In Jan 2021 I drove up to Shelley Point in the St Helena Bay area (2 hours drive north of Cape Town) to look for Dusky Dolphin (Lagenorhynchus obscurus). On the morning of 29 Jan 2021 I saw about 200 Dusky Dolphins.
Elwen et al (2010) in a regional study saw Haviside’s Dolphin every day of their 110 study days but recorded Dusky Dolphin on only 59% of those days; they also noted that the larger groups were mostly in the St Helena Bay area.
I stayed at Oystercatcher Lodge which was conveniently located at the tip of the peninsula in Shelley Point, and within a gated golf estate. The lodge owners (Luc and Sue Christen) said they had seen a large pod of dolphins a few days before and often see them just past the kelp. Sunrise was at 6 am and from the deck of the lodge I could scan a broad area. With no wind or swell the sea was flat and at 6.45 am I saw quite far offshore (2-3 km) a school of about 150 to 200 Dusky Dolphin swimming line abreast directly towards me from the northwest; presumably returning from feeding offshore overnight (photos at the end of report). Once they were about 50 meters from the rocky shore they turned east towards and past Shelley Point Lighthouse from where most of them carried on towards Velddrif but a few pods (of about 5-10 dolphins each) hung around the small bay between Oystercatcher Lodge and the lighthouse. I returned to Oystercatcher Lodge at 8 am and whilst sitting on the deck the next hour saw Dusky Dolphin occasionally swim by 20 to 40 meters offshore.
Other mammals seen (28-29 Jan 2020) at Shelley Point included Afro-Australian Fur Seal (Arctocephalus pusillus) close to shore; and Bush Duiker (Sylvicapra grimmia) at the edge of the golf course. Xeric Four-striped Grass Mouse (Rhabdomys pumilio) and Karoo Bush Rat (Otomys unisulcatus) were common around Oystercatcher Lodge. The owners (Luc and Sue Christen) report that Cape Clawless Otter (Aonyx capensis) occasionally swim in their pool. Other small mammals are possible in the dune vegetation around the golf course but I did not go scoping because there was still a covid-related curfew in place.
Reference: Elwen SH, Thornton M, Reeb D, Best PB (2010 April). Near-shore distribution of Heaviside’s (Cephalorhynchus heavisidii) and dusky dolphins (Lagenorhynchus obscurus) at the southern limit of their range in South Africa. African Zoology 45(1):78–91.
Photos of Dusky Dolphin (location shown at iNatualist)
