Marine Big 5 Daily Blog 17 January
Written by January 17 2024
Whale Watching near Cape Town, South Africa Welcome to Gansbaai, home of the Marine Big 5.
Trip Summary 17 January 2024:
Leaving Kleinbaai Harbour behind us we are heading into another exciting day. As heading further into the bay the crew and guests alike started focusing on the surface to see if we could spot and encounter some marine life today. At Dyer Island, the endangered African penguins were sitting on the Boulders close to the water and of course, we had to head over to Geyser Rock. Moving into Shark Alley the Cape fur seals were already in the water cooling down whereas others were on Geyser Rock watching our boat passing by. Cruising back down to the coastal areas we headed over to the Shark cage diving vessels where we got a glimpse of the beautiful Bronze whaler sharks. Moving on we headed towards Uilenkraalsmond and were lucky to spot an endangered Indian Ocean humpback dolphin with a Cape fur seal.
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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.
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.
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.
