Marine Big 5 Daily Blog 03 March
Written by March 3 2025
Whale Watching near Cape Town, South Africa Welcome to Gansbaai, home of the Marine Big 5.
Trip Summary 03 March 2025:
Due to some spring low tide, we launched from Gansbaai harbour and headed into a fog-filled bay. Around Danger Point we saw the wave breaking over the famous Birkenhead rock and continued through deeper waters for a while before we could find a whale. We saw the spout of the Bryde’s whale in quite a bit of a distance and were able to get some closer looks after approaching the animal accordingly. We arrived at Geyser Rock and watched the thousands of Cape fur seals before heading closer to Dyer Island. The island is a protected area and home to different seabirds including the critically endangered African Penguin. After following a reef towards the coast, we first spotted a humpback dolphin and then stopped at the shark cage diving boats and saw some Bronze Whaler sharks.
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What species did we see today?
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
