Marine Big 5 Daily Blog 03 Febuary
Written by February 3 2026
Whale Watching near Cape Town, South Africa – Welcome to Gansbaai, home of the Marine Big 5.
Trip Summary 03 February 2026:
Due to the spring tide, we left Gansbaai Harbour this morning, instead of our local harbour in Kleinbaai, with the addition of passing Danger Point. Early on in the trip, we have been extremely lucky and have spotted not just an incredible amount of Common dolphins, but also two Bryde’s whales! Both species were looking out for what seemed like a lot of fish underneath the surface. Not just marine mammals but also pelagic birds such as Sooty and Cory’s Shearwater joined in. After an amazing time, we continued our way towards the island system, where we spotted some of the critically endangered African Penguins as a raft at sea before moving closer to Dyer Island. Cape fur seals greeted us with their loud vocals once we entered Shark Alley. A stop by the Shark cage diving boats could not be missed. Almost instantly, a few Bronze whaler sharks showed up in front of the cage! With that, we wrapped up the Marine Big 5 today!
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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.
Brydes Whale Brydes Whale
The mysterious Bryde's whales visit the Dyer Island area throughout the year, with most sightings occurring during summer into winter.
Common Dolphin Common Dolphin
With an 'hourgalss' patch on either side and aerial activity the common dolphin is an agile and majestic species, that may easily reach a speed of 40km/h.
