Marine Big 5 Daily Blog 07 May
Written by May 7 2025
Whale Watching near Cape Town, South Africa – Welcome to Gansbaai, home of the Marine Big 5.
Trip Summary 07 May 2025:
A trip that led us through our entire bay! Welcoming our guests aboard Dream Catcher, we left Kleinbaai Harbour behind us and headed towards coastal areas. Along the way, we encountered a small raft of critically endangered African Penguins, who were super confident and comfortable around us. Moving on, we made it to the area’s natural estuary. Shortly after, we spotted a pod of the endangered Indian Ocean humpback dolphin in the swell close to shore. Our next stop, the Shallows. Stopping by Marine Dynamics Shark cage diving vessel Slashfin, we haven’t had to wait long for the first Bronze whaler shark to appear! Cutting the surface with its copper colored dorsal fin, we were able to get some nice looks at it. Passing through the reef system, we were able to pick up some kelp to bring the importance of the local reef system closer to our guests. We moved into deeper waters where we spotted our first Bryde’s whale. This specific individual turned out to be incredibly elusive. Before heading further into deeper waters, we made a stop around the island system. Cape fur seals on Geyser Rock were highly active in Shark Alley today and, as always, super relaxed on the island itself. Continuing our trip in deeper waters, we encountered several Giant Petrels sitting on the water. An amazing treat for all our bird-lovers! We were led to Danger Point, and lucky us, we have spotted a second Bryde’s whale being more surface active, granting great looks!
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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.
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.
Giant Petrel Giant Petrel
Around the Greater Dyer Island area we encounter both species of Giant Petrel, the Southern Giant Petrel and Northern Giant Petrel.
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.
