Marine Big 5 Daily Blog 17 February
Written by February 17 2025
Whale Watching near Cape Town, South Africa Welcome to Gansbaai, home of the Marine Big 5.
Trip Summary 17 February 2025:
We had some great weather, and although we only found four out of the five, we were lucky to spot two species of whales.
Just out of Kleinbaai harbour, we made our way to the shark cage diving boats and saw some Bronze Whaler Sharks passing in front of the cage. After some good looks at these predators, we moved across a kelp forest and into deeper waters, where we first found the Bryde’s whale. While watching them surfacing close to the boat, our spotter, Kira, saw some splashes further on, and we made our way there and, to our surprise, found a young humpback whale. It was quite surface active, throwing its tail into the air and approaching our vessel to have a closer look. Our next stop was at the Cape fur seal colony and Dyer Island where we saw the penguins. After an amazing trip we slowly made our way back to Kleinbaai harbour.
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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.
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.
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.
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.
