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Pelagic Bird Watching

Pelagic Bird Watchers to the rescue!

A recreational fishing vessel in distress...

After a successful Pelagic Bird Watching day trip off Cape Point, South Africa we were on our way back to Simonstown, passing through a well known fishing area called "Buffels Bay" when one of our guests from Cape Town Pelagics noticed a flare that had been set off about a mile to the left of us, followed by a second flare which was clearly directed towards us. Our skipper quickly turned our boat around and headed in the direction of the signal flare - As we got closer it was clear that the boat with two male occupants waving us down were in distress and in need of assistance! The skipper of the distress vessel made it clear that their single engine would not start and that they had not been carrying a radio to call for help - We had just traveled through 8 miles (14 km's) in thick fog and the wind was rapidly increasing. They were drifting quickly and needed to be towed to Buffels Bay slip way. 

Fortunately, we were in the right place at the right time and were happy to assist! We decided to make this post not to ridicule anyone , but rather as a reminder of the importance of safety at sea, especially in our Cape waters! The maritime safety law is there for a reason and we cant emphasis enough how important it is to abide by these rules and regulations!    

We wish everyone a happy festive season and keep safe out there! :)

Assisting a recreational fishing vessel in False Bay, South Africa!

Assisting a recreational fishing vessel in False Bay, South Africa!

Pelagic Bird Watching on-board "Destiny"

Yesterday, we headed off Cape Point, heading for the well known "Canyon" area in search of Pelagic Sea Birds! Unfortunately we weren't able to find any trawlers or long-liners (which usually have thousands of Pelagic Sea Birds following) so we decided to use an alternative method known as "chumming" to attract these birds. Chumming is the practice of luring various animals, usually fish, but also birds, by throwing "chum" into the water. Chum is bait which consists of fish parts, bone and blood, which attract fish or birds, owing to their acute sense of smell. We managed to lure a fair number of birds which included; Pintado Petrels, White Chinned Petrels, Sooty Shearwaters, Southern Giant Petrel, Northern Giant Petrel, Wilsons Storm Petrel, Subantarctic Skua and the Black-Browed Albatross, which is featured in the picture below.

Our guests managed to get some really amazing pictures of these magnificent sea birds and we soon after started making our way back to Simonstown, but our day wasn't quite over yet - About 8 miles from Cape Point we came across a pod of Orca Whales, which were busy feeding and putting on a show! This is a huge playing factor on why the Great White Shark season in False Bay, Seal Island has been so slow lately. The Orca Whales, also known as "Killer Whales" have been targeting Great White Sharks along our coastlines and killing them for their livers, which is known to be the most nutritional part of the animal!

It was a great trip for everyone involved! :)  

Photo: Jeffery Slater

Black Browed Albatross.jpg