Marine Big 5 Daily Blog 26 December
Written by December 26 2022
Whale Watching near Cape Town, South Africa Welcome to Gansbaai, home of the Marine Big 5.
Trip Summary 26 December 2022:
A wet and wild day out on the sea as we launched bright and early to start our full day in the bay. All of our trips enjoyed visits to the Islands to see the Cape fur seal colony of Geyser Rock as they basked in the sun as well as played and cooled off in the Alley as well as visits to Sponge Bay to take a closer look at the seabird colony of Dyer Island including the African penguins that call the area home. Each trip also enjoyed a stop in the Shallows by the shark cage diving operators, our first, third and fourth trip were able to see the Bronze whaler shark however our second trip was lucky enough to arrive when a Great white shark was around. The winds blowing around the bay today also made for some good bird watching including numerous sightings of Giant Petrels. The second trip also encountered a small pod of the Endangered Indian Ocean Humpback dolphins and a large Sunfish close to Danger Point.
Trip 1
Trip 2
Trip 3
Trip 4
Tripadvisor – https://bit.ly/2YZ0jDR
Google – https://g.page/r/Caej8uYZYnR8EBE/review
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/WhaleWatchSA
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.
Great white sharks Great white sharks
Gracious, beautiful, misunderstood - three words used by guests of Dyer Island Cruises after witnessing South Africa's most infamous marine species: The Great White Shark.
