Daily Trip 04 February 2018
We were incredibly spoiled by all the cetaceans out there today...
Written by Jax, February 4 2018
Guide Summary and Photographs
Cetaceans are for most, the star attraction of the ocean. Whales and dolphins have been fascinating us as a species for just about forever, and it’s not hard to see why. From schools of dolphins riding the waves to the awe inspiring sight of a 60 tonne mammal launching itself out the water, these creatures are absolutely incredible. These creatures are however, also the most difficult to find at times, with many of them following the fish stocks around the coat instead of just staying put.
This means that any whale or dolphin sighting on our trips is seen to be an absolute spoil, and today, we really got the full Monty. Our Humpback Dolphins have been incredible for the last couple of weeks, with us having pretty consistent sightings. Today, however, these endangered beauties really took it up a notch when we had 7 of them surface around the boat.
With this species, it’s very normal to see only one or two animals so, having several members of the gang around was really delightful. We identify our dolphins to keep track of whose coming in and out the bay and two of our favourites, Summer and Claw, were out to play. The dolphins came right up to the boat and surfaced again and again, with some of the younger ones even giving off the occasional jump or two. We were quite literally surrounded by them, which made for an epic start to a very lovely trip.
Once we’d left the dolphins, we took a quick stop at Slashfin which had just reached their anchor, so after a few minutes wait, we decided to make our way out into deeper water. We passed over The Clyde and used the Cape Cormorants as a guide, heading a kilometre or two out before coming across a congregation of Cape Fur Seals. Not the most typical sight, we hung around here for a bit when we hit the jackpot and spotted not only a Brydes Whale but, a Brydes Whale with her beautiful baby. We spent a bit of time with them as they travelled just below the surface, coming up every now and then to breathe before heading back under.
After watching one of nature’s greatest treasures, we head on to spend some time observing a very empty Geyser Rock, with most of our little Cape Fur Seals trying to score themselves a meal out in the open ocean. Our very last stop was in Sponge Bay where we were once again met with the tragic sight of many dead Cape Cormorants who had fallen prey to the same rouge seal. We also had a Northern Giant Petrel about, who was capitalising on all the free food.
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