Marine Big 5 Daily Blog 25 May
Written by May 25 2025
Whale Watching near Cape Town, South Africa – Welcome to Gansbaai, home of the Marine Big 5.
Trip Summary 25 May 2025:
Another beautiful day spent out at sea! With great conditions ahead of us, we welcomed our guests aboard. Leaving Kleinbaai Harbour behind us, it did not take long for us to encounter a small raft of the critically endangered African Penguins. We continued our trip into deeper waters past the Danger Point peninsula. Accompanied by both coastal and pelagic birds such as Cape Gannets, Sooty Shearwaters, and White-chinned Petrels, we spotted a Bryde’s whale pair! Lucky us, we got to spend some time with them and got some incredible looks! Once it was time for us to move on, we made our way towards the island system. Entering Shark Alley, we were met by thousands of Cape fur seals on Geyser Rock. Heading up and down the alley and being curiously watched by the seals. Making our way to Dyer Island, we encountered a few Giant Petrels, vultures of the sea! A short stop close to the island brought our clients a bit closer to our African Penguin colony and its abundance of seabirds. On our way into shallow waters, we passed the local reef system. Shortly after, we reached the Marine Dynamics Shark cage diving vessel, Slashfin, in the hope of seeing some sharks. Quickly after arriving, a Bronze whaler shark arrived and kept both divers and our guests excited.
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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.
Cape Cormorant Cape Cormorant
One of the most famous species of Cormorant in the Western Cape, the Cape Cormorant is well known for it's beautiful turquoise eye and impressive size.
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.
Giant Petrel Giant Petrel
Around the Greater Dyer Island area we encounter both species of Giant Petrel, the Southern Giant Petrel and Northern Giant Petrel.
