Marine Big 5 Daily Blog 21 July
Written by July 21 2026
Whale Watching near Cape Town, South Africa – Welcome to Gansbaai, home of the Marine Big 5.
Trip Summary 21 July 2026:
Welcoming our guest aboard our whale-watching vessel Dream Catcher, we left Kleinbaai Harbour behind us and headed straight into deeper waters. Humpback whales, migrating past our coastline, were spotted. Two were even travelling together! After spending some time with them, we made our way toward the island system. Entering Shark Alley, thousands of Cape fur seals on Geyser Rock were loudly welcoming us. Next up, Dyer Island, home to our critically endangered African Penguins. After scanning the island, we could get a glimpse of some sharing their space with an Egyptian Goose. Heading through the local kelp forest, we reached our Shark cage diving vessel, Slashfin, where a few of our beloved Bronze whaler sharks were already surrounding the boat and investigating the cage divers.
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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.
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.
