29 March 2017

It's not everyday that you recognize a Great White from Dream Catcher but, today we had the iconic...

Written by Jax, March 29 2017

29 March 2017

Guide Summary and Photographs

Our eco tour commenced a little later than usual today when we had an exceptionally low tide in the bay.  Today’s moon is a waxing crescent which we usually do not associate with a very low tide. The tide is usually lowest during full or new moon when the gravitational force of the sun and the moon causes the water to fall and rise slightly more than what it would be during the rest of the month.

So, after a couple of minutes delay, we set out on Dream Cather to see what the ocean hed for us today. Our first sighting came at Slashfin where we had a very special Great White Shark come and say hi. Great Whites are often attracted to Dream Catcher once we stop at Slashfin due to the vibrations caused by our engines. The sharks usually circle the boat to investigate with this exceptional character being no exception.

The Shark in question is Mini Nemo. Mini Nemo is one of our iconic sharks first recorded in the bay in 2013. He is a 3.3m male who we often see in the shallows. Great Whites undertake migrations, the lengths of which vary per shark, and this handsome fellow visits us around 5 times a year.  Mini Nemo gets his name from his stubby right pectoral fin, an injury which was well healed by the time we first spotted him back in 2013. He circled us a couple of times, giving all of our curious clients a great birds eye view before we decided to move on.

After picking up a piece of Sea Bamboo in the shallows, we made our way towards Dyer Island. We had 3 African Penguins sitting on the rocks today but they were difficult to see. This made us thankful that our clients got to get a great look at a relaxed little one in the ocean just in front of the island on the way back.

Our stop at our favourite mammalian residents was fun as usual. The seals are definitely frolicking a lot closer to the island these days, presumably in preparation for the sharks who are going to start moving into the area. The Cape Fur Seals are a great food source as they are high in fat, one disadvantage being that they are a pretty hairy food source due to their double layer of fur.

After this we made our way back to the Harbour via Danger Point. We spotted some Cape Gannets, a Giant Petrel, an Arctic Skua and a couple of Tern Species before heading homewards for a hearty cup of soup. A perfect end to a chilly day out on the sea.

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