We had an amazing experience today on our 9.30 boat trip where we had a juvenile Humpback whale swimming past the Lookout rocks towards the Robberg Peninsula.
Sea horses (hippocampus) are fish that can be recognized by their horse-like head that is right angled to the body and a muscular tail that they use as an anchor. Sea horses are well camouflaged and are generally found holding onto sea grass stems, coral heads or artificial reefs where they sit and ambush their READ MORE
On the boat trip yesterday morning the guests had an amazing sighting of common dolphins. These dolphins travel in large groups and at high speeds (~35km/hr) which can make the ocean look like it is boiling. The dolphins followed the boat, swimming next to it, jumping out of the water and bow riding.
The African Black Oystercatcher is a marine bird that is endemic to South Africa and Namibia. They are large black birds with a striking orange/red bill, eyes and legs. They can be found on rocks and beaches along most of the coast line. Despite their name they mainly feed on mussels, limpets and mussels worms READ MORE
We encountered a group of bottlenose dolphins on our boat trips this week. Most of these pods included a number of mother-calf pairs that our guests enjoyed watching as they surfaced together. The small calves are still learning to swim properly and often lift their bodies well above the water surface in an attempt to READ MORE
Last night our male seahorse gave birth to 40 babies that can now be seen in our aquariums at Ocean Blue. Sea horses are special fish since the male carry the babies in a pouch on their stomach and give birth.
Spotted Ragged-tooth sharks (Carcharias taurus), also known as sand tiger or grey nurse sharks can be found along the south and east coast of South Africa. They are usually found alone or in small groups, but can aggregate in groups of 20-80 individuals. Raggies are mostly found hovering motionless just above the seabed near shallow READ MORE
Cape Gannets can be seen year round in Plettenberg Bay and are often encountered on our trips out with Ocean Blue. These remarkable birds can be seen plunging into the ocean at high speeds to catch fish. Their plunge dive takes them to depths of 10 m, allowing them to catch fish that are well READ MORE
Bryde’s whales (Balaenopetra brydei) are resident in South African coastal waters and can be seen in Plettenberg Bay all year round. Bryde’s whales are divided into two forms, inshore and offshore, and studies have shown that these are genetically separate subspecies. They were first described off South Africa by Ørjan Olsen, a Norwegian whaler in READ MORE
There are a few different species of seals that can be found along the South African coastline. Most commonly seen is the Cape fur seal , but Sub Antarctic fur seals , Leopard seals and Southern Elephant seals are also spotted. There are two types of elephant seals, the Northern (Mirounga angustirostris) and Southern (Mirounga READ MORE