Marine Big 5 Daily Blog 12 March
Written by March 12 2026
Whale Watching near Cape Town, South Africa – Welcome to Gansbaai, home of the Marine Big 5.
Trip Summary 12 March 2026:
We have successfully wrapped up the Big 5 on today’s trip! Due to some south-westerly wind blowing in our bay, we decided to head into deeper waters first. Just as we reached the tip of the Danger Point peninsula, we spotted the spout of a whale! After a bit of patience, the Bryde’s whale popped up again multiple times and offered some incredible looks. After spending some time with it, we switched it up and headed back to the coast, where we were shortly after rewarded with a sighting of one of the endangered Indian Ocean humpback dolphins. Just when we thought we would be on a longer ride, a nicely sized raft of the critically endangered African Penguins appeared. Save to say, some of them were very curious about the boat and even came closer to inspect it and us! Moving on, we stopped by our Shark cage diving vessel, Slashfin, and got some nice looks at a Bronze whaler shark cutting the surface with its copper colored dorsal fin. Our last stop of the day was the island system. We took another look at some Penguins on Dyer Island before making a turn past the Cape fur seal colony on Geyser Rock. Just before entering Shark Alley, we had a nice surprise waiting for us as a Southern Giant Petrel was showcasing some predation skills.
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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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
