Marine Big 5 Daily Blog 02 January
Written by January 2 2024
Whale Watching near Cape Town, South Africa Welcome to Gansbaai, home of the Marine Big 5.
Trip Summary 02 January 2024:
Guests and Crew alike are ready to head into a new year and we started great with amazing weather conditions. With some wind blowing through the bay, we otherwise head a little swell and a sunny day ahead of us. We left Kleinbaai Harbour behind us and moved towards Uilenkraalsmond where we started to make our way along the coastal waters. Our first trips was even lucky enough to have spotted 2 endangered Indian Ocean Humpback dolphins. As usual, we stopped by the Shark cage diving vessels where we got to view the always-active Bronze whaler shark in full glory. After spending some time with the other boats we headed towards the Island system where the endangered African Penguins on Dyer Island enjoyed the sun after a few days of overcast and the Cape fur seals cooled down in Shark Alley by Geyser Rock where the rest of the colony was sunbathing. Thanks, everyone for joining our Marine Big 5 tours, and happy New Year!
Trip 1
Trip 2
Trip 3
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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.
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.
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.
