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Marine Big 5 Safari: Self-Drive around Dyer Island to encounter diverse marine wildlife
4.7
57 Ratings
Van Dyks Bay
Embark on a thrilling self-drive safari around Dyer Island to witness the incredible Marine Big 5. Encounter whales, sharks, seals, penguins, and dolphins in their natural habitat.
Duration:
3 hours
Cancellation:
1 day
learn more
Highlights
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Dyer Island Cruises - You will arrive at The Great White House where we a restaurant, bathroom facilities and curio shop are situated.
Upon arrival tea, coffee and muffins will be served.
In the conservation and education room, you will receive an in-depth briefing regarding the area that you’ll be operating in, as well as conservation work and safety.
You will be equipped with inflatable life jackets and wet weather gear in case of cooler weather conditions.
It is a short walk down to the harbour to enjoy an exhilarating trip on custom designed Dream Catcher. The Southern Right Whale Season is normally from June - December, but for the rest of the year the area is so fortunate to occasionally see some Humpback and Bryde’s whales. Other stops include a visit to the shark cage diving vessels to view great white sharks and then head to Dyer Island and Geyser Rock for the penguins and seals. You may also spot one of three dolphin species that visit: the Common dolphin, the Humpback or the Indo-pacific Bottlenose dolphin. You have an on board biologist and experienced crew promise an educational and memorable experience for the whole family.
After the trip at sea, you come back to The Great White House for warm soup and bread while warming up in front of a cosy fire or in summer to enjoy the warm sun. A debriefing will follow and the trip footage can be bought.
The trip also includes a visit to our African Penguin and Seabird Sanctuary (APSS) either before or after the trip.
What's Included
- Professional guide
- Inflatable life-jackets and wet weather gear
- Coffee/tea and muffins on arrival
- Warm soup and bread after the trip
- Free visit to our African Penguin and Seabird Sanctuary (APSS)
- Bottled water
What's Not Included
- Trip footage available for purchase after the trip
- Transportation to/from attractions
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
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 wide variety of seabirds.
- 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
Great White House Restaurant - Gansbaai
Geelbek Street
Travellers to meet us at the Great White House, Gansbaai, Geelbek Street, Van Dyks Bay, South Afica
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.7
(57 Ratings)
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Charlottecc4650sz
Jun 17, 2024
Very nice experience - Very nice experience. We saw 2 or 3 whales 🐳., sharks, sea lions, penguins.
We didn't see the dolphins...
Very nice experience.
On the other hand, disappointed with Gansbaii in terms of catering... we ate in the great house.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Guide45800997533
May 16, 2024
Amazing experience. - What a fantastic adventure, we really had a great day with Dyer Island Cruises, we did the Marine Big 5, spotted Marine birds, the bridel whale, dolphins, seals, we even saw a corper shark, after the trip we stopped by the penguin sanctuary.
I would highly recommend this 5 star experience to anyone from South Africa as well as International Tourists. Really professional company, professional and super friendly staff, you can tell that they all love what they doing.
Shout out to Janine, she was very helpful and took her time to show us around, she is one amazing Lady.
We had an amazing experience and highly recommend this to anyone, whether you do the Marine Big 5 or Shark Cage diving.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Guide30925668316
May 14, 2024
Marine Big 5 Tour - a great experience! - We (two adults and our seven-year-old daughter) took part in the Marine Big 5 Tour with Dyer Island Cruises at the end of March. We were lucky enough to see whales, sharks, seals and penguins. A truly wonderful experience for nature and animal lovers like us. The crew kept sharing interesting information about the different animals and places via on-board announcements. After the boat trip, a delicious meal was waiting for us, which rounded off the day perfectly.
The organization was perfect and we felt in good hands from start to finish. We can highly recommend the Marine Big 5 Tour from Dyer Island Cruises. A big thank you to the entire team for an unforgettable experience - we will definitely be back (in August 2025 😊)!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Inspire726953
May 5, 2024
The great humpback whale and penguins were the best - This was by far the best experience I had with the ocean. The marine biologist onboard was so friendly and well educated about the area and sea animals. I would highly recommend this 5 star experience to anyone from South Africa as well as International Tourists. Keep up your great efforts and high standards.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Grandtour42171074542
May 4, 2024
Best marine experience ever - What a fantastic adventure we had today with your great crew. Thank you Sonja and to our very skilled skipper. Lucas and his team on-deck were very supportive and enthusiastic. It was my birthday gift from my wife and it was the best one ever.
Keep it up!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Adigro84
Apr 4, 2024
Unique ocean experience - A great tour from Kleinbaai with a good chance of seeing the Marine Big 5 (shark, dolphin, whale, sea lion and penguin). After an informative briefing with coffee, we head out onto the ocean for around 3 hours, accompanied by marine biologists who are always happy to provide competent information. After the stay at sea, we finished with a delicious meal. A great experience that I recommend to anyone who is interested in marine life in South Africa.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jayno666
Nov 28, 2023
A very worthwhile experience - good value for money and highly recommended. - A fantastic boat trip. We were fortunate to see four of the big five, and thought the service and attentiveness of all the crew members was outstanding. We appreciated the commentary from the marine biologist who was a mine of interesting information.
A particular highlight was the 20 minutes we spent with a mother and calf Southern Right whale, who put on a great performance, getting up close to the boat on a number of occasions. The seal colony off Dyer Island didn't disappoint either!
We felt very safe as it's clear that the company takes safety very seriously, and ensured we were fully briefed before the trip, as well as provided with life jackets and optional water proof jackets. There was also storage on the boat for our personal belongings, to ensure they didn't get wet or slip overboard.
The coffee and muffin before the trip, as well as the soup and freshly backed breadroll at the end of the trip, were both very nice touches, which helped stave off the hunger after an early start. All in all a very worthwhile experience which we'd highly recommend.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
C5037cglaurab
Nov 2, 2023
close encounters - I loved being able to see the seals, whales and sharks so closely. They will also point out birds for those who are interested. The team was very supportive of my husband who was sea sick (which happens on most boats). You can get free pictures from the tour so you don't have to worry about that. There is also an opportunity to buy a video. Really appreciate the role this company plays in conservation. After the tour going to the Penguin and Seabird sanctuary is a must.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Deborah_c
Dec 17, 2023
Support conservation! - A great way to experience marine life in South Africa while supporting conservation and research efforts. The area is beautiful from the boat. Come during whale season if you can. If not you may still see the Bryde’s Whale. Be sure to visit the South African Penguin and Seabird Sanctuary. These birds are threatened with becoming extinct in the wild soon and need support.
Review provided by Viator
David
Nov 6, 2023
Good interesting tour - It was a cool tour. We saw whales very close to the boat, as well as penguins and seals. Unfortunately, we didn't see any dolphins or sharks. The service was good and the staff very friendly and motivated. You just have to do it, tip top.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
