Marine Big 5 Daily Blog 10 March
Written by March 10 2024
Whale Watching near Cape Town, South Africa Welcome to Gansbaai, home of the Marine Big 5.
Trip Summary 10 March 2024:
We have a beautiful sunny and calm day ahead of us! As usual, we were heading out of Kleinbaai Harbour and headed towards the natural estuary of the area. On our way over we encountered a big raft of African Penguins! Moving on we ended up in the Shallows, where the Shark cage diving companies operate. We stopped by Marine Dynamics vessel Slashfin and due to great visibility we got some amazing views of our beloved Bronze whaler sharks. After spending some time with them we headed towards the reef system. In the distance, we spotted two endangered Indian Ocean humpback dolphins. The dolphins were super active and curious, even coming closer to the boat to investigate! We decided to let them be and continued into deeper waters before heading to the island system. Once arrived at Dyer Island we got to see some more of the endangered African Penguins on the boulders close to the water. Before heading back to Kleinbaai Harbour we moved over to Geyser Rock where some of the Cape fur seals were watching our boat pass while others were cooling down in Shark Alley.
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What species did we see today?
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.
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.
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.
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.