The Gansbaai Marine Big 5

Anyone who comes to Africa knows about the Big 5. Africa is famous for it’s amazing variety of large and unusual land mammals, and of course South Africa is one of the best places in the world to see the Elephant, Rhino, Buffalo, Lion and Leopard that make up the African big 5 in one place.

There is however another big 5 that is equally as amazing, the Marine Big 5, and just like the Land Big 5, one of the only places you will ever see the Marine Big 5 is in South Africa. And one of the only places you will see them all in one place is Gansbaai! The Marine big 5 consists of the Great White Shark, Southern Right Whale, Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphin, Cape Fur Seal, and African Penguin.

As far as Whales are concerned, Gansbaai’s waters are frequented by both the majestic Southern Right Whale and the shy Humpback Whale species, which spend a considerable amount of time breeding and raising their babies there every year. Gansbaai is also known as a Mecca for shark cage diving and Great White Shark spotting, because of the prolific number of seals that live in the area, which are the Great Whites’ main food source.

When it comes to seals, there is an abundant Cape Fur Seal population that breed and live on Geyser Rock, providing a constant stream of entertainment for entertainers, and a permanent feeding ground for the Great white Shark population. While the Bottlenose Dolphin is the one to look out for if you are specifically searching out the Marine big 5, there are a number of other species that visit and play along side the bottlenose dolphin species through out the year around Gansbaai too.

And of course, if it is penguins you love, there is an entire island sanctuary’s worth of breeding African penguins on Dyer island to go and enjoy!

Marine Big 5 safaris are available through many charter companies in and around Gansbaai so all you need do is ask your hosts to book a trip for you and you will bea ble to head out onto the waters to catch a glimpse of these awe-inspiring and often entertaining animals.