Marine Big 5 Daily Blog 03 January
Written by January 3 2025
Whale Watching near Cape Town, South Africa Welcome to Gansbaai, home of the Marine Big 5.
Trip Summary 03 January 2025:
Little swell and warm temperatures excited us early on! As usual, we left Kleinbaai Harbour behind us, heading towards the natural estuary. A pod of the endangered Indian Ocean humpback dolphins was super active throughout the day enjoying the swell closer to shore. Not far off within the Shallows, the local Shark cage diving operators were anchored busy with Bronze whaler sharks surrounding the cages. We stopped by Marine Dynamics Shark cage diving vessel Slashfin to closely examine this incredible species. Continuing our trip we made our way through the kelp forest towards the island system. Numerous Cape Cormorants were occupying Dyer Island while some African Penguins were finding free spots in between. Geyser Rock with the Cape fur seals was again rather empty, but we still saw lots of them in the water and thousands of Cape fur seal pups gathering on the water’s edge. Two of our tours were also lucky to see a Bryde’s whale in deeper waters.
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What species did we see today?
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.
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.
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.
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.
