Marine Big 5 Daily Blog 04 January
Written by January 4 2025
Whale Watching near Cape Town, South Africa Welcome to Gansbaai, home of the Marine Big 5.
Trip Summary 04 January 2025:
The sun is out early and so are we. The wind will pick up a little later in the day, so we have been taking advantage of a little less wind early in the day. As always, we made our way from our base towards the local harbour Kleinbaai, down the road. Welcoming our guests aboard, we headed along the coast to Danger Point and were searching for some spouts in deeper waters. After a short time, we got lucky we found a Bryde’s whale. We had multiple looks at it before heading over to Dyer Island. There we saw plenty of Cape Cormorants, the critically endangered African Penguin and a few more coastal seabirds passing by over our heads. Just around the corner in Shark Alley, we had plenty of Cape fur seals on Geyser Rock and in the famous waters. We also spotted a few Bank Cormorants and African Oystercatchers. Back along the coast at the shark cage diving boats, everyone got to see the Bronze Whaler sharks passing in front of the cage and alongside our vessel. The luck of the day continued and we found some humpback dolphins close to Uilenkraalsmond.
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What species did we see today?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
