Marine Big 5 Daily Blog 27 March
Written by March 27 2026
Whale Watching near Cape Town, South Africa – Welcome to Gansbaai, home of the Marine Big 5.
Trip Summary 27 March 2026:
What an incredible day we had here at Marine Dynamics! Welcoming our guests aboard Dream Catcher, we left Kleinbaai Harbour behind us and started our journey into deeper waters. Before we even reached the tip of the Danger Point peninsula, we spotted a Bryde’s whale pair as well as a very curious African Penguin! Both mother and young came up multiple times, which allowed us some incredible looks at them. After we spent some time with them, we continued our trip towards the island system. Heading into Shark Alley, we were loudly greeted by our Cape fur seal colony on Geyser Rock. Once we made our way around Dyer Island to get another look at some of the critically endangered African Penguins, we noticed splashes in the distance. Taking a closer look, we figured a pod of Common dolphins were heading straight towards us! Our last stop of the day led us to our Shark cage diving vessel within the Shallows. Bronze whaler sharks stayed underneath the surface; nonetheless, due to good visibility, the sharks were seen without difficulties circling the cage and investigating our boat. Once again, thanks to everyone for joining our Marine Big 5 trips, and we will see you again on Sunday!
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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.
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.
Common Dolphin Common Dolphin
With an 'hourgalss' patch on either side and aerial activity the common dolphin is an agile and majestic species, that may easily reach a speed of 40km/h.
Giant Petrel Giant Petrel
Around the Greater Dyer Island area we encounter both species of Giant Petrel, the Southern Giant Petrel and Northern Giant Petrel.
