Marine Big 5 Daily Blog 23 February
Written by February 23 2024

Whale Watching near Cape Town, South Africa Welcome to Gansbaai, home of the Marine Big 5.
Trip Summary 23 February 2024:
Leaving Kleinbaai Harbour behind us neither of our trips had to wait for long for our first rather rare encounters! Heading further into the bay we already spotted a Bryde’s whale as well as a pod of Common dolphins we normally encounter in deeper waters. Both species stayed with our boats for quite some time and gave everyone the chance to get some amazing views! The Common dolphins even interacted with our vessels and surfed along. After spending some time with them the dolphins headed out of the bay and we made our way to the Shallows to get a glimpse of the Bronze whaler sharks. Already circling the boat our guests got to see them the moment we approached Marine Dynamics Shark cage diving vessel Slashfin. As usual, the sharks were investigating the divers in the cage and started circling our boat. We continued our way over to the island system where the Cape fur seals were playing in the waters of Shark Alley trying to impress our guests by jumping out of the water and offering quite a show for us. The African Penguins were out and about in the bay today and a big raft of Penguins was spotted in the water on our way back to the harbour.
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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.
Common Dolphin Common Dolphin
With an 'hourgalss' patch on either side and aerial activity the common dolphin is an agile and majestic species, that may easily reach a speed of 40km/h.
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.