Marine Big 5 Daily Blog 04 April
Written by April 4 2025
Whale Watching near Cape Town, South Africa – Welcome to Gansbaai, home of the Marine Big 5.
Trip Summary 04 April 2025:
Today was a bit of wind forecasted, but nothing unusual for the area. Routinely, we followed the coastline to Uilenkraalsmond and were once again lucky to spot the endangered Indian Ocean humpback dolphins. We have been fortunate to have several different individuals in the bay over the past weeks on a frequent basis. Further along, we visited the shark cage diving boat ‘Slashfin’ and saw the Bronze Whaler shark gracefully gliding through the water. On our way to Dyer Island, we spotted some Cape Cormorants, Subantarctic Skua and picked up some kelp to have a closer look at this abundant seaweed. Arrived at Dyer Island, we got to see the critically endangered African Penguins and more coastal seabirds. And just around the corner from the penguins, we saw thousands of Cape fur seals.
In the deeper waters behind the islands, we came across more seabirds and a raft of penguins.
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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.
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.
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.
