Sunny Sunday! Marine Big 5 Daily Blog
Written by November 29 2020
We had another picture-perfect day at sea with little wind and almost no swell. While making our way towards one of the shark cage diving boats, where we also got to see a Bronze Whaler shark, we spotted a small pod of Bottlenose dolphins. They were slowly travelling in the surf but came closer for a moment to investigate our vessel Dream Catcher. After already having seen two of the Marine Big 5 we were heading into deeper waters to see if we can find some wildlife out there but it has been very quiet so we made a stop at the Cape Fur seal colony on Geyser Rock and stopped at Dyer Island to see some African penguins.
What species did we see today?
Bottlenose Dolphin Bottlenose Dolphin
At present there are two recognized species of bottlenose dolphin, and in some cases, both species can be found in the same area. The two species are the common bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus), and the Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin (T. aduncus). In addition, there is a great deal of variation in colouration, diet and behaviour. The difference between the common bottlenose and Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin are subtle, but the common bottlenose dolphin generally larger and more robust with a slight darker colouration.
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.