Daily Trip Update, 29 August 2019
Written by August 29 2019
Today’s tours started with a scenic boat trip from Gansbaai, around danger point and into the Dyer Island ecosystem. Every tour is different, but each one always includes a variety of different types of wildlife. By passing through the world famous shark alley we could encounter a colony of about 60,000 Cape fur seals on Geyser rock, which is on one side of shark alley. On the other side is Dyer Island, which is home to about 27 bird species. We approached Dyer Island so we could spot some endangered African penguins that nest on the island. Throughout our tours we also came across some other endangered bird species, including bank cormorants on Geyser rock and albatross that are classified as near threatened. It is always a privilege to be able to see such species, and an important reminded that they need our protection. To end our tours we also paid a visit to an area that we call the shallows, where we are often lucky to see sharks. We had some great sightings of bronze whaler sharks, which also go by the name copper shark and narrow tooth shark.
Daily Snaps
A kelp gull and a bank cormorant
Bronze whaler shark
Bronze whaler shark with Slashfin
African penguins on Dyer Island
A big male Cape fur seal in the middle of smaller adults
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.
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.
Bank Cormorant Bank Cormorant
Often enjoying a broad diet including klipfish, rock lobster and more, the increasing rarety of the Bank Cormorant makes every moment we see them even more special.
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.
