Daily Trip 10 September 2017

Guide Summary and Photographs

The weather is warming up here on this side of paradise and we’re really relishing this welcome change of season. Although the morning’s trip started out with a little bit of wind, by the second it had died down to a light breeze which made for a super pleasant day out on the water.

We launched from Kleinbaai harbour on the first trip, taking our usual route along the shallows and heading straight towards the shark cage diving vessels in Jouberts Dam. Along the way, we got to see some Egyptian Geese flying just above the white beaches of Franskraal. These noisy creatures are the towns name sake, with the Afrikaans “Gansbaai” meaning Goose Bay in English.

Once we got to Slashfin, we were elated to see a Great White Shark, a Bronze Whaler and a Short Tailed Sting Ray. We really got the full Monty, with the activity being just as good as the diversity. We had a smaller white shark launch itself out the water completely just in front of the cage, to the excitement of all on board.

We moved over to Pearly Beach after this where we found a shy Southern Right, which we watched for a short while before heading towards Dyer Island. This ecologically sensitive island is not only home to 27 different sea bird species, but also to a few tortoises. We stopped at Geyser Rock next to check out our seals. They were noticeably few in numbers in the water, probably enjoying their Sunday sleep in. Although they are not too shy about taking a snooze in the water too, which they do by only utilizing one half of the brain whilst the other rests.

On our way into Gansbaai harbour, we came across a few more Southern Rights just in front of Danger Point and even managed to spot a Mola Mola who was hunting some Jelly Fish.

Our second trip also found whales just off of Danger Point, which always seems to have an element of luck to it. We had a stunning sighting with the animals rolling around right next to the boat, completely unperturbed by our presence. There is nothing quite like seeing them right below the boat as one really gets a sense of their size. The whales stayed close throughout the sighting, periodically approaching and then moving away again. We also got to see their massive flukes which they held just below the water’s surface at times, teasing us with the tips as they went a little deeper.

The trip ended on a high note, with us spotting a few Bottlenose Dolphins as we head back into the harbour. These masters of echolocation follow the fish along our coast, with one of their favourites being the mullets that one finds at the shark cage diving boats.

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.

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