Marine Big 5 Daily Blog 04 September
Written by September 4 2023
Whale Watching near Cape Town, South Africa Welcome to Gansbaai, home of the Marine Big 5.
Trip Summary 04 September 2023:
What a start to the day with what seemed like four seasons in one. We launched with rain clouds looming and drops here and there, however, it wasn’t too long till the clouds cleared, and the start of a beautiful day was seen. We first stopped at our shark cage diving specialist sister company, Marine Dynamics, after moving through the shallow, coastal waters of the bay and were able to have some glimpses of the Bronze whaler shark, yet we ourselves were on the search for whales so did not stay too long before heading towards the bay next to ours. Within moments of passing through the edge of our bay and into the next, we came across a calm, relaxed, and slow-moving mother and calf pair of Southern Right whales, a perfect start to our whale watching! We only spent a few minutes with this pair as we did not want to disturb them too much and we left them as they started to head into the shallower waters, but we knew we had more to look forward to as we could see multiple whales in the distance throughout the bay. We made our next stop with a group of three adult whales, exhibiting behaviour associated with mating in the beginning we were able to have some incredible and close views as these gentle giants moved about on the surface and interacted with each other. The second trip of the day followed a similar path first by the shark cage diving boats to see the Bronze whaler sharks before going in search of the whales. The Southern Right whales were again found in the bay next to ours for this trip with two mother and calf pairs seen along with the group of adults. It was one of the mother and calf pairs that put on a spectacular display with breach after breach seen. Just outside the harbour, as the boat was preparing to return to land a pair of Endangered Indian Ocean Humpback dolphins were seen. Back out on sea for our third trip and we tried our best to relocate the Humpback dolphins, but with no luck we headed straight to Pearly beach to find the whales, we saw multiple blows but focused on one specific group that seemed to be the most active, as we approached we had the pleasure of a few breaches seen before we spent time watching a group of multiple adults cruise gracefully around us. The fourth and final trip of the day did not miss out on the whale sightings and spent some time enjoying Southern Right whales as they frolicked in the bay. Each of our trips spent time around the Island system, watching the always abundant Cape fur seals of Geyser Rock, along with spotting the African penguins on Dyer Island.
A fantastic day to start the week. We hope all our guests that joined us today enjoyed their experience with the Dyer Island Cruises Team!
Trip 1.
Trip 2.
Trip 3.
Trip 4.
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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.
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.
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.
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.
