Heritage day specials at sea! Marine Big 5 daily blog
Written by September 24 2020
It has been another picture-perfect day at sea with no wind and swell. On our first tour we found a female Southern Right whale and her calf in Pearly Beach. She was very relaxed around our vessel and approached a few times with her young. On our way home we passed the Dyer Island and Geyser Rock to see penguins and Cape Fur seals as well as the shark cage diving vessels closer to the coast. After waiting patiently for a couple of minutes we saw first the shadow of a Bronze Whaler shark before it did break the surface with a splash.
On our second tour for the day we took a slightly different route and were heading towards Danger Point where we spotted two adult Southern Right whales. After watching them for a while we decided to move on to see the Cape Fur seals and then head to Pearly Beach. Arrived in the area where we saw the whales in the morning, we quickly found them again, but also got surprised by a small pod of Indian Ocean Humpback dolphins. It’s been a while since we saw them and it was such a lovely encounter, they were coming up close to the boat so everyone could get a great look of these dolphins often known as an elusive species .
On our last trip for the day we launched from Kleinbaai and were heading straight to Pearly Beach. We just arrived in this area and were welcomed by a baby Southern Right whale breaching in the swell. The calf breached several times showing off, before getting tired and taking a rest on its mothers back. Before heading back to shore we passed the Cape Fur seal colony and spotted a raft of African penguins heading back home towards Dyer Island.
All in all it has been a fantastic day, we could have not asked for any better!
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.
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 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.
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.
