Daily Trip 28 November 2017
We had another Marine big 5 kind of day with both of our client trips spotting all of our favourite animals!
Written by Jax, November 29 2017
Guide Summary and Photographs
The weather was absolutely gorgeous as we head on out to sea today, with us launching from Kleinbaai harbour. We cruised along the shallows on our first tour, admiring the crispy white dunes when we came across what we always hope to see in this area, Indian Ocean Humpback Dolphins. A coastal species, these endangered cetaceans stick close to shore and today was no exception, with us watching them in the surf.
After watching these 3 beauties, we made our way over The Clyde Reef System. We found our very first mom, calf pair of Southern Right Whales just as we were exiting the reef, so we stayed with them a bit, watching them roll around before we decided to head off. A little while past the town of Pearly Beach, we managed to catch up with 3 more pairs, with us deciding to watch the two having the most fun. One little calf was full of energy, with it sticking its head and tail at the water as we approached. The show went on with baby rolling around, sometimes on top of mom, and taking deep dives, which allowed us a tail fluke or two. It is always amazing to see the affection between mom and baby, with mom allowing the little one to rest its tail on her bonnet for a bit as she lay there.
Geyser Rock was the next port of call where we got to see the ever growing number of pups on the island. The water was choc o block with seals today due to the warm temperatures, which created some awesome photographic opportunities. The pups are not swimming just yet, with most waiting a few months before braving the Atlantic for the first time, but it was certainly nice to see the adults enjoying themselves. We stopped at Dyer Island next to show off our impressive Cape Cormorant colony and to try and spot a Penguin or tow, although well camouflaged, we did managed to spot a couple of these clumsy fellows siting on the white rocks.
Slashfin was our last stop for the tour, with us spotting a Bronze Whaler and completing the marine Big 5.
Our 2nd trip of the day started off with a very relaxed African Penguins and then a gorgeous Humpback Dolphin sighting when the dolphins decided to come in a little closer. This really does not happen every day with such a shy species so we were all super excited when they moved slowly past us, heading towards Jouberts Dam. At Pearly Beach, we also got lucky with our whales when we had a mom rolling around with her little calf. The sighting started off with the little calf being slightly more boisterous, also taking deeper dives, and then popping up next to mom. Once they had stopped, the calf began to roll onto its back, with the mom following suit. We got to see her giant pectoral flippers exposed as well as the gorgeous white spot on her belly.
Following our time with these majestic creatures, we visited our Cape Fur Seals again and then took a stop at Slashfin, with the Bronze Whaler coming to the rescue and completing our Marine Big 5.
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