Marine Big 5 Daily Blog 13 July
Written by July 13 2023
Whale Watching near Cape Town, South Africa Welcome to Gansbaai, home of the Marine Big 5.
Trip Summary 13 July 2023:
A fresh start to the day as we launched this morning from Kleinbaai harbour and made our way first along the shallow, coastal waters. Our first stop close to the local estuary proved lucky with some Indian Ocean Humpback dolphins feeding in the bay. We enjoyed watching this small pod before leaving them to carry on with their hunting. The shark sightings were a little slow today but we were able to catch a few glimpses of a Bronze whaler shark at one of the vessels. In the deeper waters surrounding the bay e came across two Southern Right whales, and whilst these two were diving quite a bit the time they spent on the surface was fantastic to see as they logged around. We finished off our first trip with a visit to the Cape fur seal colony and a look at the African penguins and other seabirds on Dyer Island before heading back to the harbour. For our other trips, we were lucky to see some Humpback whales, which was a nice treat for all of us, we always enjoy seeing them around while they are still here!
Trip 1
Trip 2
Trip 3
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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.
Southern Right Whale Southern Right Whale
Southern right whales attract thousands of visitors every year to experience these gentle giants off the South African coast.
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.
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.
Humpback Whale Humpback Whale
One of the best-known whale species, they are renowned for their acrobatic behaviour and complex melodious song as well as extremely long flippers and are a special favourite of Dyer Island Cruises guests and crew alike.
