Marine Big 5 Daily Blog 31 January
Written by January 31 2026
Whale Watching near Cape Town, South Africa – Welcome to Gansbaai, home of the Marine Big 5.
Trip Summary 31 January 2026:
We had some great weather and wonderful sightings. Not far from Kleinbaai Harbour, we spotted some of the endangered Indian Ocean humpback dolphins and African Penguins. Around Danger, the shark cage-diving boats we had, as usual, gave us great close-up looks at some Bronze Whaler sharks. The deeper waters have been a little quieter, and we weren’t able to get the best looks at the Bryde’s whale; some only saw a distant spout. But once at Geyser Rock, we were captivated by all the Cape fur seals and spotted a few more critically endangered African Penguins on Dyer Island.
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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.
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.
