Marine Big 5 Daily Blog 03 September
Written by September 3 2024
Whale Watching near Cape Town, South Africa Welcome to Gansbaai, home of the Marine Big 5.
Trip Summary 03 September 2024:
Today we had quite some wind out there but had some wonderful sightings still. Welcoming our guests aboard Dream Catcher we left Kleinbaai Harbour behind us and headed along coastal areas. As we stopped by an area called the Shallows we passed by Marine Dynamics vessel Slahsfin where we got some nice views of the very active Bronze whaler shark! After the shark came up a few times we decided to continue. Making our way through the reef system we encountered some whales close to shore in Pearly Beach. As the Southern Right whales were super active and showing obvious mating behaviour our guests got some nice close-up looks at the gentle giants. Before returning to the harbour, we passed the Cape fur seal colony on Geyser Rock. As always, the fur seals were super active, leaving an impression on our guests. Unfortunately due to some swell hitting Dyer Island, we could not approach the island too close but still got to get the know the history of our endangered African Penguins and the island itself.
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What species did we see today?
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.
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.
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.
