Marine Big 5 Daily Blog 23 December
Written by December 23 2024
Whale Watching near Cape Town, South Africa Welcome to Gansbaai, home of the Marine Big 5.
Trip Summary 23 December 2024:
Starting our day early today we had no time to waste and immediately headed into an adventurous day. On today’s trips we either started in deeper waters or made our way along the coastline in more shallow waters. Our typical stops included The Shallows, Dyer Island and Geyser Rock. The Cape fur seals enjoyed the cool waters of Shark Alley while others vocalized on the island and relaxed in the dry heat. The endangered African Penguins were awaiting us within Spongebay a rather smaller bay giving us access to take a closer look at them. Within our bay closer to shore we were greeted by Slashfin, the Marine Dynamics shark cage diving vessel. While stopping by we got a few glimpses of the incredible Bronze Whaler sharks gracefully moving through the water with some stingrays on our second and third tour. We were also lucky enough to have spotted some of the endangered Indian Ocean humpback dolphins around their favourite hangout spot at the natural estuary. Our adventure in deeper waters granted us a sighting of a Bryde’s whale on the first and a humpback whale on the second tour.
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What species did we see today?
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.
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.
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.
