On Sunday, 15 February, a solitary African Penguin was spotted at the Old Harbour in Hermanus. A message was shared on the Overberg Stranding Network group about the penguin sitting quietly at the water’s edge. Ash Appleby from Southern Right Charters immediately went to assess the situation. He reported no visible injuries, but as he approached, the penguin slipped back into [...]
10 February 2026 Schalk’s journey began on 20 November 2025, when an African penguin in distress was rescued in Mossel Bay by an NSRI Station 15 volunteer. Weak and vulnerable, he was rushed to the SAPREC Seabird and Penguin Rehabilitation Centre in Mossel Bay, where it quickly became clear that this young penguin had arrived just in time. Schalk was a [...]
In February 2025, a Rockhopper penguin was found stranded on a beach in Arniston, South Africa, thousands of kilometres from home. Injured and severely underweight, likely as a result of a dog bite, and, was immediately transported to the African Penguin and Seabird Sanctuary (APSS). From the moment he arrived, it was clear that he had already endured a long and [...]
“For 21 years, it’s been incredible to see the same hump cutting through the waves,” says Wilfred Chivell, CEO of Marine Dynamics and Founder of the Dyer Island Conservation Trust. “Each humpback dolphin we encounter is not just a fleeting glimpse of the wild; it is an individual with a story, a life, and a place in our coastal ecosystem — [...]
We are so grateful to Cape Town City Toyota for sponsoring us with a brand-new Hilux for another season of marine animal rescues. Your support helps us respond quickly along the Overstrand Coast — from Pringle Bay to Agulhas — and care for critically endangered African Penguins, and so many seabirds and marine creatures in need. Just this past Friday evening, [...]
Gansbaai, South Africa – The Dyer Island Conservation Trust (DICT) and its African Penguin & Seabird Sanctuary are thrilled to extend heartfelt thanks to the veterinary students of Onderstepoort (OP Village RAG) for their incredible support during 2025. Despite their rigorous academic schedules, these passionate students dedicated their time and energy to a series of fun and informative fundraising events, raising [...]
As the new school year begins, we are proud to support our DEEP Blue Ambassadors as they step into their 2026 academic journey with confidence and enthusiasm. To help set them up for success, we have donated stationery packs to each ambassador, ensuring they have the essential tools they need for learning and growth. This stationery represents more than just pens, [...]
At the Dyer Island Conservation Trust, the new year began with an early morning call to Franskraal beach, where the team attended a stranding of a spotted ragged-tooth shark (Carcharias taurus). Members of the DICT and Marine Dynamics team were alerted to the stranding by Natasha van Greunen, who was waiting on site with her father, Richard. Upon arrival, senior shark [...]
In these very uncertain times for the critically endangered African Penguin, of which only 1% of the population remains, teetering on the brink of total extinction, there are occasionally glimmers of hope for those who fight daily to save the species. This December, such a glimmer shone for the African Penguin and Seabird Sanctuary (APSS) in Kleinbaai, Gansbaai. The safe haven [...]
The future of our ocean lives in the hearts and imaginations of young people — and this year, those voices rose proudly across the Overstrand. The 2025 Marine Month School Art Competition, hosted by the Dyer Island Conservation Trust (DICT) in partnership with Marine Dynamics, once again ignited creativity, curiosity, and conservation awareness among learners aged 10 to 13. Finalists [...]
