DICT

Saving our national bird.

On Tuesday, October 3rd, Marine Dynamics received a call from Louis October, a farmer from Elim. Louis was very concerned about a blue crane he had found on his farm the evening before, struggling to walk and unable to fly. Senior Bird Rehabilitator from the African Penguin and Seabird Sanctuary, Xolani Lawu, immediately set out to collect the injured bird. The [...]

Rare Cuvier’s Beaked Whale stranding

On Monday 9 October, early morning, Marine Dynamics received a call from a concerned hiker on Die Plaat, just off De Kelders. Gansbaaier Aaron Stemmett was hiking with a group of students when they came upon, what they thought was a Southern Right Whale calf, and hoping that it was still alive, tried pushing it back into the ocean. Aaron phoned [...]

Unveiling the Mysteries of Sunfish: An Exciting Journey

For our September edition of Marine Evenings, hosted at the Great White House by the Dyer Island Conservation Trust, we dived into the captivating and awe-inspiring world of the ocean's gentle giants – the sunfish. For this special edition, we've invited Ralph Watson, the Head of Research at the Dyer Island Conservation Trust, to be your guide through the mysteries of [...]

Shark Awareness Day: Taking a look at South Africa’s sharks and collecting observational data

South Africa is known for its amazing shark biodiversity and is one of the few areas around the world known to be a hotspot for this kind of diversity. The country's waters are home to a wide array of shark species, making it a prime location for scientific research and conservation efforts. In the world of the Dyer Island Conservation Trust [...]

Great White Shark Dissection in Mossel Bay

On the 18th of June, notable observations were made in Mossel Bay as two distinct Orca individuals, Port and Starboard, were witnessed engaging in an encounter with a white shark, resulting in hunting behaviour. On the following day, the carcass of a white shark washed up on Hartenbos Beach. This individual was confirmed to be a different white shark from the [...]

Think Blue and Go Green this World Oceans Day 2023

Each year, World Ocean Day provides a unique opportunity for a wide variety of diverse organizations, schools, businesses, and communities to honour and celebrate the ocean that connects us all. By uniting together, and with a special emphasis on engaging and connecting youth, we can significantly increase awareness and action, and generate the will needed to create a healthier ocean, stabilize [...]

Celebrating International Children’s Day with the Marine Big Five.

As part of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network, Overstrand Tourism has initiated several painting activations for International Children’s Day on Thursday 1 June 2023.  One of these painting-sessions, took place at the African Penguin and Seabird Sanctuary. Children's Day is a commemorative date celebrated annually in honor of children.  In 1925, International Children's Day was first proclaimed in Geneva during the [...]

World Penguin Day 2023

Not that we need a themed day as a reason to celebrate penguins, frankly every day can be, or should be a penguin day. World Penguin Day encourages people to appreciate these incredible flightless birds, take note of the plights they face every day, and learn about how important they are to the ecosystems. For World Penguin Day 2023, the African [...]

Patty pays her penguins a visit.

Marine Dynamics was honoured to have two special visitors during the Easter weekend, Dr Patty McGill and her husband Dr Lynn Kramer. Dr McGill is passionate about saving the African Penguins from extinction in the wild. Throughout her career, she has worked with penguins at several different zoos across the United States and conducted research internationally. Her work with the National [...]