Marine Big 5 Daily Blog 6 June
Written by June 6 2023
Whale Watching near Cape Town, South Africa Welcome to Gansbaai, home of the Marine Big 5.
Trip Summary 06 June 2023:
The start of the whale season hitting us hard! We started our trip with some incredible bird action with Cape Gannets performing by torpedoing into the water for the fish. We also spotted a sunfish doing their own kind of hunting: swallowing the Portuguese man-o-war from the surface. To round up we also found ourselves surrounded by Bryde’s whales, spouting close and far from us. These whales were rather shy so we headed to the island. And as we moved forward we came across a mating group of Humpback whales! Four of them gave us some incredible sightings! And as we almost made our way to Dyer Island, we spotted another group of Humpback whales! What a trip! With all the excitement we didn’t forget to release 5 African penguins just by the island and enjoyed some Cape fur seals by Geyser Rock. As we got to the sister company, Marine Dynamics we spotted two different species of sharks: Great white and some bronze whalers. Pretty happy with our trip sightings we made our way back to the harbour. However, nature had a different plan! Just next to the harbour we spotted something rather if not uncommon but definitely rare: two Orcas, Port and Starboard just moving on the edge of the kelp forest! Incredible day, incredible animals that we saw!
Tripadvisor – https://bit.ly/2YZ0jDR
Google – https://g.page/r/Caej8uYZYnR8EBE/review
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/WhaleWatchSA
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.
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.
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.
Great white sharks Great white sharks
Gracious, beautiful, misunderstood - three words used by guests of Dyer Island Cruises after witnessing South Africa's most infamous marine species: The Great White Shark.
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.
Cape Gannet Cape Gannet
Well documented for their aireal displays, experiences with with the famous Cape Gannet are always breath taking, and hold a special place in every photographers portfolio.
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.
