Marine Big 5 Daily Blog 23 February
Written by February 23 2022
Whale Watching near Cape Town, South Africa Welcome to Gansbaai, home of the Marine Big 5.
Trip Summary 23 February 2022:
Today has been another day where we have been lucky to see all of the Marine Big 5 and more. Along the coast in shallow water, we first saw a small group of three humpback dolphins that we encountered also yesterday. Staying in shallow water we passed the shark cage diving boats to see the bronze whaler shark, before moving into deeper waters. Out in the deep, we searched for a little while but were, in the end, successful in finding a very relaxed Bryde’s whale that came up next to our vessel. After a slow cruise through Shark Alley and passing the Cape Fur seal colony we had a quick look at plenty of Giant Petrels on the water and some penguins on Dyer Island.
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What species did we see today?
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.
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 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.
