The month of March has been internationally declared a time to celebrate the vital work that social workers do every day, throughout the year. Social Workers having fun! On Friday, 28 March 2025, the Marine Dynamics team welcomed Minister Jaco Londt and the Western Cape Government Department of Social Development to the Great White House restaurant, giving them an [...]
On Tuesday 4 March, the Dyer Island Conservation Trust and Marine Dynamics team were alerted of a stranded eagle ray, Myliobatis aquila, at Franksraal beach. Upon arrival, marine guides Sandra Hörbst, Susy Alexandersen and skipper Hennie Odendaal identified an additional ray stranding of the same species. One individual appeared to be a recent stranding whilst the second was slightly degraded hinting [...]
The HMS Birkenhead is known worldwide for the bravery of the men who, under the captain’s command, stood back with the motto "women and children first." Also referred to as HM Troopship Birkenhead or Steam Frigate Birkenhead, she was one of the first iron-hulled ships built for the Royal Navy. Initially designed as a steam frigate, she was later converted into [...]
The KruShan Foundation, led by Kruger and Shannon du Plessis, has been a crucial partner for the Dyer Island Conservation Trust and its African Penguin and Seabird Sanctuary, in the fight to save the critically endangered African Penguin and support marine conservation efforts in the Overstrand region. From funding a Seabird Ranger on Dyer Island to supporting medical care at the [...]
On Wednesday, December 4th, the Dyer Island Conservation Trust, powered by Marine Dynamics, undertook an extraordinary six-hour, 180-kilometer expedition to release a Rockhopper penguin back into the Agulhas Current. Earlier this year, the penguin had stranded on our shores, underweight and bearing a few wounds. It was admitted to the African Penguin & Seabird Sanctuary (APSS) for treatment, rest, and recovery. [...]
On Sunday, November 17, 2024, Wilfred Chivell, CEO of Marine Dynamics and Founder of the Dyer Island Conservation Trust, gathered close friends, colleagues, and family to honor Dr. Leonard Joseph Victor Compagno (1943–2024), a true pioneer in the field of shark, ray, and ghost shark research. Wilfred expressed that he felt deeply honored to know that Dr. Len’s final resting place [...]
The Dyer Island Conservation Trust Marine Month competition has become an eagerly anticipated event for Overstrand schoolchildren aged 7 to 14. They enter not only for a chance to win a Marine Dynamics Marine Safari but also to let their creativity shine, inspired by the beauty of our oceans! This was the 8th year the schools competition took place, raising awareness [...]
The Ambitious Mission of the Mouse-Free Marion Project Our recent Marine Evening welcomed guest speaker, Dr Anton Wolfaardt, Project Manager of the Mouse-Free Marion Project, who presented a powerful vision for Marion Island—a South African sub-Antarctic treasure—united by a common goal: to restore its ecosystem by eradicating invasive house mice. This ambitious conservation initiative aims to address the devastating impact of [...]
Artificial nests can increase breeding rates of critically endangered African penguins, a Nelson Mandela University-led study has found. The international team of researchers from South Africa and the UK found that artificial nests outperformed natural nests and increased breeding output by 16.5%. Did you know that these artificial penguin nests, was invented right here in Gansbaai by CEO of Marine Dynamics and [...]
On Thursday 10 October 2024, the Marine Dynamics team received a report of a stranded dolphin at the Walker Bay Nature Reserve, just before the iconic Klipgat Caves. The team, consisting of biologists and guides, Amy Webber, Sandra Hörbst, Sonja Fleck and Marine Dynamics Academy scientific intern Erika, drove to the site before descending to the beach where the dolphin could [...]
