Marine Big 5 Daily Blog 09 January
Written by January 9 2025
Whale Watching near Cape Town, South Africa Welcome to Gansbaai, home of the Marine Big 5.
Trip Summary 09 January 2025:
Another day at sea, we have been once again fortunate to find the Marine Big 5. Due to some wind, we had an early start and as soon as we left the harbour we headed into deeper water where we found a Bryde’s whale. After watching the whale for a while we returned towards the harbour as another boat had notified us about some Bottlenose dolphins, and lucky us we found them again. After seeing the dolphins bow-ride and surface multiple times we continued to the shark cage diving boats. Plenty of Bronze Whaler sharks were around and everyone got a great look at them. Our next stop was Dyer Island, where we saw the penguins and Geyser Rock with thousands of Cape fur seals. The birds around the island were busy catching some fish nearby and we had a great view of all the marine life. We couldn’t have asked for more!
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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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
