Daily Trip 18 July 2018

Guide Summary and Photographs

Today was certainly an extraordinary one, with us spotting The Marine Big 5 on the first tour and 4 out of the 5 on the second, which included a breaching Humpback Whale and an Ocean Sunfish. The weather is still picture perfect and our whale sightings have been truly incredible, with us seeing Humpback Whales and Southern Right Whales on both of our tours.

The first trip launched at 09:30 this morning, and quickly caught up with a raft of African Penguins in front of the infamous Danger Point. We watched them bob up and down for a bit before spotting our very first whale species of the day. We had happened upon two Humpback Whales, who were super relaxed, so we spent some time cruising with them before making our way in the direction of Dyer island.

On the way, we hit the jackpot when a disturbance in the water revealed to us a pod of Common Dolphins. These toothed whales are always a spectacular addition to our tours, as they seem to adore us just as we adore them. After spotting us, they began to bow ride and jump with us, much to the excitement of all aboard! This was breathtaking a moment, as we were able to watch them glide through the crystal-clear waters of the Atlantic. As if we had not had our fair share of cetaceans for the day, we also got to see a couple of Southern Right Whales, who were moving gracefully towards Pearly Beach.

We took a stop by Geyser Rock next, to see what our Cape Fur Seals had in store for us before completing the Marine Big 5 in the Shallows, with a Great White Shark at one of the Cage Diving Vessels.

Trip 2 started off with a sighting of one of these apex predators, with us begining the trip in the shallows. This was a 3m male, who was travelling just below the surface of the water, checking out Slashfin. Once we’d had our shark-y fix, we moved over the extensive kelp forests that make up The Clyde Reef System and into the whale filled waters of Pearly Beach. Although we had to go a little deeper out, it definitely lived up to its name.

After finding 3 Southern Right Whales and spending some quality time with them, we had a special surprise when, out of nowhere, a Humpback Whale began to breach only 100m away. We decided that this was an opportunity not to be missed, so we approached and to our delight, we got to watch this gentle giant breach again and again. What’s more, we also got a show from this playful guy as he rolled on his back and stuck his long flippers in the air before diving and breaching yet again.

On this tour, we also managed to find a Sun Fish whilst enjoying our whale sightings. These strange looking fish feed predominantly on Jelly Fish, of which we had quite a few around. We went on to see 2 more of the Marine Big 5, visiting our Cape Fur Seals over in Shark Alley and stopping to view a few African Penguins on the ride back to the harbour.

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