The Marine Big 5, 28 July 2019
We had a lovely few trips out at sea...
Written by Jax Bath, July 28 2019
Although overcast, today was a beautiful day to be at sea. The incredible sightings of the day more than made up for the chilly air, with Common Dolphins being sighted on the first tour! We had happened upon a raft of African Penguins who were out doing some fishing and whilst watching them bob about, we spotted a disturbance in the water.
A sunning pod of Common Dolphins were travelling through the bay, and once they spotted us, made a b-line for the boat. The dolphins began bow riding and whistling, to the delight of all onboard. These animals were turning on their backs and showing off their bellies, chasing each other and just generally having a great time as we watched in awe! After spending time with these gorgeous creatures, we went on to see an Ocean Sunfish, our Cape Fur Seals and even a Great White Shark!
Trip 2 caught up with some Humpback Whales travelling along to the east. We moved with these animals for a while as they took deep dives, waiting in anticipation for the whales to come up again. We also got to see penguins, a Great White Shark, a Sunfish and of course, our Cape Fur Seal colony!
Trip 4 had a very active Humpback Whale that we found just before sunset, and we were treated to the sight of this whale tail throwing and then lobtailing away. Whilst watching the whales, we also had a few Shy Albatross around!
Daily Snaps.
A Common Dolphin looking at us.
Look at that beautiful white belly!
There are few things more exciting than finding Common Dolphins out on the ocean.
Dolphins love to play with the boat.
These dolphins can form super pods of up to 10 000 animals.
Chaos in the water.
We found these dolphins just off Danger Point.
A Sunfish in the deep.
Look at that face.
Look at those cute little canines.
This baby seal was trying to drink from mom, but she’s trying to wean him off of milk.
This seal looks like he’s ready to pick a fight.
All our African Penguins in a row.
We’re always so excited when we have big rafts like this out at sea.
Often the birds will feed alone.
A very distinctive fin on a Great White Shark.
A Humpback Whale tail.
We’ve been seeing some incredible Great White Sharks recently.
Penguins on the last tour of the day.
These penguins were heading out fishing.
Whale watchers at last light.
An Albatross flying into the sun.
A beautiful tail throw.
We really hit the jackpot with these active Humpback Whale.
After waiting it out few deep dives, we were rewarded with this sighting.
Can you see the last bit of light on the tail.
What species did we see today?
Common Dolphin Common Dolphin
With an 'hourgalss' patch on either side and aerial activity the common dolphin is an agile and majestic species, that may easily reach a speed of 40km/h.
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.
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.
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.
