The cormorants of the Cape

On my South African marine adventures I often got to see 3 or 4 different cormorant species as well as the Marine Big 5! 

My favourite to see was the bank cormorant, which is endangered and down to fewer than an estimated 500 breeding pairs in South Africa. The huge swarms of Cape cormorants were also very impressive to see.

Bank cormorant (Phalacrocorax neglectus)

A swarm of Cape cormorants (Phalacrocorax capensis)

Crowned cormorant (Microcarbo coronatus)

Bank cormorant in nest-building mode

Cape cormorants flying over Dyer Island

South African marine megafauna

The southern right whale is the star of the show in the South African marine scene. However there are many other bucket list species to see here. There are humpback whales, Bryde's whales, Indian Ocean humpback dolphins, common dolphins, African penguins, albatross  and a whole range of other marine birds to name a few...

Indian Ocean humpback dolphins (Sousa plumbea) in Kleinbaai, South Africa

Cape fur seal (Arctocephalus pusillus pusillus) feeding on an octopus

Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae)

Common dolphin (Delphinus delphis), funnily enough not common at all in this area

Shy albatross (Thalassarche cauta)

Southern giant petrel (macronectes giganteus)

Subantarctic skua (Stercorarius antarcticus)

Kelp gull (Larus dominicanus)

Antarctic prion (Pachyptila desolata)

and one more Cape fur seal for good measure

Out to see Southern right whales

Why I went to live in South Africa for 3 months comes down to a simple reason - whales! Southern right whales to be specific. The Western Cape of South Africa is one of the world's best places to see these friendly gentle giants. The region hosts a steadily increasing population that survived the whaling era. Each year from July to November these whales congregate here, coming together to calve and mate. Their preference is for very shallow water, which means they can often easily be seen from shore as they roll around in the surf!

Often seen in the shallows, rolling around in the surf zone

Southern right whale tilting its head out of the water

Close up of a callosity (essentially a cluster of barnacles and whale lice) on a southern right whale's head

In case you've ever wondered what it looks like to have a southern right whale coming right at you