Dolphins, seals, penguins, whales and sharks! Marine Big 5 Daily Blog
Written by January 6 2021
We had another stunning day at sea with a lot of marine wildlife. In the morning we launched for the first tour at 10 o’clock and spotted a couple of African penguins just outside the harbour. Further down the coast we came across a single Indian Ocean humpback dolphin, that we spent some time with before making a stop at the shark cage diving boats. On our second tour we visited the cage diving boats before we managed to spot the dolphin in the shallows, and what an incredible encounter with the dolphin approaching our vessel and taking a few breaths close by. At Dyer Island were more penguins and seabirds we could get a look at before moving on to Geyser Rock. Although Geyser Rock is still fairly empty since a few days we saw plenty of seal pups. Behind the islands we managed to find a Bryde’s whale.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.