First southern right whale! Marine Big 5 Daily Blog
Written by June 15 2021
Today has been a very special day at sea, as Kira spotted our first southern right whale for this year. Just off Danger Point we encountered a female and her tiny calf, that must have been born not too long ago. Besides the cow-calf pair was another adult southern right whale, how fantastic. After we left them behind, we made stop at Dyer Island and Geyser Rock and spotted later on a humpback dolphin closer to the shallower waters off the coast. On the second trip we were heading back to Danger Point in the hope to find some southern right whales again and weren’t disappointed to find a southern right whale traveling alongside a humpback whale, a first for us to encounter them so close together. While spending time alongside them we spotted two more southern right whales further off. As we were already on the way to Dyer Island, we saw a humpback whale breaching behind us and decided to turn around for a closer look and were lucky to see a double breach. On both trips we made a pass at the shark cage diving boats where we saw a Great white shark before heading back to Kleinbaai harbour.
What species did we see today?
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.
Humpback Whale Humpback Whale
One of the best-known whale species, they are renowned for their acrobatic behaviour and complex melodious song as well as extremely long flippers and are a special favourite of Dyer Island Cruises guests and crew alike.
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 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.
Great white sharks Great white sharks
Gracious, beautiful, misunderstood - three words used by guests of Dyer Island Cruises after witnessing South Africa's most infamous marine species: The Great White Shark.
