The dolphins are here! Marine Big 5 daily blog
Written by February 9 2020
Just like yesterday we found a couple of Cape cormorants outside the harbour. Our next stop was at ‘Slashfin’ the shark cage diving boat from our sister company Marine Dynamics. We have seen some great shark action starting off with just one Bronze whaler shark but just after a couple of minutes there were at least five of them. We continued the tour along the shallows and were rewarded with an amazing sightings of Indian Ocean humpback dolphins. It was a small group of four dolphins, two of them are well known to us and are in the local ID catalogue. They are usually known as quite shy but they have proven us wrong today as one was curios and came a few time close to our vessel to investigate. Behind the island it has been quiet, but we got to see a few sea birds and an African penguin. Arrived at the Dyer Island Nature Reserve we watched the Cape fur seals on Geyser Rock and even spotted another penguin in between. On the way home we cruised slowly passed Dyer Island itself and made a quick stop for some Giant petrel.
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.
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.
