Marine Big 5 Daily Blog 02 June
Written by June 2 2026
Whale Watching near Cape Town, South Africa – Welcome to Gansbaai, home of the Marine Big 5.
Trip Summary 02 June 2026:
Due to some stronger winds picking up later in the day, we wasted no time and started as soon as the sun was up! Towards the beginning of the trip, we spotted one of the endangered Indian Ocean humpback dolphins heading down the coast. Bronze whaler sharks could also be observed within the Shallows shortly after we moved on from the dolphin. We made our mandatory stops around the island system. Geyser Rock, known for its lively Cape fur seal colony, did not disappoint. A quick stop at Dyer Island allowed us to scan the island for critically endangered African Penguins. In deeper waters, we spotted a sunfish before our first whale spout close by. A rather elusive Humpback whale made an appearance. Shortly after, a second one surfaced. After approaching the whale, we were treated to some nice looks at it, even playing with kelp! As usual, around this area, we were treated to sightings of different pelagic bird species, in favour of all bird lovers!
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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.
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.
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.
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.
Sunfish
