Marine Big 5 Daily Blog 18 May
Written by May 18 2026
Whale Watching near Cape Town, South Africa Welcome to Gansbaai, home of the Marine Big 5.
Trip Summary 18 May 2026:
Today we launched from Gansbaai harbour due to low tide in our bay. With our journey starting off in deeper waters we were curious of what we would find. On board our whale watching vessel we had a black-browed albatross and a Subantarctic skua that were rehabilitated at our sanctuary ready to be released. After releasing the pelagic birds we spotted a whales spout in the distance unfortunately we struggled to see the whale as it had taken a dive and swam away yet we were fortunate enough to encounter a sunfish near by. A visit was made near our local islands to see the African penguins and cape fur seals. With us finalizing the day by making a stop by the shark diving vessels to see the lovely bronze whaler sharks.
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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.
