Bryde’s Whale made the day, 11 January 2020
Written by Dickie Chivell, January 12 2020

Guest Comment:
"First time a whale at a glance! Fantastic"
Guest Comment:
"Lovely Trip! Thank You! Whales, seals, penguins <3"
Guest Comment:
"First time and it was awesome would love to come again <3"
We saw a Bryde’s whale today! Unlike our Humpback and Southern Right whales, the Bryde’s whales in our area do not have a set migration route, although they can still travel long distances. They are a baleen species, meaning that they do not have teeth in their mouth, but baleen plates trapping the food and filter out the water. They are rorqual whales that have throat pletes, extending like a balloon, increasing their food intake. These whales follow schooling fish such as sardine and anchovies, giving us the opportunity to view these magnificent species whenever we have fish travelling through the bay.
While visiting our sister company, Marine Dynamics, at their shark cage diving vessel, Slashfin, we had the opportunity to view Bronze Whaler sharks. Our bay is one of the only places in the world to view these species during a shark cage diving our Marine Big 5 tour. Over to Dyer Island to view some endangered African penguins and past neighbouring island, Geyser Rock, to view the roughly 60000 Cape fur seals made for a wonderful marine adventure.

Bryde’s whale

Our swarming colony of Cape Fur Seals on Geyser Rock

Every Penguin counts!
What species did we see today?
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.
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.
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.