Marine Big 5 Daily Blog 30 December
Written by December 30 2024
Whale Watching near Cape Town, South Africa Welcome to Gansbaai, home of the Marine Big 5.
Trip Summary 30 December 2024:
What a great morning to head out to sea, our first guests were lucky to find some endangered humpback dolphins along the coast. All tours saw the Bronze Whaler sharks at our shark cage diving vessel ‘Slashfin’ and were amazed by these beautiful creatures. During the tours we visited the waters around Dyer Island to see the endangered African Penguin, Cape Cormorants and other seabirds, calling this nature reserve their home. Some Cape fur seals were frolicking in the famous waters of Shark Alley, and many more were napping on Geyser Rock. The Cape fur seal pups are slowly growing and starting to venture closer to the water’s edge to cool off on such a hot summer day! In deeper waters, we were met by numerous different bird species and were super lucky to have spotted some Bryde’s whales! Once again, thanks everyone for joining our Marine Bug 5 trips and happy New Year!!
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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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
