Marine Big 5 Daily Blog 18 April
Written by April 18 2025
Whale Watching near Cape Town, South Africa – Welcome to Gansbaai, home of the Marine Big 5.
Trip Summary 18 April 2025:
We had some great conditions at sea with just a light breeze and hardly any swell. In the shallows at the shark cage diving boats, it was quite busy with a few Bronze whaler sharks around, and we saw some great action when we stopped there. Across our biggest kelp forest of the bay, we spotted the Bryde’s whale, and were lucky not only to see one of them. After having had some good looks at this whale species, we moved on to Geyser Rock. Although the area around the Cape fur seal can be a bit smelly, depending on the wind direction, we had a great time seeing these curious marine mammals up close. At Dyer Island, we managed to spot a penguin or two through the binoculars, but were fortunate to find a raft at sea as well. The second trip of the day has also been lucky to find some of the endangered Indian Ocean humpback dolphins that must have moved into the bay since the morning.
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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.
Bank Cormorant Bank Cormorant
Often enjoying a broad diet including klipfish, rock lobster and more, the increasing rarety of the Bank Cormorant makes every moment we see them even more special.
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.
