Marine Big 5 Safari with transport from Hermanus

Overview

Available languages

English

5 hours

Mobile ticket

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.

Additional Info

Wheelchair accessible

Transportation options are wheelchair accessible

All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible

Suitable for all physical fitness levels

Children must be accompanied by an adult

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.

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

What‘s Included

Warm soup and bread after the trip

Hotel pickup and drop-off

Professional guide

Bottled water

Coffee/tea and muffins on arrival

Inflatable life-jackets and wet weather gear

Free visit to our African Penguin and Seabird Sanctuary (APSS)

Trip footage available for purchase after the trip

Meeting and Pickup

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

What To Expect

Marine Dynamics - Whale Watching and Marine Big 5 Tours in South Africa

Dyer Island Cruises operates around the world-famous Dyer Island where you might be fortunate enough to see the Marine Big 5: Southern Right / Humpback / Bryde’s Whales, Great White Sharks around the renowned Shark Alley, Cape Fur Seals, the endangered African Penguin and various visiting dolphin species. The are is also home to a variety of seabirds. Our Southern Right Whale Season is normally from June – December, but for the rest of the year we occasionally see Humpback and Bryde’s whales in the area. We have an on-board Marine biologist and experienced crew who promise and educational, life-changing experience. Upon arrival at the Great White House, coffee/tea and muffins are served while listening to a dedicated safety and conservation briefing. We provide safety jackets and wet weather gear. After a short walk to the harbour we board custom deigned vessel, Dream Catcher and the adventure will commence. After the trip on sea, guests return to the Great White House for soup and bread followed by a debriefing. Quality trip footage can be bought, and you will receive a downloadable link. A free visit to the African Penguin and Seabirds Sanctuary is also included. Dyer Island Cruises supports The Dyer Island Conservation Trust under which we have a number of conservation and community projects. Please be assured that Your choice makes a difference by booking with us and help to fulfil our dream to Discover & Protect. If you make use of our dedicated shuttle, we will stop in the beautiful Hermanus. Here you can explore the walkway and curio craft market or have a snack to eat, before heading back to Cape Town.

2 hours • Admission Included

1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Included

Options

11:30am Departure

Pickup included

11:30am Departure 2025

Pickup included

2:00pm Departure

Pickup included

09:00am Departure 2025

Pickup included

07:00am Departure 2025

Pickup included

07:00am Departure

Pickup included

2:00pm Departure 2025

Pickup included

09:00am Departure

Pickup included

Reviews

4.79

76 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

whale watching experience
Johntav1,
Dec 5, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
The trip to see the whales was a great experience and highly recommended, the operator made the trip run smoothly and enjoyable, we sailed to see some shark cage diving as a starter, where you could see the sharks going to the cages where people where excitedly waiting for the shark encounter, and they and we, were not disappointed, we then proceeded to see a South African penguin colony and also a seal colony, before we encountered the famous Souther Right whales, with a mother and her calf being the star attractions, and we had plenty of time to observe them playing near to our boat, and fantastic experience, enhanced by the helpful crew who always pointed out where the whales would be and gave us interesting facts along the way.
Brilliant tour
kwcannons,
Nov 26, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Superb experience. Picked up from our hotel in a comfortable bus by excellent driver and taken to Gansbaai. Coffee and cake followed by a superb boat trip. Southern Right whale mother and calf spotted. Bronze whaler shaft and seals and penguins galore. Safety on boat excellent and guide very knowledgeable. The conservation work being done by the company is inspirational. Lovely soup and roll served on return which was unexpected. Very clean rest rooms. The driver kindly stopped in at the penguin sanctuary on the way back. 100% recommend this tour.
Trip exceeded expectations - friendly fun great wildlife viewing
8jacquil,
Nov 26, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Professional well run trip - friendly guides. Saw everything promised - whales sharks penguins seals over a trip of slighly less than 3 hours. Big seas and swell but excellent skipper with good safety on board. Close viewing to all the animals/birds. Plenty of tme to enjoy the baby whale breaching - no sense of urgency or having to keep to schedule. Comfort food snacks before and after
A must!
julieth 12,
Nov 23, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Absolutely excellent trip and brilliant value. Very professional crew and set up. Really enjoyable and informative A must!
Brilliant, do it !
Sue M,
Nov 18, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00
A really excellent trip,great organisation, safely managed,amazing wildlife ,we saw all of the big 5 ,would recommend
Highly recommended!!
DavidL003,
Nov 3, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Marine Dynamics is an awesome company to do this trip with. Why? Many reasons! First of all, because I had some questions upfront via e-mail, they were so friendly and helpful. Secondly, the day itself was great. Everybody involved is so friendly and warm. And knowledgeable. And the best thing, they go out of their way to make sure we see as much as we can see. But they do so with the utmost respect for the animals. And... With regard for safety. Because during our day the waves were significant. They never lost sight of that and made some very good choices. So if you are thinking of doing a trip like this, go for Marine Dynamics!
Seals and Whales and Penguins... Oh my!
BijiMJ,
Sep 17, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
4.00
Our experience with Marine Dynamics was nothing short of incredible. We had the unforgettable opportunity to see whales, seals, and penguins up close, guided by a knowledgeable biologist who shared powerful insights about the challenges these animals face. Their passion and care for both the wildlife and their guests were truly heartwarming. What made this experience even more meaningful was the kindness and attentiveness of the staff, who genuinely wanted to ensure we had a wonderful time. After being abandoned by our original tour operators, Bianca Els and Craig Lucke of Southern African Tours—who took our money and failed to plan any of our excursions—this level of care was especially appreciated. Marine Dynamics went above and beyond to make us feel welcomed and valued. They served a delicious breakfast before the trip and warm soup with fresh bread afterward—such thoughtful touches that made the day even more special. This was truly a highlight of our time in South Africa. We’re deeply grateful to the entire team for turning what could have been a disappointing trip into an extraordinary and memorable adventure.
Nice boat ride
Wooll002,
Sep 16, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
3.00
Seals were amazing. We are not sure if we saw one whale rise one time or three different whales. We never saw porpoises. We did watch a couple of small sharks respond to the chum next to the shark cages. It was a nice boat ride, but not quite what we expected.
Great experience
Resort602954,
Sep 1, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
We really enjoyed our time on the whale tour. We saw a whale beech multiple times, and several seals. The guides were all nice and great at pointing out the wildlife. Note that the pics are by them, but it was actually from the tour I was on :)
Excellent trip - lots of lovely touches!
charlotteatierney,
Aug 29, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
I spent time researching a credible and reliable business with which to go whale watching with and Marine Dynamics were exactly that. Although expensive, there were lots of nice touches tea/coffee and muffins on arrival, a wind proof coat on board, very attentive staff on the boat ready to answer questions, mints offered round, the most amazing wild life of course with super knowledgeable commentary and soup and bread on our return. We also stopped off at the penguin sanctuary. I would thoroughly recommend!