Coastal marine birds in South Africa

My time off the water is often still spent out searching for marine life. You never know what you will encounter along the shores, especially when in a new country where everything looks different to what you are used to! 

African sacred ibis

Hadada ibis

African oystercatcher

Plover

Plovers

African penguin

Juvenile African penguin

Little egret

Little egret

Plover - I just can't get enough of these little cuties

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

Life in South Africa

The next series of blog posts are all about life in South Africa - how to was to live in South Africa and the incredible lifeforms I encountered during my 3 months there. This thrilling chapter of my life was spent mostly out on the ocean where there is an abundance of marine life. But I also got to enjoy the African land on a day to day basis. I was living in Kleinbaai (translation: small bay) and guiding whale watching tours for Dyer Island Cruises. This company not only operates responsible whale watching tours, but they are also industry leaders in research and conservation. I feel so lucky for the time I spent with them.

This was my front yard. An incredible playground for sightseeing, nature photography and running

The bay we would launch from for whale watching - a fun ride getting past the wave action

The view from the boat. We often encountered whales and dolphins this close to shore

There was plenty of wildlife to be seen while walking the coastline...

such as this tree agama (the heads of the males turn blue during the breeding season)

and this stunning millipede

It was always a delight to visit the African penguins and the African Penguin & Seabird Sanctuary