white sharks and some bronze whale sharks in between. We were all impressed with the size of these animals one was almost as long as their cage. On the way to the island we had to slow down for thousands and thousand of Cape cormorants, a sighting we don’t see on a daily basis. On Dyer Island we spotted the African penguin, more cormorants and some swift tern. The Cape fur seals in Shark Alley were extra curious at us today popping their head out the water to get a closer look at us.
What species did we see today?
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
