Marine Big 5 Daily Blog 28 March
Written by March 28 2024
Whale Watching near Cape Town, South Africa Welcome to Gansbaai, home of the Marine Big 5.
Trip Summary 28 March 2024:
Despite the overcast day, we had a fantastic time at sea with wonderful sightings. Along the coast, we spotted first some humpback dolphins travelling along the coast and further on saw Bronze Whaler sharks at the shark cage diving boat. After seeing the sharks close by and passing the cage we continued into the deeper water and were lucky to spot a humpback whale juvenile. We watched the whale for a while as it was quite surface-active. As we were about to leave the humpback whale we saw a Bryde’s whale come up close by and decided to spend a few minutes with it, how lucky to see two species of whale in one tour. Our next sighting was off Cape Fur seals at Geyser Rock and in Shark Alley. Before we started the journey to Kleinbaai we passed Dyer Island and made two stops to see the penguins and other seabirds and just before reaching the harbour we saw more penguins at sea.
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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.
Cape Cormorant Cape Cormorant
One of the most famous species of Cormorant in the Western Cape, the Cape Cormorant is well known for it's beautiful turquoise eye and impressive size.
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.
Humpback Whale Humpback Whale
One of the best-known whale species, they are renowned for their acrobatic behaviour and complex melodious song as well as extremely long flippers and are a special favourite of Dyer Island Cruises guests and crew alike.
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.
