Sunrise And Some Southern Right Whales, 18 August 2019
4 of the Marine Big 5 on a beautiful morning...
Written by Jax Bath, August 18 2019
Guide Summary.
Today, we set out bright and early to beat the spring tide and howling wind predicted for this afternoon. We set out just after 7:30 and were treated to the sight of the full moon over the water and an out of this world sunrise.
Our first sighting of the day was of the avian kind, with a Shy Albatross and a couple of White Chinned Petrels soaring around the boat. We then decided we would like to head into shallower water to catch up with some cartilaginous friends. We were in luck, with Clampy, one of our favorite Great White Sharks showing off in front of the cage diving vessels.
After watching this graceful apex predator launch herself out the water, we went in search of gentle giants, crossing the reef systems and making our way over to Pearly Beach where we were fortunate to encounter a mating group of Southern Right Whales. We watched as the whales rolled around, spy hopping and blowing bubbles as they demonstrated typical Right Whale mating behavior. We watched in awe as bits of tail, flipper and head came up, enjoying the sound of their blows.
After an awesome time watching whales, we finished off our tour with a sight of 2 African Penguins and roughly 60 000 Cape Fur Seals enjoying a Sunday sleep in on Geyser Rock.
Daily Snaps.
What a gorgeous sunrise.
A fantastic Great White Shark sighting.
Her name is Clampy.
We had an awesome time watch her use the “ambush”approach.
We had 4 Southern Right Whales around today.
Southern Right Whales have a very distinctive V-shaped blow.
This whale had really interesting coloration on its head.
A closer look at this beautiful colour.
Some whale tail.
In the midst of mating.
It is so fantastic to start seeing the mating groups come together.
Waving at us with the flipper.
A bit of a spy hop.
Some African Penguins in the water.
Enjoying a lazy Sunday.
Sleeping in.
Looking at us.
What species did we see today?
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.
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 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.
