Learn to Dive Today

This looks fab!

The countdown begins! So excited to finally announce the publication of Wood, Iron and Steel on 12 December 😄

Good feedback from a workshop that was held last week to discuss Cape fur seals, rabies and their aggressive behaviour. Worth a read for all water users and anyone who frequents beaches where seals or seal pups occasionally haul out.

City of Cape Town Link Sharing a City of Cape Town Page...

Request for information : We are following up on some details related to interactions with Cape fur seals/ seal incidents . If you have experienced either unusual behaviour or aggression from a seal in the past we would like to hear from you please as part of a wider investigation into seal health and behaviour. Could I please request you contact [email protected] with details Thanks so much for your assistance in this matter , Tess

November brings with it Diversnight (it was this weekend), and I see the existence of that event in Cape Town as part of Tony’s diving legacy. I can’t remember when we first did a Diversnight dive, but it was 2011 or earlier.

OMSAC members joined us almost from the beginning, and eating cake while shivering in wet gear in the dark became a permanent fixture on the calendar. It’s beautiful to see how big the event has gotten and how many clubs participate now.

This is an old newsletter from 2012 - it’s the earliest mention of Diversnight I can find on the blog. See who you can recognise in the photos!

Newsletter: Diversnight international Hi divers Last night was the eighth international Diversnight. The aim was to get as many divers in the water as possible at 8.12pm, worldwide. We participated, diving below the jetty in Simon's Town and really great conditions.

We’re still here! Reminding you of this old favourite blog post - there’s a badly plagiarised version circulating, but this one was the original viral sensation 😆

http://www.learntodivetoday.co.za/blog/2016/01/17/colour-fronts-in-false-bay/

Explore the Shore is an awesome new series from Prof Charles Griffiths and his son Matt - subscribe on youtube. This first episode, also featuring a patient doggo, is about gardening limpets. We envied the cochlear limpets (particularly at this time of year), as they lead "conservative and slow lives."

Explore The Shore: Gardening Limpets Episode 1: Gardening LimpetsOn the rocky shore, we discover limpets that grow and harvest their own algae. Charles explains how they cultivate and manage the...

More shark goodness:

Join David A. Ebert for "Beyond Jaws: Rediscovering South Africa’s Lost Sharks", a new South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity, Makhanda, Eastern Cape seminar, on Thurday 6 May at 6pm.

Register: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_d0003XjlQf6gs0DBLRpj3A

The public’s perception of sharks often conjures up images of a large, fearsome, toothy predator, with its large dorsal fin cutting its way through the waters’ surface. However, the reality is that sharks and their relatives the rays (flatsharks) and chimaeras (ghostsharks), come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and colors, and can be informative of the health of the marine environment. The number of sharks and their relatives has increased exponentially over the past 15 years with over 20% of all known species having been described. South Africa has one of the richest and most diverse chondrichthyan faunas in the world, comprising over 15% of all known species. Despite such a rich and diverse fauna, the majority of sharks and their relatives have largely been “lost” in a hyper-driven media age whereby a few large charismatic sharks overshadow the majority of shark species. While these mega-star’s, such the Great White Shark, receive much media adulation and are the focus of numerous conservation and “scientific” efforts South Africa’s “Lost Sharks” remains largely unknown not only to the public, but also to the scientific and conservation communities.

Tune in tomorrow!

SHR@Home Webinar Series - April 28th 2021 : Managing South Africa's Marine Protected Areas

A talk by Dr Alison K**k

If sharks, penguins, sea horses and killer whales grab your attention, please join SANParks Honorary Rangers for an exciting webinar, hosted in partnership with South African National Parks (SANParks), on our marine “national parks” and the conservation of our marine “Big 5”.

Dr Alison K**k is a Marine Biologist with SANParks, based at the Cape Research Centre. Perhaps better known for her work on shark conservation, Alison is passionate about all things marine.

She will be sharing with us fascinating stories of marine creatures and ecosystems, the threats they face and the research and management opportunities that contribute to their conservation in Marine Protected Areas manged by SANParks.

Please join us for this fascinating voyage through our marine “national parks” to learn about their rich biodiversity and what is being done to conserve them.

If you have any questions for Dr K**k, please send them in advance to: [email protected]

You are invited to a Zoom webinar.

When: April 28th 2021 06:00 PM Johannesburg

Register in advance for this webinar.
https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_EjQjjnADThCo01aBDTFCdw

If you are not a SANParks Honorary Ranger, please use 8000 as the HR number and your town as the region.

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

The webinar will be available via Zoom and we will also share it with the public via our main page. Please feel free to invite friends and family to watch on the night.
https://www.facebook.com/SANParksHonoraryRangers.

If you are not an Honorary Ranger and want to know about future HR events, add your details here: https://forms.gle/DycSr2TVusYBYVif9