The Marine Big 5, A Baby Brydes And Some Magical Dolphins, 26 May 2019
We also had Jellyfish and a seal chowing down on an Octopus....
Written by Jax Bath, May 26 2019
Today's Whale Tale.
Today we were spoiled rotten by all of our favourite sea creatures, with fantastic sightings of the Marine Big 5 and more. Our tour began with us making a b-line towards our sister company, Marine Dynamics, in the hopes of spotting a shark. As we arrived, our sister company was busy packing up to head back to the harbour, but we were in luck, with a stunning Bronze Whaler coming right up to our boat. We got a lovely look at the shark as it passed just below us in the turquoise water and after this lovely encounter, decided to carry on with our tour.
As we travelled along, we were treated to the sight of a Cape Fur Seal taking down an octopus. By the time we got closer, the seal was shredding its meal to be enjoyed as a Sunday breakfast. The next leg involved us picking up some kelp to pass around, explaining how underwater forests are formed by this fast-growing seaweed. We also spotted some Night Light Jellyfish as we moved over the forests and into slightly deeper water. We have had an abundance of this beautiful species over the past few months and spent a few moments observing them before visiting our African Penguins over on Dyer Island.
The penguins were up to their usual business, tending to their nests and doing some waddling over the pebbles. Our next stop was over at our boisterous Cape Fur Seal Colony, where we cruised up and down and enjoyed the sight of 60 000 pinnipeds enjoying the sun and surf. After spending time with these sea Labradors, we made our way into the open ocean to see If there was any life to be found.
Today, the sea was alive with activity, as a blow was spotted not even 5 minutes into our travels. We had encountered a Brydes Whale mother and her big, beautiful baby. In my 4 eco seasons with the company, this is the largest calf I have ever encountered with mom. We spent the next 20 minutes slowly moving along with these gentle giants, with excellent views of the whales as they surfaced.
As we began to head back into the harbour, we had one last surprise in store, with us spotting a pod of Common Dolphins! These incredible animals are highly social and will actively seek out boats to have a bit of fun. With great visibility, we had the most incredible time watching these intelligent toothed whales. The dolphins were leaping out the water and riding just below the boat, giving us all memories sure to last a lifetime.
Our Tours Best Images.
Common Dolphins bow riding below the boat with ripples overhead.
We had beautiful, pink skies today.
A cape Fur Seal enjoying some calamari for Sunday breakfast.
African Penguins taking it easy on the weekend.
A bryde’s Whale and her large calf. At first, we thought the pair might be two adults and we believe that this baby may soon leave mom.
We had a nice, close encounter with a Bronze Whaler on our tour.
Seals on the Prince Port.
A Night Light Jellyfish we found along The Clyde Reef System.
The Dolphins love to play with the boat.
The juvenile Brydes Whale.
Can you see the penguin nests?
It’s always fun to watch the seals tear apart their meals.
Copper Sharks get their name from their golden skin colour.
Common Dolphins jumping next to the boat, they were super active today.
Ready for an awesome tour.
The Brydes Whales were very relaxed today.
These beautiful Jellyfish are too beautiful not to share.
You can see the suckers of the octopus here.
A Sub Antarctic Skua trailing Dream Catcher.
Seal Pups practicing their safety in numbers.
A Common Dolphin showing off.
These seals got a bit of a fright and all woke up, but soon went back to bed,
The Dolphins travelling along with us.
Here’s a look at the seal with the full octopus.
Another look at the Copper Shark.
We found these dolphins just as we were heading in.
One more view of the seal and his meal.
This was a maternal pod, with a few very cute babies.
Just before the Brydes Whale took a deep dive.
Surfacing just below the boat.
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.
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.
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.
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.
