Marine Big 5 Daily Blog 26 June
Written by June 26 2026
Whale Watching near Cape Town, South Africa – Welcome to Gansbaai, home of the Marine Big 5.
Trip Summary 26 June 2026:
Welcoming our guests aboard Dream Catcher, we headed into mysterious conditions as fog had pulled into the bay overnight. Heading into deeper waters first, we were accompanied by several pelagic birds, such as Shy Albatross, Sooty Shearwater, White-Chinned Petrel and even a Manx Shearwater! Once the air cleared in deeper waters, we also spotted a Bryde’s whale. Unfortunately, the shy individual stayed down and was not seen again. We made our way back towards the coast and stopped by the island system. The Cape fur seals took a break from hunting in the deep, which resulted in the island and cool waters of Shark Alley being super busy. Due to higher swells, we were not able to approach Dyer Island too close, but still managed to spot some of the critically endangered African Penguins at a distance, roaming the pebble beach. A stop by our Shark cage diving vessel, Slashfin, allowed some nice looks at our beloved Bronze whaler sharks of the area. On our home stretch back to Kleinbaai Harbour, we encountered a rather relaxed sunfish. A definite highlight on every trip, as it is the first real-life encounter with the biggest bony fish of the ocean for most!
TripAdvisor – https://bit.ly/2YZ0jDR
Google – https://g.page/r/Caej8uYZYnR8EBE/review
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/WhaleWatchSA
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.
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.
Sunfish
