Dyer Island Cruises

My husband and I went on the Marine Big 5 Tour and we absolutely LOVED it! It was our first time doing an excursion on the sea like this one, and our expectations were blown away. The staff was really knowledgeable and friendly, and helped us spot all the marine big 5: a few penguins swimming in the water, a couple of seals, one fun dolphin that was jumping around, some sharks and the best part of all, a whale! We loved being able to see the animals in their natural habitat, and we never chased them. The staff was always respectful of their space and payed close attention to their behavior, so we wouldn’t scare them or make them feel uncomfortable. The tour also felt really safe, we had a security and safety briefing at the beginning and the staff was always attentive. We definitely recommend this tour, it’s a must if you are visiting Cape Town. It’s perfect for couples like us, solo travelers and families too (we had a mix in our group and everyone had fun) :)

I loved my time on this cruise. Spotted all 5 of the "Marine 5", which was quite an achievement as I did not expect to see all the mentioned marine wildlife at once. For me this was pure excitement all the way, like any trip in which one would need to look for wildlife. And we got lucky with this one. The trip started with very hospitable cup of coffee/tea with muffins, and ended with soup & bread. All staff were VERY friendly, and they were all so helpful to my pensioner parents who accompanied me. They ensured that my mom with hip replacements did not fall during the climb on and off the boat, as well as during the entire trip. They also ensured that my parents sat behind the cabin to have some back support. A big thank you for this. I was very happy to see (highly) qualified, and very knowledgeable marine biologists on board. I am a nature lover myself and wondered how territories would be respected during our trip. The marine biologists ensured that we moved away when they saw the whales trying to avoid us. Overall an exhilarating experience that will never be forgotten. I highly recommend this tour. Very well planned and executed. And we'll worth that which we paid. Thanks to the Dyer Island cruise team. 🙏🙂

Amazing sights and very educational guidance from both de biologist (Kelly) and the other crew members on board.

I’m sure this is a fantastic trip at the right time of year (when whales, sharks and dolphins are in the area) and when the weather is nice. Unfortunately we had neither. The company is very clear they can’t guarantee sightings which makes perfect sense. I’m not sure they should always take the boat out when the weather is bad though. Most of our trip we were within dense fog and mist with large swells. January is not the time to see whales or Great white sharks. We did not see any Dolphins. We saw seals and a few penguins. You will get a much better view of penguins on Boulders Beach in the Cape Peninsula. Most of Dyers Island is covered with thousand of Cormorants and it is very hard to pick out the penguins. The guides make sure everyone has seen a penguin though before they move on. They take you to the area where other guests are shark cage diving (although it’s really cage dunking as you don’t use tanks) as that is your best chance to see a shark ( but not great whites as it isn’t the right time of year) . Right when we arrived, one shark fin came up near the divers but none other surfaced. They toss chum into the water to try to attract the sharks but the water had dropped in temperature so they weren’t active I did get nauseous on this trip because with the fog it was very difficult to see the horizon and the water was very choppy. There is a toilet on board . I did not use it The crew is very good and tries their best to give you a great experience. I would suggest booking only during whale season and don’t go if there is heavy fog. You do lose 100% of your booking fee if you cancel within 72 hours. While we didn’t enjoy our experience, we just considered it a donation conservation .

Had an amazing time. Staff were very friendly and accommodating. The curio shop had good photographic equipment and clothing as well as locally made momentos. We booked a day out with the whales. Saw no fewer than ten of them right next to the boat. Some breached the water. Southern Right Tip Whales. Saw copper bronze whaler sharks as well as we passed by a shark cage dive. On arrival we were served delicious warm bran muffins and on return a lovely vegetarian soup and bread. The Gansbaai town 5 minutes away has everything you need, even nausea tablets from the pharmacy.