Marine Big 5 Safari from Cape Town
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Operating around the world famous Dyer Island where you might be so fortunate to see the Marine Big 5 – the Southern Right Whale/Humpback/Bryde’s Whales, the iconic Great White Shark, the Cape fur seal (around 60 000 on Geyser Rock), the endangered African Penguin and various visiting dolphin species. The area is also home to a wide variety of seabirds.
Bottled water
Coffee/tea and muffins on arrival
Free visit to our African Penguin and Seabird Sanctuary (APSS)
Hotel pickup and drop-off
Inflatable life-jackets and wet weather gear
Professional guide
Warm soup and bread after the trip
Trip footage available for purchase after the trip
- INFANT: : 0 - 4
- CHILD: : 5 - 11
- ADULT: : 12 - 99
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- Face masks provided for travellers
- Face masks required for travellers in public areas
- Guides required to regularly wash hands
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Regular temperature checks for staff
- Social distancing enforced throughout experience
- Temperature checks for travellers upon arrival
- Transportation vehicles regularly sanitised
- Wheelchair accessible, we can accommodate 3 wheelchairs per trip. Please advise at time of booking if wheelchair assistance is required.
- All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible
- Excellent crew - one crew member to look after 3-4 guests.
- Face masks required for guides in public areas
- Gear/equipment sanitised between use
- Hand sanitiser available to travellers and staff
- Paid stay-at-home policy for staff with symptoms
- Regularly sanitised high-traffic areas
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
- Wheelchair accessible
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
- For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
- If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
- This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.
What To Expect
Dyer Island Cruises
Dyer Island Cruises operates around the world-famous Dyer Island where you might be fortunate enough to see the Marine Big 5: Southern Right / Humpback / Bryde’s Whales, Great White Sharks around the renowned Shark Alley, Cape Fur Seals, the endangered African Penguin and various visiting dolphin species. The are is also home to a variety of seabirds. Our Southern Right Whale Season is normally from June – December, but for the rest of the year we occasionally see Humpback and Bryde’s whales in the area. We have an on-board Marine biologist and experienced crew who promise and educational, life-changing experience.
Upon arrival at the Great White House, coffee/tea and muffins are served while listening to a dedicated safety and conservation briefing. We provide safety jackets and wet weather gear. After a short walk to the harbour we board custom deigned vessel, Dream Catcher and the adventure will commence. After the trip on sea, guests return to the Great White House for soup and bread followed by a debriefing. Quality trip footage can be bought, and you will receive a downloadable link.
A free visit to the African Penguin and Seabirds Sanctuary is also included. Dyer Island Cruises supports The Dyer Island Conservation Trust under which we have a number of conservation and community projects. Please be assured that Your choice makes a difference by booking with us and help to fulfil our dream to Discover & Protect.
If you make use of our dedicated shuttle, we will stop in the beautiful Hermanus. Here you can explore the walkway and curio craft market or have a snack to eat, before heading back to Cape Town.
Upon arrival at the Great White House, coffee/tea and muffins are served while listening to a dedicated safety and conservation briefing. We provide safety jackets and wet weather gear. After a short walk to the harbour we board custom deigned vessel, Dream Catcher and the adventure will commence. After the trip on sea, guests return to the Great White House for soup and bread followed by a debriefing. Quality trip footage can be bought, and you will receive a downloadable link.
A free visit to the African Penguin and Seabirds Sanctuary is also included. Dyer Island Cruises supports The Dyer Island Conservation Trust under which we have a number of conservation and community projects. Please be assured that Your choice makes a difference by booking with us and help to fulfil our dream to Discover & Protect.
If you make use of our dedicated shuttle, we will stop in the beautiful Hermanus. Here you can explore the walkway and curio craft market or have a snack to eat, before heading back to Cape Town.
2 hours • Admission Ticket Included
Dyer Island Cruises operates around the world-famous Dyer Island where you might be fortunate enough to see the Marine Big 5: Southern Right / Humpback / Bryde’s Whales, Great White Sharks around the renowned Shark Alley, Cape Fur Seals, the endangered African Penguin and various visiting dolphin species. The are is also home to a variety of seabirds. Our Southern Right Whale Season is normally from June – December, but for the rest of the year we occasionally see Humpback and Bryde’s whales in the area. We have an on-board Marine biologist and experienced crew who promise and educational, life-changing experience.
Upon arrival at the Great White House, coffee/tea and muffins are served while listening to a dedicated safety and conservation briefing. We provide safety jackets and wet weather gear. After a short walk to the harbour we board custom deigned vessel, Dream Catcher and the adventure will commence. After the trip on sea, guests return to the Great White House for soup and bread followed by a debriefing. Quality trip footage can be bought, and you will receive a downloadable link.
A free visit to the African Penguin and Seabirds Sanctuary is also included. Dyer Island Cruises supports The Dyer Island Conservation Trust under which we have a number of conservation and community projects. Please be assured that Your choice makes a difference by booking with us and help to fulfil our dream to Discover & Protect.
If you make use of our dedicated shuttle, we will stop in the beautiful Hermanus. Here you can explore the walkway and curio craft market or have a snack to eat, before heading back to Cape Town.
Upon arrival at the Great White House, coffee/tea and muffins are served while listening to a dedicated safety and conservation briefing. We provide safety jackets and wet weather gear. After a short walk to the harbour we board custom deigned vessel, Dream Catcher and the adventure will commence. After the trip on sea, guests return to the Great White House for soup and bread followed by a debriefing. Quality trip footage can be bought, and you will receive a downloadable link.
A free visit to the African Penguin and Seabirds Sanctuary is also included. Dyer Island Cruises supports The Dyer Island Conservation Trust under which we have a number of conservation and community projects. Please be assured that Your choice makes a difference by booking with us and help to fulfil our dream to Discover & Protect.
If you make use of our dedicated shuttle, we will stop in the beautiful Hermanus. Here you can explore the walkway and curio craft market or have a snack to eat, before heading back to Cape Town.
1 hours • Admission Ticket Free
African Penguin & Seabird Sanctuary
The African Penguin & Seabird Sanctuary (APSS) serves as a custom-designed, world class, marine bird rehabilitation centre in the Overstrand area. We provide temporary rehabilitative care to diseased, displaced, injured, oiled and abandoned marine birds with special focus on the endangered African Penguin. Marine bird rescue, rehabilitation and release form part of the conservation management plan to conserve and maintain African Penguin populations, and other seabirds. Through continued research, education and awareness programmes, we aim to mitigate human impacts on our colonies
15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Recenzie
Fun day!
Jason_K, 30-11-2022
This was a fun way to spend a day. The boat scientist really knew what she was talking about and the sightings were great! Even the soup and bread after the boat were great. I’m glad I picked this tour because it was fun and contributes to a good outfit.
A lovely day at sea and great experience with marine life.
Rachel_R, 30-11-2022
We really enjoyed our day with Dyer Island Cruises! The marine biologist and crew were very knowledgeable and we got to see 4 of the big 5 (no dolphins this time), which given it is late November, we were surprised to see whales (a mother and her calf) so late in the season. The drive to and from the Cape Town City Centre was about 2.5 hours each way but we got about 2.5 hours at sea, which was plenty of time to experience the animals and enjoy the ocean. The coffee and muffins in the morning were nice and the staff at Dyer was very polite and accommodating. Would recommend to anyone who wants to see the local ocean life and loves being at sea.
Ocean Beauty
voverland, 11-11-2022
The staff are ever so friendly and very knowledgeable. I learnt a lot during the morning. Lovely people. It was a lovely experience. We saw whales, penguins and seals and had a delicious soup afterwards. Would recommend the experience.
Great experience
Wallace_C, 24-01-2023
Incredible experience on board. Lived up to all expectations. Types of whales are seasonal but we did have several spottings of Bryede’s whales, thousands of fur seals, fewer penguins than expected and massive numbers of cormorants. Sharks were around a diving boat and plentiful. Not the time of year for great whites. We left from Cape Town, picked up by their excellent driver. We were picked up at 5:50 for a 9:00 sail that lasted to noon then returned by 3:30.
Excellent day trip!
tetarenkAJ, 21-01-2023
Excellent day trip, well worth the long drive. We got to see all of the big 5, and the crew/biologists on the boat were very kind and knowledgeable.
Very well organised tour worth its money!
289susannal, 13-12-2022
We didn't see any whales as it was just too late for the season (9th December) but everything else was well worth seeing it and going on this tour for. I was picked up in Cape Town on time and the ride to Gaansbai didn't seem that long thanks to the welcoming driver. At the centre we were taken care of by the friendly staff and Sandy, our instructor (coffee&muffin, safety instructions, information about the tour, safety west). Sandy was with us on the boat and provided the necessary information each time we stopped and saw an animal. (birds, a humpback dolphin, a shark, seals, penguins). The sea was quite rough at times but I fortunately had taken some motion sickness pills. On the whole, a very well organised tour worth its money.
A Good Day at Sea
Rosemary S, 25-11-2022
We technically saw all of the 'Big 5' on our outing. We were late in the whale season, but did see a Southern Right whale and her calf, some bronze whaler sharks near another boat with folks in a diving cage, a solitary humpback dolphin, some South African penguins and multitudes of Cape fur seals at Dyer Island.
The staff and crew were knowledgeable and all-in-all it was a good day!
The staff and crew were knowledgeable and all-in-all it was a good day!
Perfect weather to do...
Jazmin_G, 24-12-2022
Perfect weather to do this tour but wrong season as we did not see any whale. Sharks we saw were fed thats why they surfaced. The seal colony was the only worthwhile viewing on this trip and glad that our guide stayed as long as we could. The penguin colony can be better viewed at Boulders Bay than where we were taken on this tour. The breakfast of tea and freshly baked cupcake before the tour and the piping hot soup with bread after the tour compensated for the lack of whale sighting. Also our tour guide suggested for us to see the cheetah preserve and our ability to pet a cheetah more than compensated for the lack of whale.
An ordinary outing into the Sea
Sunil K, 30-01-2023
Prompt and efficient Cape Town return service.
Courteous staff at reception. Limited space at the briefing, needs to be expanded. The bun and soup were distasteful; should have been something tastier and enjoyable.
The boat trip was enjoyable. However we properly spotted only a couple of Southern Right Whales who did not completely emerge from the waters. We didn’t sight any dolphins or great whites, just some ordinary small sharks. The seals and the penguins on the two respective islands were nice to watch from a distance.
Overall just a nice outing into the sea.
Courteous staff at reception. Limited space at the briefing, needs to be expanded. The bun and soup were distasteful; should have been something tastier and enjoyable.
The boat trip was enjoyable. However we properly spotted only a couple of Southern Right Whales who did not completely emerge from the waters. We didn’t sight any dolphins or great whites, just some ordinary small sharks. The seals and the penguins on the two respective islands were nice to watch from a distance.
Overall just a nice outing into the sea.
