Brydes Whale Encounter, 16 January 2020
Written by Dickie Chivell, January 17 2020
Follow the birds, They know where to go!
All smiles on the Marine Big 5 tour with the anticipated arrival of a Brydes whale. We were really lucky to get great close up looks of this fish-eating species of whale. After stopping off at the cage diving boats for some cool shark sightings and grabbing some kelp, our skipper Francios suggested we head into the deep. His reasoning was based on experience as we had seen a lot of Cape gannets gathering on the previous day, indicating schooling fish in the bay. With the weather on our side we set off to find the birds hoping that they would lead us to the big prize, yes a Brydes whale! At the first, we had to wait a while because when feeding these guys usually spend long periods underwater and surface sporadically in different locations. Our patience soon paid off as the fish started moving in one direction which the whale quickly started following. Our Skipper was able to match the travel speed 5-7 km/h and the direction of the whale allowing us some awesome close-up sightings and even see the Brydes whales blowholes(all baleen whales have 2 :).) Ended the trip by stopping off at the island for some great seal and penguin sightings. All in a days work/fun.
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.
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 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.
