Daily Trip 09 May 2017

Guide Summary and Photographs

Sun, sea and some gorgeous marine animals. It was a lovely day to be out and about in the bay with a slight north westerly wind blowing. The sea has also calmed a bit so we were able to really hug the coast today as we traveled along the shallows. Here, we noticed a beautiful colour front in the bay, which accounts for the sharp contrast in colour between two different bodies of water. We traveled between the turquoise and royal blue patches before heading down to Dyer Island along the Clyde.

On the way, we spotted a lone African Penguin in the water. These aquatic predators will travel up to 60km a day to hunt, but seem to prefer to forage a little closer to home and so we often find them along the reef searching for a bite to eat. After this, we managed to spot several Penguins waddling along the top of Dyer before making our way towards the Cape Fur Seals.

The Cape Fur Seals were exceptionally playful today with hundreds in the water jumping about and fooling around. It seemed as though everywhere you turned there would be another one rocketing out of the water, with someone even equating it to watching popcorn pop. There were also a few playing with kelp that had been detached from the bottom of the alley. This was a heart-warming sight that kept us all highly entertained for quite some time.

Our trip behind the island was a successful one due to the amount of fish moving through the area. We had a lot of Cape Gannets around for the first time in a while which was the first indication that there was something happening out there in the deep blue. In addition to being a great indicator of schooling fish such as Anchovies and Pilchards, these Gannets really are a sight to behold with beautiful crystal blue eyes and a golden head. These birds are also brilliant divers plummeting up to 12m below the surface while chasing down prey.

We also saw a few Sooty Shearwaters and then, for the second trip in a row, we were lucky enough to see every pelagic birders dream, an Albatross. There is nothing quite like watching these magnificent creatures soar effortlessly above the water. Albatrosses have perfected flight, ensuring that they use almost no energy as they move through the sky. We went on to see two more later on in the trip, which was an absolute privilege.

Not too long after our first Albatross, Kira spotted the spot of a Brydes Whale a couple of hundred metres away, so we moved in for a closer look. Little did we know that we would end up seeing around 4 individuals, with blows going off in all directions. The Brydes Whale is a negatively buoyant species so one will not see the tail of these animals when they dive, instead, they will simply arch their backs and head straight down into the depths, only exposing a portion of their backs and their dorsal fin. After this, we stopped at Danger Point before making our way back to dry land.

Unfortunately, no sharks were spotted by us or anyone else in the bay today, for an update on our White Shark Situation, please visit the following link:

http://www.sharkwatchsa.com/en/blog/category/472/post/2910/deceased_great_white_sharks_necropsies_reveal_the_causes/

Then, lastly a fun fact for the day after a client asked on the boat, Orcas can swim up to 46km/h in the ocean.

For more Whale facts and updates, also “Like” our Dyer Island Cruises facebook fan page. If you would like to review your trip online to help others choose the right whale watching company, please visit our TripAdvisor page and leave your feedback