The Marine Big 5 Animals of South Africa - the Cape’s Top Sea Life

Conversations about Africa's Big 5 centre on the five most iconic species of the continent: lion, leopard, rhino, elephant, and buffalo. But did you know that the vast oceans surrounding the southern tip of Africa are home to their own flagship species - the Marine Big 5 animals? 

The Marine Big 5 are the whale, shark, seal, penguin, and dolphin. South Africa offers exceptional opportunities to view these iconic marine animals all across the Western Cape Province from the Garden Route to Cape Town itself. These are the most popular sea animals of South Africa and ticking all five off your list is a must-do for any holiday to this beautiful country.

The Marine Big 5

1. The African Penguin
2. The Cape Fur Seal
3. Dolphins
4. Southern Right Whales
5. The Great White Shark

5. The African Penguin

This diminutive creature, dapper in black and white plumage, has recovered from the brink of extinction. There are a few well-established colonies dotted around the Western and Eastern Cape of South Africa; Dassen Island, St Croix Island, Robben Island, Bird Island, Dyer Island, and Boulders Beach.

While St. Croix Island in Algoa Bay (near Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth)) boasts the largest population in the world and Robben Island in Cape Town is perhaps the most famous habitat for these birds, Boulders Beach is undoubtedly the most memorable.

The penguin colony at Boulders Beach boasts almost 3,000 birds so, whether walking the boardwalk or heading down to the beach, you are guaranteed sightings year-round. Located in Simon's Town roughly a 45-minute drive from Cape Town, Boulders has been rated as one of Lonely Planet's Top 10 Unique Beaches.

In addition to the spectacular views across False Bay, visitors to this sheltered cove can not only get close to the penguins but swim with them! And if this kind of close encounter with the avian kind leaves you hankering after a more intimate experience, Sanccob, a penguin rehabilitation centre in Simon's Town, offers private tours and voluntourism opportunities.

4. The Cape Fur Seal

The Cape Fur Seal, famous for its soft brown fur, can be seen from Namibia, all the way down the west coast and past Cape Town as far as Port Elizabeth (Gqeberha). In Cape Town, they are a real tourist attraction at Hout Bay and Kalk Bay harbours and get a fair bit of attention at the V&A Waterfront too.

There is something comical about these lugubrious-looking sea giants, sunning themselves and flumping about on their clown-shoe flippers. But it's as they plop off dry land and into the water that you get a sense of the playfulness, agility, and speed of these aquatic mammals.

With this in mind, I was thrilled to learn that you can actually go snorkelling with seals. Diving with seals happens on the Atlantic side of Cape Town at Duiker Island in the Karbonkelberg Marine Protected Area (part of Table Mountain National Park). The cooler waters of the Atlantic, shallow kelp forests, and comparatively low number of seals (only 5,000) mean that this is the perfect spot to interact with these wild animals.

While cautious on land, seals are famous for their curiosity underwater.  They are known to approach humans and even swim alongside scuba divers. The trip from Hout Bay is short and easy and the area, I am assured, is shark-free! What better way to get to know these aquatic acrobats?

If you'd rather not get into the water with the seals there are boat trips to many of the seal colonies dotted along the coast. Gansbaai is popular as a hub for all marine viewing and Geyser Rock adjacent to Shark Alley is home to roughly 60,000 Cape fur seals. If that is a little small for you then you need to head for Kleinzee on the West Coast. Just north of Kleinzee is the largest on-land seal colony in South Africa boasting over 350,000 seals!

3. Dolphins

Dolphins are synonymous with the ocean space and no trip is complete without at least one dolphin sighting. Luckily with the rich marine biodiversity along South Africa's coastline, you are sure to tick this one off your list fairly quickly! These aquatic mammals can be seen in both the Indian and Atlantic Oceans, jumping in and out of the surf or on a specialist dolphin tour.

While South Africa is home to over ten dolphin species, the ones that you are likely to see swimming close to shore are the famous Bottlenose Dolphin, the Long-Beaked Common Dolphin, and the shy Indo-Pacific Humpback Dolphin.  

No other marine mammal inspires as much excitement and joy as they cavort through the water. The sardine run, which takes place between May and July, is a great time to see dolphins as they gather en mass to take advantage of the abundance of food. You can see pods of dolphins working together to herd the sardines into a "bait ball", which they push to the surface and then feed on, a lot like sheepdogs herding sheep.

A less season-specific option is to take a trip out to Plettenberg Bay on the Garden Route. Plettenberg Bay has plenty of land-based viewing options but also opportunities to get really close by taking a boat cruise or, for those feeling a little more adventurous, a kayak tour into the big blue.

South Africa has some of the best regulations controlling interactions with sea life and because human interactions adversely affect them, swimming with dolphins is strictly forbidden.

2. Southern Right Whales  

At 16 meters in length, the sheer size of these ocean giants is enough to drop anyone's jaw. All along South Africa's Western Cape coastline, between June and December,  whales can be seen as they move into the warmer shallow waters to calve. The Cape Whale Route includes various bays along the Garden Route and stretches from Cape Town to Cape Agulhas.

Sheltered bays like False Bay and Hermanus are nurseries to the endangered southern right and humpback whales who can be seen playing, often a stone's throw away from the shore.

Southern right whales, so named because they were considered to be the "right" whales to hunt, migrate up from the cold waters of the Antarctic to the warmer conditions of South Africa's beautiful coastline. Here they can be seen playing just offshore, nurturing their young, waving their fins or bobbing their tails and, if you are lucky, you might even get to see one of these 60-ton giants breaching out of the water to make a tremendous splash.

Just over an hour and a half from Cape Town is the coastal town of Hermanus. It is one of the best places in the world for land-based whale watching and boasts over 12km of cliff path walking where in places, whales can be seen from only a few meters away.

Hermanus is also host to the now-famous Whale Crier, who announces the arrival of whales in the bay by blowing on his kelp horn. Considering that these gentle giants were once hunted to the brink of extinction it is a marvel to see them flourishing.

1. The Great White Shark

Top of the marine food chain the great white shark unquestionably holds the number 1 spot. The largest fish species on earth, adult sharks reach between 4.5 and 6 meters in length, weigh about 2 and a half tons and can swim at almost 25km an hour ... did I mention the several rows of ever regenerating serrated teeth?  

The combination of speed, agility, and raw power of the great white makes it a fearsome and feared predator AND a hot favourite for any sea safari. 

Seeing the apex predator of the marine kingdom up close is without a doubt one of the most thrilling and humbling animal encounters on the planet. The Western Cape is one of the best places to see great white sharks at daringly close range, with hotspots including Seal Island in Mossel Bay, Dyer Island and Geyser Rock near Gansbaai, and the infamous Seal Island in False Bay, which is home to the “flying” great white sharks.

With impeccable 'safety first' regulations it is now more accessible than ever to get below the surface and into the shark's natural environment.

Listed as vulnerable on the IUCN red list very little is known about these predators. Public opinion towards sharks is changing and companies like Marine Dynamics, operating out of Gansbaai, run eco-tourism opportunities where conservation is at the heart of all activities. This means that your adrenaline-pumping experience with the great white contributes directly to the science of keeping them safe and protecting shark populations.

Gansbaai & Southern Peninsula

While the Western Cape coastal region abounds with opportunities to see the Marine Big 5, there are two special places, so abundant with marine life that they offer you the possibility of seeing all five in one trip. 

Gansbaai is the one-stop destination for spotting the whole complement: whales, sharks, dolphins, penguins, and seals - all of which flourish along this rugged coastline near the southernmost tip of Africa. The area between Dyer Island and Geyser Rock is aptly named Shark Alley. This unique area is where great white sharks casually hang out during the winter months to feast on the colony of fat Cape Fur Seals that breed nearby on Geyser Rock. The adjacent Dyer Island is a protected bird sanctuary where endangered species such as the African penguin, Cape cormorant, gannet, and black oystercatcher breed.

Gansbaai and surrounds, including Walker Bay, is the oceanic playpen of the gigantic southern right whales. These gentle beasts gather here between May and December to date, mate, and give birth in sheltered bays. Various species of dolphins, including the playful bottlenose, can often be seen surfing the waves throughout the year. In 2011, a huge pod totaling more than 2,000 animals, raced past Walker Bay leaving even the locals agog!

The southern peninsula, gently arching around False Bay is another incredible destination boasting the full complement of whales, seals, penguins, sharks, and dolphins.

Here, in the span of a day, it is possible to surf with dolphins in Muizenberg, sun yourself on the quaint beaches while watching whales, visit the seals at Kalk Bay Harbour, and kayak with the penguins of Boulders Beach, saving the best for last with a shark cage diving trip in the afternoon.

The beauty of the south peninsula is jaw-dropping, more astounding considering the plethora of fine food dining just forty minutes away in Cape Town CBD.

One of the most reputable nature reserves for marine animal watching (located near Gansbaai) is Grootbos Private Nature Reserve - aka the Serengeti of the Sea.

Getting there:

• Dassen Island: Either hire a car and drive from Cape Town or join a guided tour from Cape Town
• St Croix Island: Access from Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth) - view our upcoming tours departing from Port Elizabeth
• Robben Island: Catch the ferry to Robben Island from the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town
• Boulders Beach: Drive to Boulders from Cape Town city or join one of our Cape Peninsula trips starting in Cape Town
• Dyer Island: Drive from Cape Town to the Cape Whale Coast or join one of our affordable Shark Cage Diving Tours 
• Garden Route: Fly to Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth) or Cape Town and drive to the Garden Route or join one of our budget-friendly Garden Route Tours
• Hermanus & Gansbaai on the Cape Whale Route: Drive from Cape Town or join one of our Cape Whale Route Tours

For help booking a budget tour that's ideal for spotting marine animals in South Africa or Namibia, talk to one of our Africa travel experts.