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Gansbaai
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Dyer Island Cruises
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Dyer Island Cruises

See all things to do
See all things to do
Dyer Island Cruises
4.5
#5 of 15 Boat Tours & Water Sports in Gansbaai
Boat ToursDolphin & Whale Watching
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Monday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Tuesday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Wednesday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Thursday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Friday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Saturday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Sunday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
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About
"Discover & Protect"Dyer Island Cruises is a world-recognized 5-star boat based whale watching company operating in Kleinbaai, WC, South Africa. Our exclusive tours of a maximum 24 passengers offers everyone the same experience of personalized service, exceptional views, and only the best.Our team of guides/skippers/marine biologists is unique to whale watching in South Africa. Our vessel, Whale Whisperer, is custom built for boat based whale watching and superior in safety and comfort. We pride ourselves in our passion for conservation as well as customer service. And we also live by our boat's motto: "Life - an adventure to be lived, not a problem to be solved!"
Gansbaai, South Africa
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Tours and Tickets by Dyer Island Cruises
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(25 reviews)
Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
668 reviews
Excellent
482
Very good
121
Average
32
Poor
22
Terrible
13
jayno666
Bristol, UK22 contributions
A very worthwhile experience - good value for money and highly recommended.
Nov 2023 • Family
A fantastic boat trip. We were fortunate to see four of the big five, and thought the service and attentiveness of all the crew members was outstanding. We appreciated the commentary from the marine biologist who was a mine of interesting information.
A particular highlight was the 20 minutes we spent with a mother and calf Southern Right whale, who put on a great performance, getting up close to the boat on a number of occasions. The seal colony off Dyer Island didn't disappoint either!

We felt very safe as it's clear that the company takes safety very seriously, and ensured we were fully briefed before the trip, as well as provided with life jackets and optional water proof jackets. There was also storage on the boat for our personal belongings, to ensure they didn't get wet or slip overboard.

The coffee and muffin before the trip, as well as the soup and freshly backed breadroll at the end of the trip, were both very nice touches, which helped stave off the hunger after an early start. All in all a very worthwhile experience which we'd highly recommend.
Review of: Marine Big 5 Safari: Self-Drive
Written 28 November 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Madji N
1 contribution
Awesome experience
Nov 2023 • Family
Awesome trip and saw so much wildlife. The trip from Capetown was seamless and the driver was friendly. Excellent experience and a MUST do for anyone wanting to see marine life around Cape Town!
Review of: Marine Big 5 Safari from Cape Town
Written 27 November 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
martina w
56 contributions
Amazing trip
Nov 2023 • Couples
Really professional company, we felt safe all the way in very very choppy sea. Every effort was made to ensure everyone got to see the wildlife. The whales were amazing. The daily blog for each trip with pictures is great as it's very difficult to get clear photos when the boat is bouncing around so much. The work they do in supporting penguins is inspiring. Be warned take sea sickness tablets even if you don't generally feel ill at sea!
Written 18 November 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
deepbluesky
Düsseldorf, Germany14 contributions
A trip one should not miss
The group tour was very well organised. I was picked up early in the morning and brought back to my accommodation. Before we're boarded the boat, we received enough information about what to expect as well as the conservation work that the Dyer Island Conservation is doing. Throughout the boat trip, a biologist enlightened us about the whales, sharks, penguins and seals. Due to bad weather, we couldn't stay long enough in the sea to see dolphins. But that's understandable. They provided a small breakfast, muffins and tea, and after the windy boat trip we got a much appreciated hot soup and tea. All in all I could recommend this tour. They really paid attention to details to our satisfaction.
Review of: Marine Big 5 Safari from Cape Town
Written 9 November 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sarah A
4 contributions
Well worth doing
This was an amazing experience. Though we had a really early start the day did not disappoint. We saw whales, bronze sharks, seals & penguins. We also had a trip to the penguin sanctuary which was informative. I would recommend this trip but just note not all animal sightings are guaranteed. The dolphins were not around this time of year but the other sightings made up for it.
Review of: Marine Big 5 Safari from Cape Town
Written 4 November 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Laura B
4 contributions
close encounters
Oct 2023 • Couples
I loved being able to see the seals, whales and sharks so closely. They will also point out birds for those who are interested. The team was very supportive of my husband who was sea sick (which happens on most boats). You can get free pictures from the tour so you don't have to worry about that. There is also an opportunity to buy a video. Really appreciate the role this company plays in conservation. After the tour going to the Penguin and Seabird sanctuary is a must.
Review of: Marine Big 5 Safari: Self-Drive
Written 2 November 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Michelle W
Shelton, United States2 contributions
Amazing experience.
Sep 2023 • Family
This was an amazing tip and we had several large whales come right up to the ship and stay there for over 10 minutes! Definitely the tour to choose. The boat is smaller so it only holds around 25 people. This was great because it wasn't so crowded and you got an amazing view right at the rails of the boat. The captain was very respectful of the whales so it didn't seem as though they were bothered or harmed in any way. It was their choice to approach the boat. What a wonderful experience. Book this tour!
Review of: Marine Big 5 Safari from Cape Town
Written 30 October 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
martin a
80 contributions
Awesome time at sea
Oct 2023 • Solo
Only discrepancies was TripAdvisor has start time at 9am. Pick up time from hotel in capetown was 6am. Start of activity/arrival was about 9am. Was thrown off w such an early start enticipating 9am pickup. But communication was good and was made aware of time day before. Pickup n drop off was smooth n easy. Arival you get coffee/tea n muffins, return from boat you get soup n homemade rolls(yummy). All staff were professional and knowledgeable. All staff on board the boat were engaging in conversation w visitors and answered any questions anyone had. Advice is get something that secures your phone /camera around your neck, boat can get rocky and was holding phone tight as to not have slip out of hands. This was an awesome trip and very enjoyable. Check out there reasonablely priced gift in shop.
Review of: Marine Big 5 Safari from Cape Town
Written 29 October 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ivan F
Oxford, UK2 contributions
Successful sea safari
Oct 2023 • Solo
Smooth pickup and trip to the boat in a comfortable mini-bus. I saw everything advertised (whales, sharks, seals, and penguins) with the crew taking care to point everything out and how to position ourselves on the boat to see things best.
Review of: Marine Big 5 Safari from Cape Town
Written 29 October 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Bryan
Zoetermeer, The Netherlands1 contribution
Great
Sep 2023 • Solo
Great Sightings, we saw southrend right whales breaching left and right side of the boat.

The marine biologists and shark conservationists from Marine Dynamics really care about these majestic creatures and make sure all goes safe and well. Amazing experience.
Review of: Marine Big 5 Safari with transport from Hermanus
Written 28 October 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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DYER ISLAND CRUISES (Gansbaai) - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go