Misty Saturday with flukes! Marine Big 5 Daily Blog
Written by August 7 2021
Today has been misty the whole day but we had great sightings on all three trips. On our first tour we launched from Gansbaai due to very low tide and were lucky to find a humpback whale at the end of the peninsula. The whale was very relaxed along side the boat and kept lifting up its fluke when taking a dive. On our second tour we have once again been lucky in the same area with a humpback whale close by that came up several times next to our vessel as it was approaching us. We also encountered three humpback dolphins close to the coast line towards the end of the second trip. On our third tour we first had a beautiful encounter with two humpback whales in the deep and a southern right whale along the De Clyde. On all tour we passed through Shark Alley to see the Cape Fur seals and stopped in Sponge Bay at Dyer Island to have a look at the endangered African Penguin.
What species did we see today?
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.
Southern Right Whale Southern Right Whale
Southern right whales attract thousands of visitors every year to experience these gentle giants off the South African coast.
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.
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 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.
