Marine Big 5 Daily Blog 09 May
Written by May 9 2024
Whale Watching near Cape Town, South Africa Welcome to Gansbaai, home of the Marine Big 5.
Trip Summary 09 May 2024:
Once again due to spring tide, we launched from Gansbaai Harbour. Making our way around Danger Point we were accompanied by a lot of different birds until shortly after we encountered our first Bryde’s whales. For the first half of the trip, we constantly encountered and spotted some more of these gentle giants making their way through our bay! After spending some time with each of the individuals and even seeing a Shy Albatross we decided to let the whales be and headed toward the islands. At Dyer Island, we got to view some of the endangered African Penguins high up on the boulders. Geyser Rock, the Cape fur seal colony, was super busy today. Hundreds of seals rushing into the cool waters of Shark Alley was most certainly a rare sighting! Making our way through the reef system towards the Shallows, we got to see some amazing Bronze whaler sharks, active as always. On top of that, we also got a glimpse of a Short-tailed Stingray! After being able to stop by Marine Dynamics Shark cage diving vessel Slashfin it was time to head to Kleinbaai Harbour.
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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.
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.
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.
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.
