Cloudy with a Chance of Whales, 23 October 2019
Written by October 23 2019
It’s been a fun day out on the water in the company of our Marine Big 5 species. Although the sun didn’t make much of an appearance, the animals sure did. We had some really great encounters with our Southern right whales close to shore. Throughout the day we came across several different pairs of mothers and juveniles. On one of the trips we were lucky that one of these young whales approached our boat, and on another trip we got to watch an amazing show of a very active one that was repeatedly slapping its tail on the surface of the water. The shark activity was also very nice to watch, with plenty of Bronze whaler sharks gathering around our Slashfin doing the shark caging diving activity. All of our trips included a visit to the Cape fur seal colony on Geyser rock, and we also had some African penguins to Dyer Island. Our final Marine Big 5 member was the endangered Indian Ocean humpback dolphin, of which we saw a glimpse on the first trip in the morning, and then a much better look at a mother and calf later on in the day.
Photos from today
Southern right whale surfacing to breathe
Southern right whale head covered in callosities
Adult and juvenile Southern right whales
Southern right whale off Pearly Beach
Juvenile Southern right whale lobtailing
Tail of the juvenile whale
Head of the juvenile whale
Juvenile Southern right whale lobtailing
Juvenile Southern right whale lobtailing
Head of the juvenile whale
Tail of the juvenile whale
Even the crew get happy to see the amazing whale activity
Indian Ocean humpback dolphins
Indian Ocean humpback dolphins
African penguins on Dyer Island
Cape fur seals lounging on Geyser rock
A huge male Cape fur seal surrounded by smaller females
Slashfin with Bronze whaler sharks
Kelp gull following our boat
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.
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.
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.
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.
Southern Right Whale Southern Right Whale
Southern right whales attract thousands of visitors every year to experience these gentle giants off the South African coast.
