Marine Big 5 Daily Blog 21 March
Written by March 21 2024
Whale Watching near Cape Town, South Africa Welcome to Gansbaai, home of the Marine Big 5.
Trip Summary 21 March 2024:
Unfortunately, leaving Kleinbaai Harbour behind us it has been quite foggy out at sea today. Gratefully along the coastal areas, it cleaned up and we were able to spot one of the endangered Indian Ocean humpback dolphins! Offering a bit of a show the dolphin decided to move off and so we let it be and continued further into the bay. Arriving around the Shark cage diving vessels we were able to get a glimpse of the beautiful Bronze whaler shark. After some nice views of the shark, we made our way over to the island system. Along the way, we encountered several endangered African Penguins on the lookout for some food. After being lucky enough to have encountered a raft of Penguins close up we continued to Dyer Island. After making a quick stop close to Island we headed through the reef system over to Shark Alley. The Cape fur seals were out and about today cooling down in the water whereas some others took in a few sunrays peaking through the fog. Once again we headed into deeper waters where we encountered several pelagic bird species. We made our way over to our final destination, Gansbaai Harbour. Thanks to everyone for joining 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.
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.
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.
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.
