Marine Big 5 Daily Blog 19 February
Written by February 19 2023
Whale Watching near Cape Town, South Africa Welcome to Gansbaai, home of the Marine Big 5.
Trip Summary 19 February 2023:
It is hard to put today into words as we had such a fantastic time out on the sea. It was another beautiful and calm day, with the wind only picking up slightly towards the afternoon. After a slow cruise along the coast, we stopped at the shark cage diving boats and even though they did encounter some Bronze whaler sharks throughout the morning we, unfortunately, did not get to glimpse one whilst we were visiting. After crossing the reef that forms the edge of our bay we searched through the next bay before making our way out into deeper waters in which some surprises were waiting! Two Orca was spotted, a rare sighting in the shallow coastal waters here, and not just any Orca but Port and Starboard the infamous shark hunters. We enjoyed some amazing sightings of these two including fluking seen from the distance, but whilst we were busy watching the Orca, a disturbance to the surface of the water was seen heading our way, it turned out to be a pod of Common dolphins, which allowed us an up close and personal viewing as they glided along beside of us. After tearing ourselves away from these amazing dolphin encounters we headed toward the Islands and along the way came across a Bryde’s Whale, what a combo – two species of dolphin and a whale! Whilst considered one of the shyest species for us to see, the boat and whale were heading in the same direction and we enjoyed quite a few views as we made our way toward the Islands. The rest of our trip was spent enjoying Geyser Rock, which was packed full of Cape fur seals today as well as views of Dyer Island and its Endangered African penguins, including one lone penguin hunting in the water.
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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.
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.
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.
Common Dolphin Common Dolphin
With an 'hourgalss' patch on either side and aerial activity the common dolphin is an agile and majestic species, that may easily reach a speed of 40km/h.
