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| MULTI-MARINE CONSERVATION WITH SHARKS, WHALES AND DOLPHINS, NEAR CAPE TOWN |
SOUTH AFRICA |
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Sharks, Whales, Penguins, Seals, Dolphins... this is an extraordinary and exciting project in a beautiful location, surrounded by white beaches and blue ocean. And two hours from the world's third favourite city - Cape Town. What more could anyone want? This placement is exciting! Here you'll have the opportunity to work with sharks, whales, penguins, tourism, research and community development. You’ll be taught, guided and lectured by very skilled field teams. "Look into the mouth of this ocean predator ... it's as big as a delivery van! Great White Shark cage diving is incredible!"
WHAT YOU'LL GAIN FROM DOING THIS PROJECT:
LOCATION: On one of the main research sites, Dyer Island, many other wildlife species can be viewed from the boat. It is the breeding ground for Jackass Penguins, Cape Cormorants and Gannets, whilst Geyser Rock opposite, is a breeding mecca for Cape Fur Seals and currently home to approximately 20 000 seals. In season Whales and an occasional Dolphin can be spotted. This is a perfect habitat for the Great White. The sharks have been awesome. The largest one I've seen so far was a 3.5m shark nicknamed "Slashfin" because her dorsal fin is cut. She looks a lot bigger up close, I can tell you! Got to see a "predation" as well - a shark take out a seal. Was all over in a matter of minutes, just a pool of blood on the surface to tell the tale. Also saw a Southern Right whale out on the water which was pretty cool. Andrew Burge One of the exciting aspects of this project is that you may be fortunate enough to spot all the ‘Marine Big 5’ :
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Read an article by Volunteer Ilona Veenema for a local newspaper about her Marine Project
All Conservation Projects available in South Africa |
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Wake up at and get ready any time between 6:30 – 8:00. After breakfast, assuming that the boat trip will take place that day (because the trips are subject to weather conditions, the day will start with making your way to the ‘Great White House’ where, once the tourists have had their briefing, you will help to dress them in their jackets and life vests or go and prepare the boat for the trip. You'll walk the tourists down to the boat. Once the boat leaves the harbour you’ll spend between 3 and 6 hours out at sea. The Shark Boat will go out once or twice a day depending on numbers and time of year and the Whale Boat normally goes out four times a day (for a duration of roughly 2 hours for each trip). During your time on the shark boat, Shark Fever, you'll participate in data collection. Once a shark is spotted, you will need to record as much information as you can about it, including data such as size, sex, any scars or other identifying marks, the length of time it remains around the boat, behaviour, and if it is a re-sight, etc. You'll be informed about what information you need to collect. If it is decided that it is a ‘good’ shark, the cage will be lowered into the sea and you'll help with preparing the tourists for the cage dives. This will include getting them into their wetsuits. You may not participate in a cage dive on each occasion, but you should have the opportunity on couple of occasions. Not every boat trip ends in a cage dive – it will depend on whether there are any sharks around at that time, whether the sea conditions are conducive to lowering a cage, and other similar factors. Just to give you an example, though, a very recent volunteer on a one-month placement went out to sea on 20 occasions, but the cage was only lowered on 9 of those occasions. At the end of the 5 hours, you will return to the shore and here your work will continue. Once back in shore you might have to wash the boat down and pack all the kit up. The equipment needs to be washed and hung to dry for the next day. If it is busy there might be a second boat trip so all the above is repeated. If not, they have the rest of the day off. The work you do will ideally be split between the two boats, Shark Fever and Whale Whisperer, and work on land or in the office. It will largely depend on what is happening at the time of your placement and where the most help is needed. This is only a rough idea of the work that you will be doing. You'll be given information and the necessary material to help you answer any general questions that the tourists on the boats might ask you and you will be expected to know and provide basic information. Lectures and Activities |
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Sharks are intelligent and vulnerable,
deserving of sympathy and respect. Education helps people to lose the Jaws
phenomenon and gain the realisation that sharks are a complex and precious
species, living in the water – just doing their best to survive. Great White Sharks are very stable animals, displaying stable and predictable behaviour. They do not like to fight with or bite one another. They are highly intelligent animals, able to learn quickly and to remember. This is all new and contradictory evidence in the field and it is apparent that the Shark Team are just scratching the surface now. Finding the Great White, or letting them find you, is a skill, involving years of practice, the water temperature, depth, visibility, swell height, current and wind direction are all major factors. Once the site is found, the bait is prepared and the team awaits the shark, respecting it as a free animal. A recent tagging project was very successful allowing a number of Great Whites to be tracked. Possible Extinction: Lets look at the Great White Shark. The Great White Shark female takes approximately 15 years to become sexually mature, and the male about 8 years. At these ages the female will be around five meters long and the male around four meters long. The Great White Sharks' fecundity is low, so the female may possibly only give birth to several litters of pups in a lifetime and these litters are relatively small, ranging from about seven to eleven pups in a litter. So due to the shark's inability to reproduce quickly, stock replacement is not occurring and subsequently the populations of the world are fast diminishing. In fact, they are being wiped out far quicker than most people realise, with many species critically endangered and some species literally on the brink of extinction. The Great White Shark is now protected in South Africa, California, South Australia and Tasmania, and although this is only one of almost 400 species of shark, its protection is a step in the right direction. The Great White is a key stone species on this planet and its protection, subsequent media attention and high public profile allows us to use it as a battering ram to push for the protection of other shark species. |
About Dyer Island: The name of the island originated from an African American, Samson Dyer, who went to live on the island in the 19th century. He collected "guano" (bird droppings), and made a living from supplying it to farmers on the mainland as fertilizer. The boats that transported the guano from the island are today in the Maritime Museum at the Waterfront in Cape Town. Dyer Island (larger island) is the breeding ground of Jackass Penguins, Cape Cormorants and Gannets, while Geyser Rock (smaller island) is a breeding Mecca for Cape Fur Seals and currently home to approx. 50 000 seals. In season, whales and dolphins may also be spotted.
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| YOUR ACCOMMODATION AND TRAVEL | |
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Your accommodation will be in a comfortable house in Kleinbaai. You'll stay in a shared dorm room and you have the use of a bathroom, a kitchen, lounge area, and courtyard braai area. The house is situated within a short 10 mins walking distance from the ‘The Great White House’, which is the project office and meeting point for tourists. There is a shop and cafe as well. Internet is available for you to use at the MD office at the Great White House. There are also two internet cafes in the town.
Food:
TRAVEL:
Support & Backup: To read about the excellent Support & Backup we provide before you leave and during your programme, please click here. |
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MULTI-MARINE PROJECT: WHALES, SHARKS
& DOLPHINS IN SOUTH AFRICA: Sharks, Whales, Penguins, Seals, Dolphins... this is an extraordinary and exciting project in a beautiful location, surrounded by white beaches and blue ocean. And two hours from the world's third favourite city - Cape Town. What more could anyone want? Read more... |
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Suite 2A, Caravelle House, 17/19 Goring Road,
Worthing, |
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