Daily Trip 04 April 2018

A very cloudy and misty day at sea today but it did not stop us from getting some amazing sightings of our local wildlife...

Written by Will Gilmore, April 4 2018

Daily Trip 04 April 2018

Guide Summary and Photographs

A very cloudy and misty day at sea today but it did not stop us from getting some amazing sightings of our local wildlife. We did not have to wait long for our first member of the marine big 5, we spotted a cape fur seal munching on an octopus just in front of Franskraal beach. Our bay is littered with rocks and crevasse amongst the dense kelp forests which is plays home to many crustaceans and molluscs including octopus. Many seals do occasionally forage in the kelp, though many travel to offshore feeding grounds in search of fish. We soon moved on after the seal had finished his meal and had to wait a little while longer before our next Big 5 sighting. As we headed out into deeper waters in search of whale spouts, we came across many beautiful pelagic birds including Corey’s and Sooty Shearwaters, White-Chinned Petrels, and the graceful Cape Gannets. It took us a while but our eagle-eyed spotter Kira, soon found us the elusive Bryde’s Whale. Unlike Southern Right Whales and Humpback Whales that migrate away from our shores in the summer, the Bryde’s remain on our coast hunting large schools of small fish. Also, these whales are negatively buoyant and don’t linger at the surface like other species, this can make them very hard to watch. This whale was indeed hard to watch, but the experience crew and skipper positioned the boat right next to behemoth as it surfaced offering some amazing views to everyone on board.

We then continued our marine adventure back to our Island system where we had a quick stop at our ever-playful seal colony and then moved round shark alley towards Dyer Island. We spotted quite a few penguins today which is very unusual but very lucky. These birds have dwindled to the brink of extinction when we took away their homes, ate their eggs and starved them of fish bringing a once booming population down to 2000 animals. However, not all hope is lost as DICT and APSS have been working tirelessly to issue new homes to the birds and also to rescue and rehabilitate sick and injured birds. Our last sighting was the predator that makes our area famous; the great white shark. This shark took us all by surprise as we were busy watching a short-tailed stingray at the shark vessel. This 4-meter animal came out of nowhere and tried to take the bait. The bait handler was too quick which gave us a great view of those legendary jaws. This wrapped up a excellent trip filled with great sightings.

1-IMG_3644 1-IMG_3666 1-IMG_3671 1-IMG_3672 1-IMG_3681 1-IMG_3697 1-IMG_3699 1-IMG_3703 1-IMG_3704 1-IMG_3705-001 1-IMG_3713 1-IMG_3731

If you would like to get hold of your trip footage, please download the credit card authorization form here to complete and forward it through to bookings@whalewatchsa.com. Please be sure to mention the date and launching time with response. Our team will reply with a direct link to your video footage for download, please allow 72 hours to footage to be uploaded. Download link will be valid for 6 months.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.

What do you think about this? Let us know:

Whale Watching in South Africa - Book Today!

We share news and blog articles from across our various wildlife tours and Marine Big 5 adventures. If you want to experience South Africa's incredible marine wildlife for yourself, don't hesitate to get in touch!

Book directly with us online to receive a FREE video of your trip!

Book now or Call: +27(0)82 801 8014