Marine Big 5 Daily Blog 25 January
Written by January 25 2026
Whale Watching near Cape Town, South Africa – Welcome to Gansbaai, home of the Marine Big 5.
Trip Summary 25 January 2026:
Leaving Kleinbaai Harbour behind us, after welcoming our guests aboard Dream Catcher, we headed down the coast towards the natural estuary. Shortly after, we reached our Shark cage diving vessel, Slashfin. Bronze whaler sharks were seen circling the cage and vessel. Once we moved on, it did not take us too long to find two pairs of the endangered Indian Ocean humpback dolphins. After spending some time with them, we continued our trip through the reef system into deeper waters. Lucky us, we spotted two Bryde’s whales! Last but not least, we stopped by the island system, where Cape fur seals were waiting for us on Geyser Rock or cooling down in Shark Alley. The critically endangered African Penguins were either seen on the island hiding between Cape Cormorants or in the open!
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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.
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.
