Marine Big 5 Daily Blog 20 January
Written by January 20 2024
Whale Watching near Cape Town, South Africa Welcome to Gansbaai, home of the Marine Big 5.
Trip Summary 20 January 2024:
Once again, we are heading out into a beautiful sunny day out at sea! We welcomed our guests for today on our vessel Dream Catcher, left Kleinbaai Harbour behind us, and started our adventure at sea. Heading over to the coastal area where we made a quick stop at the natural estuary before making our way deeper into the bay. Along this stretch of coast, we spotted some Ostriches at the beach and encountered a big group of nine Indian Ocean humpback dolphins, of which some are familiar faces in the bay. Of course, we took the chance to stop by the Shark cage diving vessels where we caught a glimpse of the Bronze whaler sharks of the area. After spending some time with them we decided it was time to move off and we continued towards De Clyde, the local Reef system. Heading over to the Island system, we got to see the endangered African Penguins of Dyer Island and the Cape fur seal colony of Geyser Rock. Leaving the shallow areas behind us we also made our way into deeper waters to see if there was any other marine life waiting for us. Once again, thanks to everyone joining us for our Marine Big 5 tours!
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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.
Indian Ocean Humpback Dolphin Indian Ocean Humpback Dolphin
Humpback dolphins are an endangered species, with small populations living very close to shore, typically in water less than 25m deep and an average home range of 120km. Their proximity to land makes these animals particularly vulnerable to human influence.
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.
