Marine Big 5 Daily Blog 24 February
Written by February 24 2026
Whale Watching near Cape Town, South Africa – Welcome to Gansbaai, home of the Marine Big 5.
Trip Summary 24 February 2026:
What an incredible day we had here at Marine Dynamics! We left Kleinbaai Harbour behind us and made our way into deeper waters first, where we encountered our first whales. Towards the beginning, our patience was challenged as the Bryde’s whales only surfaced once before taking longer and deeper dives. Shortly after, we were rewarded with a special sighting of a Humpback whale! Even though this particular species will spend time within our area, we don’t usually encounter them until May. Just after we visited the Cape fur seal colony on Geyser Rock, we spotted a Bryde’s whale pair and could get a proper look at them! We continued towards Dyer Island to catch a glimpse of our critically endangered African Penguins. Last but not least, we managed to get some nice looks at our beloved Bronze whaler sharks of the area while stopping by our Shark cage diving vessel, Slashfin.
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What species did we see today?
African Penguin African Penguin
As one of only 17 penguin species left in the world (and the only one on the african continent), the african penguin often breed in offshore colonies, such as Dyer Island.
Cape fur seal Cape fur seal
With a local population of 60,000, it's no wonder our guests capture so many photographs of these wonderfully playful marine mammals.
Bronze Whaler Shark Bronze Whaler Shark
The Bronze whaler (also known as Copper sharks) here in Kleinbaai are very curious and interactive. These sharks eat mostly fish, with sardines being one of their favourites.
Brydes Whale Brydes Whale
The mysterious Bryde's whales visit the Dyer Island area throughout the year, with most sightings occurring during summer into winter.
Humpback Whale Humpback Whale
One of the best-known whale species, they are renowned for their acrobatic behaviour and complex melodious song as well as extremely long flippers and are a special favourite of Dyer Island Cruises guests and crew alike.
