marine Big 5 Daily Blog 17 February
Written by February 17 2024
Whale Watching near Cape Town, South Africa Welcome to Gansbaai, home of the Marine Big 5.
Trip Summary 17 February 2024:
After not being able to head out to sea for two days we are finally back and excited about what we might encounter out there! Leaving Kleinbaai Harbour behind us we headed towards the natural estuary, where we started our lookout for marine wildlife. On the second trip, we were very lucky to have spotted a pod of the endangered Indian Ocean Humpback dolphins. We stopped by Marine Dynamics vessel Slashfin to get a glimpse of the amazing Bronze whaler sharks. After spending some time with them we passed the Reef system and headed over to the Island system. The endangered African Penguins were rather hard to find today, but both trips were lucky enough to have spotted a raft of Penguins. Of course, on both trips, we had to stop by the Cape fur seal colony. Geyser Rock was super busy today and the seals were playing in the cold waters of Shark Alley while watching our boat pass by. We headed into deeper waters as well during the trips where we got to encounter some Bryde’s whales!
Trip 1
Trip 2
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What species did we see today?
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 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.
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.
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.
