Marine Big 5 Daily Blog 22 March
Written by March 22 2024
Whale Watching near Cape Town, South Africa Welcome to Gansbaai, home of the Marine Big 5.
Trip Summary 22 March 2024:
We are getting ready for a new adventure out at sea. And it did not disappoint! We headed down to the harbour in a bit of a drizzle but that did not stop anyone’s excitement. The crew welcomed our guests on our vessel Dream Catcher, left Kleinbaai Harbour behind and headed towards deeper waters. On our way, we were lucky enough to spot some endangered African Penguins in the water as well as several pelagic birds. Heading straight towards the Cape fur seal colony, the seals on Geyser Rock and Shark Alley were as active as always and highly interested in our boat passing. We stopped by Dyer Island, home of African Penguins before continuing once again into deeper waters where we got to see a Bryde’s whale pair! After spending some time with them we let them be and moved through the reef system into more shallow waters. Shortly after, we encountered a Bottlenose dolphin. What an amazing encounter! Cruising down the coastline we made it to an area called the Shallows to complete the Marine Big 5 tour. We got a chance to stop by Marine Dynamics vessel Slahfin where we got a glimpse of the amazing Bronze whaler sharks. Several sharks were circling the cage and investigating the divers. Once it was time to say goodbye it was time to head back to Kleinbaai Harbour!
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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.
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.
Bottlenose Dolphin Bottlenose Dolphin
At present there are two recognized species of bottlenose dolphin, and in some cases, both species can be found in the same area. The two species are the common bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus), and the Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin (T. aduncus). In addition, there is a great deal of variation in colouration, diet and behaviour. The difference between the common bottlenose and Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin are subtle, but the common bottlenose dolphin generally larger and more robust with a slight darker colouration.
