In addition to climate change, pollution is also rapidly changing our world’s oceans. Conservation International says that humanity dumps eight million metric tons of plastic into them every year. That means that, in a little less than 30 years, there will be more tons of plastic in the ocean than there are fish.” Read on for more crazy facts.

Above and more is just a taste of part of what our Marine Guide students learn about during our 4 Week Marine Guide course. This course is the perfect opportunity to learn more about the ocean, marine life, and how we can make a difference in marine conservation.

Taking it all in!

This week was the first week of the Marine Guide course with Ulovane. On our first day, we had a braai while we watched the sunset, the colours that lit the warm summers evening were amazing! Our house here in Kenton-On-Sea is amazing. Right on the estuary of the Bushman’s River, we are able to watch the influence of the tides and on top of that, witness amazing sunsets every evening.

We spent the week exploring the beach, sampling different species of algae, mollusks, and plants from the dune forest for us to identify! It was incredible having my eyes opened to how complicated the ecosystem within the ocean and estuaries are!
To be able to study marine ecosystems at the south coast of South Africa is a huge privilege, as it is so unique because it combines two huge ecosystems – the Indian and the Atlantic Ocean. That results in a huge amount of information we have to study, but it is honestly mind-blowing when you start to connect why warm current patterns in the Indian ocean lead to summer rainfalls in the highveld.

The plan for the next days is to explore the Kariega River with kayaks, camp outside on a jetty, have a braai right on the river, and fish (catch & release) through the night. After a long week with lots of theory and beautiful views, we cannot wait to go out and explore with hopefully better weather conditions.
I cannot wait to see what more the marine course has to offer for me!

• Leon

There’s nothing like standing at the edge of the ocean. With each wave barreling in one after the other, our senses can’t help but be ignited. Smelling that salty and briny sea breeze, seeing its vastness as our eyes scan the horizon to try to comprehend its end, and feeling so small in the middle of its mighty roar or quiet stillness: these are emotions only the ocean can stir. – Leah Hall