Daily Trip 28 February 2018

Guide Summary and Photographs

Our trip today started in the shallows, where we were greeted by a small pod of three Indian Ocean Humpback Dolphins, our rarest coastal cetacean. Only 500 individuals of this species are believed to exist. They tend to be mostly seen in depths of less than 20 meters which unfortunately puts them in close contact with human activities such as fishing and boating. Fortunately, the Dyer Island Conservation Trust is working on a data base to collect photographic information to help identify individual dolphins. By checking photographs for individual scratches, tares or cuts on the dorsal fin, we can estimate the number of dolphins in a local population. We spent some time with the dolphins before moving on to the shark cage diving vessel in hopes of catching a glimpse of a great white shark.

We stopped at our sister company Marine Dynamics at the shark cage diving site and didn’t have to wait long before a large great white passed the cage. Finally, our sharks seem to be returning to the area after the orca scare and the bronze whaler take over. With an excellent start to our marine adventure we headed on behind Dyer Island in search of some cetaceans, we spotted a whale spout but the Bryde’s whale proved very elusive and only gave us a few fleeting glimpses in the distance before we could do no more. We visited our friends on Geyser Rock, 60,000 cape fur seals. The rock seemed slightly empty of adults today but as always, they put on a great show for us. We passed many Giant Petrels when leaving the rock, these birds are known as the vultures of the sea and tend to only congregate in numbers when food is available or for mating. We headed out back behind the island towards Danger Point for one last glimpse of a whale. The signs were good, plenty of birds fishing such as the beautiful Cape Gannet, Terns and even Sooty Shearwater. Another spout was seen my two of the crew on boards but like the pervious whale, proved very elusive. On that note, we headed back to the harbour with some awesome memories of some great sightings.

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