Marine Big 5 Daily Blog 20 December
Written by December 20 2023
Whale Watching near Cape Town, South Africa Welcome to Gansbaai, home of the Marine Big 5.
Trip Summary 20 December 2023:
Today has been a bit cooler and overcast but this didn’t mean we spotted less. As usual, we were heading down the coastline and stopped by the natural estuary, which led us further to the Shark cage diving vessels. We stopped by the Marine Dynamics vessel to watch the incredible Bronze whaler sharks. Active as always they most certainly left an impression on everyone, especially on our young guests of today’s trips. Moving on we headed over to the reef system and moved into deeper waters. Our guests were even lucky enough to have encountered one of the shy Bryde’s whales and the second tour has also been lucky to see a sunfish. Of course, we couldn’t miss out on the Island system, where we got to watch the Cape fur seals on Geyser Rock and the endangered African Penguins on Dyer Island.
Trip 1
Trip 2
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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.
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.