If you ever get lost at sea or in the desert, the two men you would want in your survival team – are stargazers extraordinaire Johan le Roux and Willie Koorts. Johan is the convener of the Orion Observation Group and a well-known astrophotographer, radio amateur and satellite communication expert. Willie worked as an Electronics Technician at the South Arican Astronomical [...]
Water covers more than two-thirds of the Earth’s surface area and is essential to our survival. Each year in March we celebrate National Water Week to draw attention to the importance of water resources and our collective responsibility towards water conservation initiatives. This year, World Water Day is about accelerating change to solve the water and sanitation crisis. The National Water [...]
On Friday 24th of February, the second batch of dead sharks (post Orca predation) were necropsied at the Marine Dyanmics Academy lodge, lead by PhD candidates Alison Towner and Ralph Watson. This brought the total number of sharks from the Sunday Pearly Beach interaction to 18 sharks, seventeen of which were Sevengill sharks (Notorynchus cepedianus) and one a small spotted Gully [...]
On Sunday 21st of February, the infamous pair of male orcas Port and Starboard, who are known to prey on several species of sharks in south Africa, were tracked by a team of scientists on board Marine Dynamics vessel. “We observed the two orcas repeatedly diving down in a small area, for almost two hours before they departed offshore” said Ralph [...]
Wetlands are land regions that are continuously or seasonally saturated with water, and they include ecosystems such as estuaries, marshes, swamps, bogs, and fens. World Wetlands Day is observed every year on February 2nd. It also marks the anniversary of the Convention on Wetlands, which was adopted as an international treaty in 1971. The purpose of the day is to raise [...]
On Saturday 31 December, the African Penguin and Seabird Sanctuary returned another 13 African penguins to their home on Dyer Island. A total of 215 chicks were removed since the beginning of November and hand-raised at the African Penguin & Seabird Sanctuary (APSS), a project of the Dyer Island Conservation Trust. The removal of compromised and orphaned chicks is one of [...]
Earlier this week, the Dyer Island Conservation Trust (DICT) responded to a report of a Ragged-tooth shark stranding in Franskraal at a well-known fishing hotspot. The shark was recovered by the team and transported to the DICT lodge. With the assistance of volunteers from the Marine Dynamics Academy, a necropsy was performed on the animal the following morning to determine the cause of death. The [...]
We arrived at our destination. The camp looked way amazing for the kid’s expectations. We were greeted by the friendly staff of Wortelgat Outreach Trust. At the end of each year, learners go on an educational camp. The learners from the second and third year attended an educational camp at Wortelgat in Stanford, where they spent the weekend learning about dedication, [...]
Chester Arends from Overstrand Municipality, Inan Mzinyelwa, first prize winner from Gansbaai Academia and Phunyuzwa Xhegwana from Cape Nature. MARINE-MONTH COMPETITION FOR OVERSTRAND LEARNERS – 2022. Grade 1’s up to Grade 11’s, were invited to enter our annual Marine Month Competition for learners in the Overstrand area. Dyer Island Conservation Trust, in partnership with the Overstrand Municipality and CapeNature, [...]
The African Penguin and Seabird Sanctuary have returned another 16 African penguins to their home on Dyer Island this weekend. The first batch of 41 young African penguins was released on the island, last week Saturday 19 November. A total of 120 chicks were removed since the beginning of November and hand-raised at the African Penguin & Seabird Sanctuary (APSS), a [...]
