Marine Big 5 Safari: Self-Drive

You will arrive at The Great White House where we a restaurant, bathroom facilities and curio shop are situated.  Upon arrival tea, coffee and muffins will be served.  In the conservation and education room, you will receive an in-depth briefing regarding the area that you'll be operating in, as well as conservation work and safety.  You will be equipped with inflatable life jackets and wet weather gear in case of cooler weather conditions.

It is a short walk down to the harbour to enjoy an exhilarating trip on custom designed Dream Catcher. The Southern Right Whale Season is normally from June - December, but for the rest of the year the area is so fortunate to occasionally see some Humpback and Bryde’s whales. Other stops include a visit to the shark cage diving vessels to view great white sharks and then head to Dyer Island and Geyser Rock for the penguins and seals. You may also spot one of three dolphin species that visit: the Common dolphin, the Humpback or the Indo-pacific Bottlenose dolphin.  You have an on board biologist and experienced crew  promise an educational and memorable experience for the whole family. 

After the trip at sea, you come back to The Great White House for warm soup and bread while warming up in front of a cosy fire or in summer to enjoy the warm sun.  A debriefing will follow and the trip footage can be bought. 

The trip also includes a visit to our African Penguin and Seabird Sanctuary (APSS) either before or after the trip.

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.

The African Penguin & Seabird Sanctuary (APSS) serves as a custom-designed, world class, marine bird rehabilitation centre in the Overstrand area. We provide temporary rehabilitative care to diseased, displaced, injured, oiled and abandoned marine birds with special focus on the endangered African Penguin. Marine bird rescue, rehabilitation and release form part of the conservation management plan to conserve and maintain African Penguin populations, and other seabirds. Through continued research, education and awareness programmes, we aim to mitigate human impacts on our colonies