Marine Big 5 Daily Blog 31 May
Written by May 31 2024
Whale Watching near Cape Town, South Africa Welcome to Gansbaai, home of the Marine Big 5.
Trip Summary 31 May 2024:
After one stormy and rainy day, we were so excited to get back out at sea. And as it usually goes, the sea didn’t disappoint. We started our first trip by launching from Kleinbaai Harbour and going along the coastline past Uilenkraalsmond towards the shark cage diving vessel Slashfin. There, we were fortunate to witness some lovely Bronze Whaler sharks, incredible animals to see not just from under the water, but also from the deck of a boat. Continuing our trip through the reef system into deeper waters we spotted our first Humpback whale that was unfortunately rather skittish around our boat. At the same time, we encountered a sunfish relaxing just underneath the surface. After a bit of time, we decided to try our luck somewhere else and headed over to the island system. Numerous Cape fur seals were cooling down in Shark Alley whereas hundreds of other seals on Geyser Rock were watching our boat pass by. Due to some swell building up close to Dyer Island, we weren’t able to head close but were fortunate enough to have spotted some a little later on in the water! Once we headed again into deeper waters we encountered a Shy Albatross and close to Danger Point another Humpback whale that was a lot more active!
Trip 1
Trip 2
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What species did we see today?
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 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.
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.
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.
