Marine Big 5 Daily Blog 27 August
Written by August 27 2023
Whale Watching near Cape Town, South Africa Welcome to Gansbaai, home of the Marine Big 5.
Trip Summary 27 August 2023:
A beautiful Sunday out on the bay. Having battled with strong winds and swell over the last week we are finally starting to see the conditions shift for the better. The day started early with Dream Catcher launching for its first trip and encountering some Bottlenose dolphins on our way and then Southern Right whales in the bay next to ours. They were a little bit on the shy side this morning however with multiple whales in the area there were quite a few choices for viewing. The second trip started off well with a group of three Southern Right whales encountered not too far from Kleinbaai harbour. For the third trip we headed again to Pearly Beach to try our luck there, and luckily the Southern Right whales were waiting for us there, with a pair seen enjoying themselves in the shallow section of the bay. We finished off our day with our fourth and final trip, also a success in whale sightings as we came across a very active pair, whilst very shallow and seen from a distance we observed pectoral slapping, fluke slapping, and breaching. What a way to finish off the day! All our trips made a trip to the Island system and had the pleasure of spending some time around Geyser Rock and Dyer Island. The wind did pick up later in the day but we still had a whale of a time enjoying the animals in our area.
Trip 1.
Trip 2
Trip 3.
Trip 4.
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What species did we see today?
Southern Right Whale Southern Right Whale
Southern right whales attract thousands of visitors every year to experience these gentle giants off the South African coast.
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.
Bottlenose Dolphin Bottlenose Dolphin
At present there are two recognized species of bottlenose dolphin, and in some cases, both species can be found in the same area. The two species are the common bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus), and the Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin (T. aduncus). In addition, there is a great deal of variation in colouration, diet and behaviour. The difference between the common bottlenose and Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin are subtle, but the common bottlenose dolphin generally larger and more robust with a slight darker colouration.