Cape Fur seals and more! Marine Big 5 Daily Blog
Written by December 22 2020

We perfectly used todays weather gap as tomorrow is some strong wind forecasted and we are not able to head out to sea. We had two Marine Big 5 tours launching from Kleinbaai harbour, both filled with some great marine wildlife. On both trips we saw plenty of Cape cormorants flying passed us in the search for some fish. We also made a stop closer to Dyer Island, to see the endangered African penguin and spotted more cormorants and seabirds. And one of today’s highlight were definitely the thousands of Cape Fur seal pups on Geyser Rock, which are currently all on land as they are unable to swim the first couple of weeks after birth. The big male seals are also still present at the colony, being usually relaxed unless another male approaches to close. And on the second tour for the day, we managed to find one shy and elusive Bryde’s whale, it took a while but in the end we had some great looks at the whale out in the deep.
What species did we see today?
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.
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.