Marine Big 5 Daily Blog 20 May
Written by May 20 2024
Whale Watching near Cape Town, South Africa Welcome to Gansbaai, home of the Marine Big 5.
Trip Summary 20 May 2024:
As usual, we left Kleinbaai Harbour behind us and headed straight towards the natural estuary. Heading further down the coastline looking out for any marine wildlife, we entered the Shallows. Stopping by Marine Dynamics vessel Slahsfin we got a glimpse of the incredible Bronze whaler sharks. After seeing a few sharks investigating divers in the cage we decided to move on. Continuing our trip through the reef system we reached Dyer Island. Some Penguins were seen on the pebble beach and others were sitting on the boulders, their favourite hangout spot. We decided it was time to visit the Cape fur seal colony so we let the penguins be. At Geyser Rock our Cape fur seals were swimming alongside the boat and playing in the cool waters of Shark Alley while others were as usual relaxing on the island. After it was time to say goodbye to the fur seals we headed into deeper waters almost immediately spotting a Humpback whale in the distance. The whale has stayed around for a little bit giving us some nice looks of its fluke by taking deeper dives. Once it was time to make our way back to the harbour we encountered a raft of the endangered African Penguins in between the swell.
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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.
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.
