Marine Big 5 Daily Blog 20 August
Written by August 20 2025
Whale Watching near Cape Town, South Africa – Welcome to Gansbaai, home of the Marine Big 5.
Trip Summary 20 August 2025:
One windy day here in Gansbaai. Knowing the wind would pick up later in the day, we launched rather early. Due to the spring tide, we launched out of Gansbaai harbour before continuing out of Kleinbaai. With the wind coming from the west, we decided to start all our trips in deeper waters. All our trips were lucky to have spotted some Humpback whales in deeper waters. Some were even quite active! Our last trip of the day even had some luck spotting a handful of Bottlenose dolphins together with the gentle giants! As usual, the island system was part of our itinerary, leading us into Shark Alley, where Cape fur seals had already been waiting for us. The critically endangered African Penguins on Dyer Island were seen at their typical spots overlooking the region. The last stop on all our tours was the Shark cage diving boats. Unfortunately, none of our trips got a glimpse of a shark today.
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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.
Humpback Whale Humpback Whale
One of the best-known whale species, they are renowned for their acrobatic behaviour and complex melodious song as well as extremely long flippers and are a special favourite of Dyer Island Cruises guests and crew alike.
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.
