Marine Big 5 Daily Blog 02 September
Written by September 2 2023
Whale Watching near Cape Town, South Africa Welcome to Gansbaai, home of the Marine Big 5.
Trip Summary 02 August 2023:
We had a wet and wild afternoon out in the bay for our two trips today. The first trip launched and we made our way straight to the bay next to ours in search of whales. Our first encounter came in the form of a mother and calf pair of Southern Right whales, and even from a distance, we could see we had stumbled across something special as the calf was almost completely white in colour with some black speckles and is what is referred to as a Brindle. Not a common sighting as it is thought that only 4% of Southern Right whales are born with the brindle colouration and this one happened to be the first sighting of such for our season this year. We encountered another pair not too far away from the first, slowly moving through the shallow waters of the bay. While watching this pair we also had a close fly-by from an Albatross. As we made our way to the deeper waters in line with the island system we also came across a lone adult Humpback whale appearing to enjoy the choppy conditions in the area today, after watching this whale for a little while we made a stop by the always crowded Cape fur seal colony of Geyser Rock before finishing our trip off with a quick stop next to our sister company Marine Dynamics, who were seeing Bronze Whaler sharks today! The second trip of the day followed in a similar fashion to the first with two pairs of Southern Right whales seen, including the brindle pair. This lovely little white whale calmly and slowly moved with its mother by its side as the team and guests enjoyed watching it from a distance. A visit to the Island system including the Cape fur seal colony and with the wind and swell dropping a little, a visit closer to Dyer Island to spot the African penguin rounded off the last trip of the day. For the second trip, we were lucky once again to see a few whales, including the brindle pair!
A big thank you to all our guests who joined the Dyer Island Cruises Team today for their marine adventure!
Trip 1.
Trip 2.
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What species did we see today?
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.
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.
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.
