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Marine Big 5 Tour: See Whales, Sharks, Seals, Penguins
4.8
72 Ratings
Overstrand
Embark on a thrilling Marine Big 5 Safari from Hermanus. Witness Southern Right Whales, sharks, Cape fur seals, African Penguins, and dolphins in their natural habitat.
Embark on a thrilling Marine Big 5 Safari from Hermanus. Witness Southern Right Whales, sharks, Cape fur seals, African Penguins, and dolphins in their natural habitat.
Duration:
5 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
- Free visit to our African Penguin and Seabird Sanctuary (APSS)
- Warm soup and bread after the trip
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Professional guide
- Bottled water
- Coffee/tea and muffins on arrival
- Inflatable life-jackets and wet weather gear
- Free visit to our African Penguin and Seabird Sanctuary (APSS)
- Warm soup and bread after the trip
What's Not Included
- Trip footage available for purchase after the trip
- Trip footage available for purchase after the trip
Additional Information
We operate from Gansbaai 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,
- various shark species,
- 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…
We operate from Gansbaai 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,
- various shark species,
- 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.
- 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
4.8
(72 Ratings)
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Davidl003
Nov 3, 2025
Highly recommended!! - Marine Dynamics is an awesome company to do this trip with. Why? Many reasons! First of all, because I had some questions upfront via e-mail, they were so friendly and helpful. Secondly, the day itself was great. Everybody involved is so friendly and warm. And knowledgeable. And the best thing, they go out of their way to make sure we see as much as we can see. But they do so with the utmost respect for the animals. And... With regard for safety. Because during our day the waves were significant. They never lost sight of that and made some very good choices. So if you are thinking of doing a trip like this, go for Marine Dynamics!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Resort602954
Sep 1, 2025
Great experience - We really enjoyed our time on the whale tour. We saw a whale beech multiple times, and several seals. The guides were all nice and great at pointing out the wildlife.
Note that the pics are by them, but it was actually from the tour I was on :)
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Charlotteatierney
Aug 29, 2025
Excellent trip - lots of lovely touches! - I spent time researching a credible and reliable business with which to go whale watching with and Marine Dynamics were exactly that. Although expensive, there were lots of nice touches tea/coffee and muffins on arrival, a wind proof coat on board, very attentive staff on the boat ready to answer questions, mints offered round, the most amazing wild life of course with super knowledgeable commentary and soup and bread on our return. We also stopped off at the penguin sanctuary. I would thoroughly recommend!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
46wimb
Aug 28, 2025
Marine Big 5. Happily seen! - Perfect conditions, calm sea, deep blue sky.
And wthin minuten we saw a whale with her calf. Later we saw the endangered Humpback dolfins. The boat for caaged sharkseeinig gave us a close look a shark, unfortunatly not rhe great White one, then to the Dyer islands to see african penguins and multiple seals.
The crew is very helpful. Gave loods of information, binoculars, towels and of course a comfortabele trip to and from Hermanus to Gansbaai.
The catering at the startpoint was also good.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sona_m
Apr 19, 2025
Truly amazing and unique experience - This is a must do! It was awesome. The tour operators are very kind and always attentive to your needs in addition to taking utmost care to spot the big 5. Unmissable and can be filled with memories
Review provided by Viator
J2os
Mar 17, 2025
Marine Big Five Experience - An extremy well-organized tour. We saw all big five and had a very informative guidance from the guide. Good value for money. Sound system on board could be improved, it was hard to hear at times.
The marine big five includes the Great White Shark and the Southern Right Whale. We saw smaller species of shark and whale, which formally will not count (I guess?) as Big Five. This is a minor remark and it has to do with the season, but the operator could be more open about that.
All in all, a unique experience in about three hours, which will stay in memory for a long time. If nothing else for the video that was taken onboard for downloading by a professional fotographer.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Andy_n
Jan 14, 2025
Fantastic day. - A fantastic experience from start to finish. We were picked up from our hotel and transferred to the location where coffee and muffins awaited. Following a full safety brief we boarded the boat. Despite it being out of the main whale season we were lucky enough to spot and follow one to complete our marine big 5. The team were friendly and helpful but always focussed on safety. An excellent tour!
Review provided by Viator
Bijimj
Sep 17, 2025
Seals and Whales and Penguins... Oh my! - Our experience with Marine Dynamics was nothing short of incredible. We had the unforgettable opportunity to see whales, seals, and penguins up close, guided by a knowledgeable biologist who shared powerful insights about the challenges these animals face. Their passion and care for both the wildlife and their guests were truly heartwarming.
What made this experience even more meaningful was the kindness and attentiveness of the staff, who genuinely wanted to ensure we had a wonderful time. After being abandoned by our original tour operators, Bianca Els and Craig Lucke of Southern African Tours—who took our money and failed to plan any of our excursions—this level of care was especially appreciated.
Marine Dynamics went above and beyond to make us feel welcomed and valued. They served a delicious breakfast before the trip and warm soup with fresh bread afterward—such thoughtful touches that made the day even more special.
This was truly a highlight of our time in South Africa. We’re deeply grateful to the entire team for turning what could have been a disappointing trip into an extraordinary and memorable adventure.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Wooll002
Sep 16, 2025
Nice boat ride - Seals were amazing. We are not sure if we saw one whale rise one time or three different whales. We never saw porpoises. We did watch a couple of small sharks respond to the chum next to the shark cages. It was a nice boat ride, but not quite what we expected.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Uknick74
Jun 21, 2025
Avoid at all costs - Terrible experience. Avoid at all costs. Took us out on choppy waters with very little to see. In addition the orca whales have been killing many of the sharks in this area and they don’t warn you about that. Everything takes ages and people are left waiting around. If you get the bus with them you are beholden to the times over passengers want to leave and there is zero flexibility and no taxis. Our bus was left waiting around long time for two passengers who wanted to sit and eat soup for a long time. Raised it with the staff and they were all useless and u helpful.
Do not use this company and I will be advising my agent who booked this trip for us to blacklist them in the future.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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