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Marine Big 5 Tour: Discover Dyer Island Wildlife
4.4
162 Ratings
Overstrand
Embark on a thrilling Marine Big 5 Safari from Cape Town to Dyer Island. Witness Southern Right Whales, sharks, seals, penguins, and dolphins in their natural habitat.
Embark on a thrilling Marine Big 5 Safari from Cape Town to Dyer Island. Witness Southern Right Whales, sharks, seals, penguins, and dolphins in their natural habitat.
Duration:
10 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- 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…
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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.
What's Included
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Professional guide
- Bottled water
- Coffee/tea and muffins on arrival
- Inflatable life-jackets and wet weather gear
- Warm soup and bread/lasagne after the trip
- Free visit to our African Penguin and Seabird Sanctuary (APSS)
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Professional guide
- Bottled water
- Coffee/tea and muffins on arrival
- Inflatable life-jackets and wet weather gear
- Warm soup and bread/lasagne after the trip
- Free visit to our African Penguin and Seabird Sanctuary (APSS)
What's Not Included
- Trip footage available for purchase after the trip
- Trip footage available for purchase after the trip
Additional Information
Our operations are based out of Gansbaai, near the globally acclaimed Dyer Island. Here your luck may allow you to witness the Marine Big 5 – including Southern Right Whales, Humpback and Bryde’s Whales, assorted sharks, the Cape fur seal (with a population of about 60,000 on Geyser Rock), the at-risk African Penguin, and various transient dolphin…
Our operations are based out of Gansbaai, near the globally acclaimed Dyer Island. Here your luck may allow you to witness the Marine Big 5 – including Southern Right Whales, Humpback and Bryde’s Whales, assorted sharks, the Cape fur seal (with a population of about 60,000 on Geyser Rock), the at-risk African Penguin, and various transient dolphin species. The region also serves as a habitat to a broad spectrum of seabirds.
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- Wheelchair accessible, we can accommodate 2 wheelchairs per trip. Please advise at time of booking if wheelchair assistance is required.
- Excellent crew - one crew member to look after 6-7 guests.
- Please note that the Conservation Fee is compulsory.
- This tour is 2 to 2.5 hours, excluding your travel and briefing time.
Location
Dyer Island Cruises
5 Geelbek Street,
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.4
(162 Ratings)
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Betty_r
Jul 21, 2025
Such a lovely day trip! - Lovely trip! Our driver was great and the tour was amazing. Love how they are teaching about conservation and trying to protect our oceans and the penguins. Would 100% do this tour again!
Review provided by Viator
Rachet26
Jul 21, 2025
- The boat trip was great & was saw 3 out of the big 5. The sfaff & hospitality was excellent, as was the soup. The bus ride was a little long, but tolerable. I would recommend this company. A 4.5 * if it were possible.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Panagiota_a
Jun 13, 2025
Chasing the 5 marine mammals - Everything went fine the weather was fine we saw whales ..penguins ..many seals ..sharks ..missed the dolphins but the crew was really amazing very informative and everything went so well at the sea
Review provided by Viator
Cullen_f
Jun 11, 2025
Prompt, efficient and... - Prompt, efficient and safe transportation to the port area and a very knowledgeable and friendly staff awaiting there to go in search of the marine big 5! We found 4 including the first Southern Right Whale sighting of the season!
Review provided by Viator
389marcusk
Apr 12, 2025
Great visit - Wonderful trip. Early morning from cape town but it was all worth it. Only minus was that the food afterwards was a bit small for the long day.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Gozde
Mar 4, 2025
5 of 5 for seeing the big 5! - Top experience, nice crew. They did their best to find the big 5, and they succeeded. Careful sailing was taken not to scare off the animals and took the time so that we could admire them.
I was delighted by the fact that they immediately fished rubbish out of the water whenever we saw it floating.
Compliments to the driver, despite we did not ask for it he made sure we did not have to wait for another group. Well arranged!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Prinz360
Jan 9, 2025
Amazing Adventure - Great team with emphasis on Safety. My most memorable part will be the encounter with the seals and the penguins. # LOVED IT
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Scotw2025
Jan 7, 2025
Great Help with Wildlife Photography - These guys are real pros! They picked me up at Hout Bay when they said they would, had life jackets and rain coats and explained everything real well, including their conservation efforts helping hurt or sick birds. When I told them I'm learning to photograph wildlife, they picked me a good spot on the top deck and two guys helped me spot birds and marine life so I could snap quickly and learn the names of everything. They even had warm soup and bread afterwards to warm us up! It was early, but well worth it. Such a wonderful day!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Benjamin_z
Dec 21, 2024
Amazing marine tour - The pick up from our hotel was on time and smooth. The drive along the coast was beautiful. The staff at the harbor explained everything and made sure everyone was safe before leaving. The boat ride was amazing. The water was beautiful. We saw 2 species of dolphin, including a huge pack that swam alongside the boat. We saw some small sharks, many, many seals, and a couple penguins. The staff were very knowledgeable and helpful and friendly and made sure everyone knew where to look and why the boat was going in certain directions, slowing down, stopping, etc. Conservation is the priority, which makes for the best tour. When back at the harbor we had delicious soup and bread, then went to the penguin sanctuary nearby before heading back.
Review provided by Viator
Sj_s
Feb 16, 2025
Choose your time of year wisely - The first thing anyone thinking of taking this trip should know is that the depart time is the time of the boat, not the pickup time. We booked this thinking we’d have a 10am pick up from Cape Town, not the 5.30am pick up we did have. I think if we’d known this we probably wouldn’t have done this tour.
To be fair the the company, we knew when booking this trip that January wasn’t really the best time to see whales. They were upfront about the probability and what we might see. The crew were all fantastic, really knowledgeable and keen to share this.
The long mini bus journey goes through some nice countryside and I liked what I saw of Hermanus. As we were a smaller group, they used a smaller boat which did bang down on the big waves. I don’t think it is an experience for those of a nervous predisposition!
All in, no whales seen, just seals and some small sharks being fed by another vessel. We knew we were taking our chances re seeing whales so I can’t say it was a waste of money. I wouldn’t do it again as I hate small boats but I imagine at a different time of year ..or you get lucky.. this would be a really magical experience. And again, a big thank you to the excellent company who delivered this.
Review provided by Viator
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