Marine Big 5 Daily Blog 10 March
Written by March 10 2025
Whale Watching near Cape Town, South Africa Welcome to Gansbaai, home of the Marine Big 5.
Trip Summary 10 March 2025:
Today’s tour started with sightings of Cape fur seals and some seabirds, including the White-chinned Petrel, Kelp gulls and Sooty Shearwater. We moved on and quickly spotted a spout of a Bryde’s whale, and what a great encounter. The whale was very relaxed alongside the boat and even approached our vessel, something we don’t get to see a lot of this species. We arrived at Dyer Island and Geyser Rock and saw more Cape fur seals, including thousands of pups. We could also spot some of the critically endangered African penguin amongst the Cape Cormorants. On our way back to the coast and across a kelp forest we were fortunate to find the endangered Indian Ocean humpback dolphin. First, we saw a female and her calf and later on saw another two adults with one breaching out of the water. The shark sighting at the cage diving boats was great, we saw some fins breaking the surface and other slowly cruising below the surface.
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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.
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 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.
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.
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.
