Marine Big 5 Daily Blog 23 April
Written by April 23 2025
Whale Watching near Cape Town, South Africa – Welcome to Gansbaai, home of the Marine Big 5.
Trip Summary 23 April 2025:
Today was an amazing day. Not only was it sunny, but we had some amazing sightings. The water temperature in the morning was quite cool, so the bronze whaler shark activity was low. It was a bit hard to get a glimpse of the shark, but we got to see a lovely humpback dolphin on our first trip. The water visibility played a large role, as it made it easier to see the dolphin swimming under the water and rising above the surface. Arrived at Dyer Island, we saw some terns, cormorants and penguins. The thousands of Cape fur seals put on a show as usual and followed the boat, where others were sleeping on Geyser Rock. The Bryde’s whale made an outstanding appearance as it kept moving towards and around the boat on the first tour, and on our second tour, we got some great looks after a short wait. It beautifully came up right in front of the boat and swam away as we got a better look at it. Towards the third trip, the wind picked up quite a bit. A Bryde’s whale was circling the area and allowed a few views.
Trip 1
Trip 2
Trip 3
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What species did we see today?
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.
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.
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.
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.
