Marine Big 5 Daily Blog 15 March
Written by March 15 2026
Whale Watching near Cape Town, South Africa – Welcome to Gansbaai, home of the Marine Big 5.
Trip Summary 15 March 2026:
We had a fantastic start to our Marine Big 5 Trip. Just outside Kleinbaai harbour, we saw the humpback dolphins. After spending some time with the active pair, we moved across the bay to the shark cage diving boats and after a little wait, we saw some passing by the cage. Our next stop was closer to Dyer Island, seeing thousands of Cape Cormorants returning home, and we also saw some penguins and plenty of terns. The waters around Geyser Rock were once more busy with hundreds of Cape fur seals cooling down. After some search through the deeper waters, we found a Bryde’s whale and got to see it surface a few times in the distance with a better look in between.
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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.
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 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.
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.
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.
