Marine Big 5 Daily Blog 18 December
Written by December 18 2023
Whale Watching near Cape Town, South Africa Welcome to Gansbaai, home of the Marine Big 5.
Trip Summary 18 December 2023:
Leaving Kleinbaai Harbour behind us we started the day off with slight overcast. We headed towards Uilenkraalsmond to the natural estuary that is running into our bay. Cruising down the shoreline on the lookout for Marine mammals we spotted the endangered Indian Ocean Humpback dolphins on both of the first two trips. Next off we stopped in the Shallows and paid our sister company Marine Dynamics a visit at their Shark cage diving vessel Slashfin to get a glimpse at the always active Bronze whaler sharks. After spending some time with them we continued to the Island system. Arriving at Dyer Island we got some beautiful views of the endangered African Penguins. Next up, is the Cape fur seal colony on Geyser Rock where numerous seals relaxed on the island and several cooled down in the water. Once it was time to say goodbye to the Cape fur seals we headed into deeper waters to see what else was out there for us. The deeper waters were rather quiet today. The second trip of the day was lucky enough to have spotted Bryde’s whales between the deeper waters of Pearly Beach and Geyser Rock.
Trip 1
Trip 2
Trip 3
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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.
