Great Trips At Sea, 19 October 2019
Written by October 20 2019
Today started off beautifully with warm weather and practically no wind. We saw Humpback Dolphins at the start of the day, which is always a delight due to the low number of individuals in the population. We then headed off to our sister company to see if we could spot some sharks. The sightings of Bronze Whaler sharks around the cage diving boats did not disappoint after which we headed to see if we could find some whales. Not long after, we spotted out first group of whales which were super calm but soon after, we had a whale starting to breach in the distance. As excitement ensued we were able to get to the whales in time to see the whale breaching several times afterwards. Our visit to the seal colony was eventful as always with them sunbathing on the island and cooling down in the water. The smallest of our marine big 5 were spotted on Dyer Island scattered amongst the cape cormorants. Our next two trips were lucky enough to spot the marine big 5 and our last trip was able to spot three of the five.
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.
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.
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.