Beautiful day! Marine Big 5 daily blog
Written by February 20 2020
Another day with some great marine wildlife. On our usual way along the coast we have been lucky once again to find the endangered Indian Ocean humpback dolphins. And what a great encounter it was the dolphins approached our vessel, and we got some great looks. Arrived in Shark Alley we watched the cape fur seals on Geyser Rock and in the water and spotted more than a dozen giant petrel. Giant petrels are scavengers and are often seen this time of the year around the cape fur seal colonies. Out in deeper water we have been lucky to encounter a Bryde’s whale traveling south. After surfacing a couple of times the whale took a deeper dive and we continued with out journey. Just before reaching Kleinbaai harbour we came across a big raft of African penguins, definitely not something we get to see a lot.
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.
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.
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.
