Marine Big 5 Daily Blog 23 January
Written by January 23 2025

Whale Watching near Cape Town, South Africa Welcome to Gansbaai, home of the Marine Big 5.
Trip Summary 23 January 2025:
Our trip started bright and early today due to westerly wind picking up later in the day. Welcoming our guests aboard Dream Catcher we left Kleinbaai Harbour behind us and came to an immediate stop. Right outside the harbour, we came across a pod of the endangered Indian Ocean humpback dolphins! With the dolphins minding their own business, we got some great looks at this elusive but incredible species. Moving on we passed Danger Point before heading into deeper waters. A few pelagic birds such as Cape Gannets, a White-chinned Petrel and a Cory’s Shearwater passed our boat. Shortly after we spotted the spout of a Bryde’s whale in the distance. Unfortunately, we only spotted the spout one more time before the whale took a deeper and longer dive. After some time waiting we continued our trip towards the island system. Entering Shark Alley we could hear the Cape fur seals vocalizing on Geyser Rock. As the island was incredibly busy today we got to watch thousands of Cape fur seals relaxing on the island and cooling down within the channel. After it was time to wave goodbye to the Fur seals we paid the critically endangered African Penguins on Dyer Island a visit. A few of our beloved Penguins were taking in the sun breaking through the clouds. Our last stop led us to the Shallows, where the Marine Dynamics Shark cage diving vessel Slashfin was already waiting for us. After carefully watching the cage for a few minutes a Bronze whaler shark made an appearance. A few times we were able to watch the shark cutting the surface and investigating the divers in the cage!
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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.
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.
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 Gannet Cape Gannet
Well documented for their aireal displays, experiences with with the famous Cape Gannet are always breath taking, and hold a special place in every photographers portfolio.