Saturday 18 November 2023

Heads and tails of Southern right whales

Whales are extremely sociable creatures. Right whales in particular are often seen in a variety of social displays when they are on their winter breeding grounds. They will come right into the shallows where they roll around at the surface, in pairs or even large gatherings. During my winter stay in South Africa I got to see a lot of these social interactions between Southern right whales. The result is many photos of the heads and tails of these social whales:





Mouth slightly ajar


This whale is showing its pectoral fin


Some tail action



Them most beautiful tail

Thursday 2 November 2023

The residents of Dyer Island and Geyser Rock

On Dyer Island and Geyser Rock there (off the coast of Kleinbaai, South Africa) is a biodiverse hotspot for a range of marine life including seals, penguins, large flocks of cormorants and the occasional passing shark. Meet some of the residents and visitors of Dyer Island and Geyser Rock:


Cape fur seal


African penguins and Cape cormorants


Cape cormorants over Dyer Island


An estimated 60,000 Cape fur seals use Geyser rock


The best spot is highest on the rock


Rough seas are a common sight at Geyser rock