Marine Big 5 Daily Blog 15 July
Written by July 15 2024
Whale Watching near Cape Town, South Africa Welcome to Gansbaai, home of the Marine Big 5.
Trip Summary 15 July 2024:
What a busy day ahead of us! Once again we could not head out to sea but by the looks of it, we have some days ahead of us that allow us to head out. Welcoming all our trips on our whale-watching vessel Dream Catcher we left Kleinbaai Harbour behind us and headed towards Danger Point. We were lucky to have spotted some Humpback whales in deeper waters on all three trips. As pelagic birds, such as Sooty Shearwaters, Shy Albatross, White-chinned Petrels and Cape Cormorants, were targeting some fish underneath the surface our endangered African Penguins did not want to miss out and we encountered some rafts of Penguins throughout. After we decided to leave the deeper waters behind us we made our way over to the island system. Geyser Rock, home of the Cape fur seal colony, was most certainly quite busy today which made it hard to even decide where to look first! Even though we were super lucky to have spotted some of the endangered African Penguins out at sea we made a quick stop by Dyer Island to get some nice looks of the island from afar. Making our way through the reef system which is also our local kelp forest we headed down the coastline into more coastal and shallow waters we encountered a pod of the endangered Indian Ocean humpback dolphins! To say the least, we had an amazing day full of incredible sightings out at sea!
Trip 1
Trip 2
Trip 3
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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.
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.
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.
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.
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 Gannet Cape Gannet
Well documented for their aireal displays, experiences with with the famous Cape Gannet are always breath taking, and hold a special place in every photographers portfolio.
