Marine Big 5 Daily Blog 06 September
Written by September 6 2024
Whale Watching near Cape Town, South Africa Welcome to Gansbaai, home of the Marine Big 5.
Trip Summary 06 September 2024:
We had a windless morning and a slight cool breeze from the south with minimal swell. Both our tours started with a visit to the shark cage diving boats with great sightings of the bronze whaler shark and a brief look at a seven-gill shark on the second tour of the day. As usual, this time of the year we encountered several Southern Right whales in the Pearly Beach area. We had a great look at a mating group and passed some mother-calf pairs along the way. On the second trip, we encountered some Bottlenose dolphins that were unfortunately rather elusive. The Cape fur seals were already waiting for us in Shark Alley and on Geyser Rock and we had a good view of them. Our last stop was at Dyer Island for the endangered penguins before we returned to Kleinbaai harbour.
Trip 1
Trip 2
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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.
Bottlenose Dolphin Bottlenose Dolphin
At present there are two recognized species of bottlenose dolphin, and in some cases, both species can be found in the same area. The two species are the common bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus), and the Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin (T. aduncus). In addition, there is a great deal of variation in colouration, diet and behaviour. The difference between the common bottlenose and Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin are subtle, but the common bottlenose dolphin generally larger and more robust with a slight darker colouration.
