Marine Big 5 Daily Blog 17 January
Written by January 17 2026
Whale Watching near Cape Town, South Africa – Welcome to Gansbaai, home of the Marine Big 5.
Trip Summary 17 January 2026:
Welcoming our guests aboard Whale Whisperer, we left Kleinbaai Harbour behind us and headed towards Danger Point. Right from the beginning, we spotted Bryde’s whales, which, unfortunately, were rather elusive. Nonetheless, towards the end of the trip, we were lucky to have spotted an individual that came up to the surface quite often and offered us some great looks! Some of the endangered Indian Ocean humpback dolphins were also encountered closer to shore. Numerous Bronze whaler sharks were seen around our Shark cage diving vessel, Slashfin, while stopping by to visit them. Throughout the tour, we came across rafts of the critically endangered African Penguins, but also made a stop closer to Dyer Island. Of course, we could not miss out on our Cape fur seal colony, which has been awaiting us in Shark Alley and Geyser Rock.
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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.
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.
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.
