Marine Big 5 Daily Blog 14 January
Written by January 14 2023
Whale Watching near Cape Town, South Africa Welcome to Gansbaai, home of the Marine Big 5.
Trip Summary 14 January 2023:
We had four out of the Marine Big 5 for our trip today with some added extras! We launched into some nice conditions this morning and made our way through the coastal waters where we had some of our first wildlife encounters including a large flock of Cape Cormorants on the water, a sunfish, and a pod of four Endangered Indian Ocean Humpback dolphins that approached the boat very closely. After our eventful trip along the coast, we headed out towards the shallows where the shark cage diving takes place and joined our sister company, Marine Dynamics, to view some Bronze whaler sharks. Out to the Island system with the Endangered African penguins seen on Dyer Island along with one in the waters close by along with the Cape fur seals enjoying the heat on Geyser Rock. To finish off our morning on the sea we took to the deeper waters, and whilst we scouted all the way from the southern side to the west and back to the harbour we, unfortunately, did not have any whales moving through the area today. Overall, a fantastic, wildlife-filled morning out in the bay.
Trip 1
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What species did we see today?
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 Cormorant Cape Cormorant
One of the most famous species of Cormorant in the Western Cape, the Cape Cormorant is well known for it's beautiful turquoise eye and impressive size.
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.
