Marine Big 5 Daily Blog 16 March
Written by March 16 2025
Whale Watching near Cape Town, South Africa Welcome to Gansbaai, home of the Marine Big 5.
Trip Summary 16 March 2025:
Another Marine Big 5 Day at sea. Not long after we left Kleinbaai harbour, we spotted four penguins and a spout from a Bryde’s whale. In the end, we had two whales heading quickly towards Danger Point. After staying with them for a while, we continued to Dyer Island, and along the way, we encountered some Cape Cormorants, Sooty Shearwater, and White-chinned Petrel. At the islands we saw some more penguins and saw thousands of Cape fur seals. Before we reached the shark cage diving boats, we saw the endangered humpback dolphins and ended our tour with the Bronze Whaler shark.
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What species did we see today?
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.
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.
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.
