Marine Big 5 Daily Blog 18 Januray
Written by January 18 2025
Whale Watching near Cape Town, South Africa Welcome to Gansbaai, home of the Marine Big 5.
Trip Summary 18 January 2025:
One of the boats in the bay did inform us about some dolphins and we were heading straight towards their last known location and were lucky to see a small pod of bottlenose dolphins travelling relaxed alongside our boat. Afte leaving the dolphin behind we crossed a reef and started our search through deeper waters for the elusive Bryde’s Whale. Luckily our spotted Kira has the best eyes and saw a spout in the distance. We had some looks at the Bryde’s whale surfacing all around our vessel. Our next stop was at Geyser Rock our Cape fur seal colony. Although it can sometimes be a bit smelly around there it’s still one of the highlights of our daily tours as seeing so many at once is mind-blowing. Just around the corner, we can approach Dyer Island to look at the African Penguin and other seabirds that live on this protected island. Our next stop was closer to the coastline back in shallower waters at the shark cage diving boat, there we didn’t just see one but multiple Bronze Whaler sharks. Wow! Before returning to Kleinbaai Harbour we cruised along the coast to see if there was any other wildlife.
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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 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.
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.
Bottlenose Dolphin Bottlenose Dolphin
At present there are two recognized species of bottlenose dolphin, and in some cases, both species can be found in the same area. The two species are the common bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus), and the Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin (T. aduncus). In addition, there is a great deal of variation in colouration, diet and behaviour. The difference between the common bottlenose and Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin are subtle, but the common bottlenose dolphin generally larger and more robust with a slight darker colouration.
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.
