Marine Big 5 Daily Blog 08 May
Written by May 8 2024
Whale Watching near Cape Town, South Africa Welcome to Gansbaai, home of the Marine Big 5.
Trip Summary 08 May 2024:
We got a busy day ahead of us but that is not stopping our excitement for today! As we are currently in spring tide, the first trip had to launch from Gansbaai Harbour today whereas both other trips got to leave from Kleinbaai Harbour. For the morning trip, we headed around Danger Point continuing our way through deeper waters towards the island system. Both trips were super lucky spotting several Bryde’s whales today! We spent some time with them before we decided to let them be. On the first trip, we even briefly saw a Humpback whale. Throughout the day the pelagic birds were out and about looking for fish just underneath the surface. Stopping by Marine Dynamics Shark cage diving vessel Slashfin, we also got a glimpse of the amazing Bronze whaler shark. Once we made our way to Shark Alley we were greeted by thousands of Cape fur seals on Geyser Rock watching our vessel pass by. All our guests on today’s trips were most definitely speechless! At Dyer Island, we showed everyone some of the endangered African Penguins seeking sun on the boulders. Luckily enough, throughout we got to see a few rafts of Penguins as well. Once the trips were ending we made our way back into Kleinbaai Harbour. Once again, thanks everyone for joining our Marine Big 5 trips!
Trip 1
Trip 2
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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.
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.
Humpback Whale Humpback Whale
One of the best-known whale species, they are renowned for their acrobatic behaviour and complex melodious song as well as extremely long flippers and are a special favourite of Dyer Island Cruises guests and crew alike.
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.
