Marine Big 5 Daily Blog 29 December
Written by December 29 2023
Whale Watching near Cape Town, South Africa Welcome to Gansbaai, home of the Marine Big 5.
Trip Summary 29 December 2023:
After a few days of not being able to head out to sea for our Marine Big 5 tours, we are finally back and ready to head into an exciting day! Today’s trips started rather early but the early bird catches the worm. As usual, we left Kleinbaai Harbour behind us and headed towards Uilkraalsmond, the natural estuary of the area. Our first trip of the day was lucky enough to have spotted one of the endangered Indian Ocean humpback dolphins right at the beginning of the tour! Continuing down the coast we reached our sister company Marine Dynamics and its shark cage diving vessel Slashfin. We got some great views of the Bronze Whaler sharks in front of the cage but also around our boat due to great visibility in the Shallows today. After spending some time with them it was time for us to move on, pass the reef system, and head straight to Dyer Island and Geyser Rock. We got to view the endangered African Penguins sunbathing on the island, and the Cape fur seals moving through Shark Alley and relaxing on Geyser Rock. Two of three trips today ven got to see a raft of Penguins in the water! By the time we stopped by the Island system, it was time to head back to Kleinbaai Harbour.
Trip 1
Trip 2
Trip 3
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What species did we see today?
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.
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.
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.
