Daily Trip Update, 02 October 2019
Written by October 2 2019
The start of the month is continuing off to a very good start, with many great Marine Big 5 sightings on our tours. Just like yesterday, we had many Southern right whales near Pearly beach. We counted at least 8 individuals on our tours, but we suspect there are more whales around. On the first two tours the whales were very relaxed, coming up to the surface in twos or threes and rolling around in the swells. On these two morning trips we also had some nice sightings of Bronze whaler sharks, African penguins, both in the water and on Dyer Island, as well as the Cape fur seal colony on Geyser rock. The third trip that departed after lunch kicked off with amazing views of a few Bronze whaler sharks with our sister company and then a great surprise encounter with a humpback dolphin along the coastline. We travelled to Pearly beach to see if we could spot some Southern right whales there again, and boy did we! About 9 different mother and juvenile pairs were seen and we had a whale of a time watching as the juveniles rolled around in the surf while the mothers were never too far away. After some amazing views, we headed off to our seal colony and then to Dyer Island to point out some penguins. The Bronze whalers did not disappoint once the fourth trip arrived to have a look, and the Southern right whales were as graceful as ever once we reached them after which we headed to see the seals having some fun in the waves and our endangered African penguin on Dyer Island.
Photos from today
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.
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.
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.
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.