Marine Big 5 Daily Blog 14 May
Written by May 15 2026
Whale Watching near Cape Town, South Africa Welcome to Gansbaai, home of the Marine Big 5.
Trip Summary 14 May 2026:
After several days of stormy weather, we are finally back out at sea! Excited of what we might encounter at sea, we welcomed our guests aboard and headed into deeper waters. Out in the deep, we were greeted by several Shy Albatross and other pelagic birds. Some elusive Bryde’s whales have also made it into the area. Known to be rather shy, we still managed to get some looks! Several different sunfish also made their way to the surface. A stop by the island system, which includes Geyser Rock and Dyer Island, allowed us some incredible encounters with thousands of Cape fur seals within Shark Alley. A stop by our critically endangered African Penguins could, of course, also not be missed. Last but not least, we were led past our Shark cage diving vessel Slashfin, where Bronze whaler sharks could be seen cutting the surface with their beautiful copper colored dorsal fins.
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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.
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.
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.
Sunfish
