From the month of August, there is a special group of European visitors in Gansbaai in the Overstrand. These lightweight travelers weigh only about 28 grams, and they have no problem covering the 11,500 kilometers to the South African coast within a month. Hydrobates pelagicus, the European storm petrel, bears a name that literally means 'water little walker on the open [...]
Dyer Island Conservation Trust, in collaboration with the Overstrand Municipality, Western Cape Education Department (SAFE Schools), and CapeNature, proudly recognized young marine conservationists during the annual Marine Month Competition Winners Announcement. On Saturday, December 2, finalists and winners, accompanied by proud teachers and parents, gathered at the African Penguin and Seabird Sanctuary for the awards ceremony. This year, Marine Dynamics’s [...]
At this year’s Trashion Show in Gansbaai, much of this trash came to new life in the hands of creative eco-conscious Dyer Island Conservation Trust Environmental Education Programme known as DEEP. These DEEP Blue Ambassadors intent on standing out on the ramp. In its sixth year, the show has grown in size and popularity. Before the show, children were seen gathering [...]
WESSA's Blue Flag and Green Coast Awards 2023/2024 Recognizing excellence in sustainable coastal management. GEORGE, Western Cape – As warmer weather and swim season approach, WESSA celebrated South Africa's pristine coastal destinations with the coveted Blue Flag and Green Coast status awards on Friday, October 20th. A further four marinas and six tourism boats have been acknowledged at this season's event [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
Plastic pollution is a massive problem for our ocean, but even small actions can make a big difference. Even though we had to wait a week for a few storms to pass, we were still determined to celebrate International Coastal Clean-up Day. Every bottle, every plastic, every piece of trash you clean up can lead to a cleaner, healthier ocean. With [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
