Marine Big 5 Daily Blog 19 January
Written by January 19 2023
Whale Watching near Cape Town, South Africa Welcome to Gansbaai, home of the Marine Big 5.
Trip Summary 19 January 2023:
It was a beautiful summer’s day in the bay today with flat seas, clear bright skies, and just the slightest of winds coming through from the West to keep things fresh. We started our trip close to shore as we made our way along the coastline coming to the shark cage diving area as we reached the end of the bay. Here we were able to watch some Bronze whaler sharks as they came to the surface around the boats and also as they cruised just under the surface around our own boat. We then made our way out to the Islands where we had a closer look at the Endangered African penguin colony on Dyer Island along with the abundant and active Cape fur seals on Geyser Rock. The deeper waters surrounding the bay were very quite, however, we did spot a juvenile Bryde’s whale and whilst we had eyes on it a few times it appeared to be very shy and disappeared on us quite quickly.
Trip 1
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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.
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.
