Marine Big 5 Daily Blog 21 February
Written by February 21 2025
Whale Watching near Cape Town, South Africa Welcome to Gansbaai, home of the Marine Big 5.
Trip Summary 21 February 2025:
We started the day off with some light, mysterious mist but were ready for more adventures out at sea! Luckily it cleared up and beautiful conditions welcomed us at sea! We welcomed all our guests aboard Dream Catcher and as usual, left Kleinbaai Harbour behind us. Several different areas within our area were covered: deeper waters, coastal areas, the Shallows and the island system. The endangered African Penguins were found on their favourite hangout spot on Dyer Island together with several other bird species such as the Cape Cormorants, our most abundant species on the island. The Cape fur seal colony on Geyser Rock welcomed our guests loudly with their deep vocals and followed our boat while cruising up and down Shark Alley. A stop within the Shallows could not be missed. Popular for shark cage diving operations we stopped by Marine Dynamics vessel Slashfin hoping to get a glimpse of the incredible Bronze whaler shark. Along the coastline, a single individual endangered Indian Ocean humpback dolphin made an appearance! In deep waters, we were on the lookout for some more marine wildlife including rather elusive species. Lucky us we spotted 3 different Bryde’s whales around a far-stretching bait ball and a pod of Common dolphins!
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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.
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.
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.
Common Dolphin Common Dolphin
With an 'hourgalss' patch on either side and aerial activity the common dolphin is an agile and majestic species, that may easily reach a speed of 40km/h.
