Marine Big 5 Daily Blog 13 October
Written by October 13 2023
Whale Watching near Cape Town, South Africa Welcome to Gansbaai, home of the Marine Big 5.
Trip Summary 13 October 2023:
We had a sunny and calm day at sea with a lot of great sightings of southern right whales, penguins, Cape fur seals, and Bronze whaler sharks. We had three tours launching from Kleinbaai harbour that were heading out into the bay on the search of the Marine Big 5 and we got lucky to spot four of them. We also managed to find the endangered African Penguin and had some great southern right whale activity throughout out the day!
The African penguin is on the brink of extinction. If the population numbers continue to plummet
at the same alarming rate, they are destined to become functionally extinct by 2030. Saturday 14 October is African Penguin Awareness Day. Staff and guests of Marine Dynamics Shark & Whale Tours together with the Dyer Island Conservation Trust will be joining the biggest-ever worldwide waddle and penguin protest march, as part of the #NotOnOurWatch African penguin survival campaign.
If we want our children to see African penguins in the wild, the time for action is NOW. If we wait, it
will be too late…
The public is invited to visit the African Penguin & Seabird Sanctuary on Saturday 14 October. They can pick their own protest poster and do a protest march around the APSS garden. Make a donation of R50 and receive a very special crafted Penguin Cupcake at the coffee shop on site. Gansbaai Tourism has invited people who will be visiting the Gansbaai market on Saturday to come dressed in black in white to show their support for the African Penguin.
Additional information –
Dyer Island Conservation Trust: www.dict.org.za
Penguin Pledge: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TjJAwrQGLaM&t=58s
Trip 1.
Trip 2.
Trip 3.
Tripadvisor – https://bit.ly/2YZ0jDR
Google – https://g.page/r/Caej8uYZYnR8EBE/review
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/WhaleWatchSA
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.
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.
