Marine Big 5 Daily Blog 10 December
Written by December 10 2025
Whale Watching near Cape Town, South Africa – Welcome to Gansbaai, home of the Marine Big 5.
Trip Summary 10 December 2025:
Welcoming our guests as usual on board Dream Catcher, we left Kleinbaai Harbour behind us and headed into the windy bay. Just after reaching Uilenkraalsmond, the natural estuary, we spotted one of the endangered Indian Ocean humpback dolphins roaming the area by itself. Known to be an elusive species, the dolphin teased us quite a bit before we got some closer looks at the individual. Moving on, we headed to the Shallows, a hotspot for Shark cage diving. We paid our shark vessel a short visit and were not disappointed, as Bronze whaler sharks made their rounds, passing Slashfins’ cage. Our next stop led us to Dyer Island for a look at the critically endangered African Penguins. Due to the wind, we were not able to approach the island too close, but still got some looks at quite a few roaming the beach. Entering Shark Alley, we were greeted by thousands of Cape fur seals on Geyser Rock, showing off their vocals to our guests. It was now time to head into deeper waters on the lookout for some more marine wildlife. Throughout the last part of our journey, we were accompanied by Terns and Sooty Shearwaters. We even got a closer look at Northern Giant Petrels taking off.
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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.
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.
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.
