Marine Big 5 Daily Blog 21 January
Written by January 21 2026
Whale Watching near Cape Town, South Africa – Welcome to Gansbaai, home of the Marine Big 5.
Trip Summary 21 January 2026:
We had an early morning today here at Marine Dynamics , after boarding our whale watching vessel we made it out of Kleinbaai harbour and started our tour by following our usual route which led us along the coastline all the way to an area called the Shallows where we saw our local bronze whaler sharks. In deeper waters there were plenty of Cape Cormorants flying in co-ordination and which much luck we managed to spot a Bryde’s whale although it was a bit difficult with the whale showing its true nature of being shy and elusive everyone was able to get a good glimpse of it. The critically endangered African penguins were a bit hidden amongst the cormorants on Dyer island and the little Cape fur seals put a smile on everyone’s face in shark alley , our journey made a final stop near Danger point light house as we made our way to Gansbaai harbour due to low tide in our bay.
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What species did we see today?
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.
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.
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 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.
