Marine Big 5 Daily Blog 05 January
Written by January 5 2026
Whale Watching near Cape Town, South Africa – Welcome to Gansbaai, home of the Marine Big 5.
Trip Summary 05 January 2026:
What a wonderful day we had at Marine Dynamics! Whales, dolphins, seals and dolphins! Our earlier trips had to launch from Gansbaai, which led us past Danger Point, where the first Bryde’s whales and Common dolphins were spotted before they headed past the island system. Throughout the entire day, both whales and dolphins were feeding on huge bait balls underneath the surface, attracting several seals and pelagic birds, such as Cory’s Shearwater and Sooty Shearwater, plus a special sighting of numerous Sabine’s Gulls! A stop at Geyser Rock is, as always, mandatory and offered more sightings of thousands of Cape fur seals. Passing by Dyer Island, the critically endangered African Penguins were seen hiding between all the Cape Cormorants on the island.
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What species did we see today?
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.
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.
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.
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.
