Marine Big 5 Daily Blog 08 April
Written by April 8 2025
Whale Watching near Cape Town, South Africa – Welcome to Gansbaai, home of the Marine Big 5.
Trip Summary 08 April 2025:
We had a bit of a rainy day ahead of us, but that did not affect our guests or sightings! After welcoming our guests, we left Kleinbaai Harbour behind us and headed towards deeper water first. Shortly after, we encountered several rafts of the critically endangered African Penguins! While we spent some time with the penguins, the first Bryde’s whale popped up just behind them. After the whale stayed down for quite a bit of time, we decided to look for some others out there. Lucky us, we have spotted some more out there and got some great sightings of the elusive individuals. On top of that, we were accompanied throughout the entire trip by several bird species such as Cape Gannets and even encountered Northern Giant Petrels! By the island system, the young Cape fur seals played in the cool waters of Shark Alley or just let the rain drizzle on them on Geyser Rock. We made a quick stop at Dyer Island, where we got another look at some of the African Penguins. After heading further into our bay, we stopped by the Marine Dynamics Shark cage diving vessel, Slashfin, where we got a few glimpses of the incredible Bronze whaler sharks. Shortly before we made it back to Kleinbaai Harbour, we encountered some of the endangered Indian Ocean humpback dolphins in very shallow and almost hidden water close to some boulders close to shore.
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What species did we see today?
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.
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.
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.
