Marine Big 5 Daily Blog 04 May
Written by May 4 2025
Whale Watching near Cape Town, South Africa – Welcome to Gansbaai, home of the Marine Big 5.
Trip Summary 04 May 2025:
Only a slight southerly breeze and little swell, what else could we ask for? With a perfect weather forecast, we were ready to head out to sea. As usual, Dream Catcher was prepared for us in Kleinbaai Harbour. As we are on the lookout for different marine wildlife, we made sure to cover as many spots within the bay as possible. Areas covered included: The Shallows, the coastline, deep waters and the island system. The Shallows, an area known for its strong population of sharks, made us stop by the Marine Dynamics shark cage diving vessel, Slashfin. Lucky us, we got a couple of glimpses of a very curious Bronze whaler shark! Within coastal areas, but also deeper waters, we encountered both a small pod of the endangered Indian Ocean humpback dolphin and an impressive pod of Common dolphins! The island system, including Geyser Rock and Dyer Island, granted us thousands of Cape fur seals and a few of the critically endangered African Penguins, which were hiding away in their colony today.
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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.
Common Dolphin Common Dolphin
With an 'hourgalss' patch on either side and aerial activity the common dolphin is an agile and majestic species, that may easily reach a speed of 40km/h.
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.
