The Year in General: Though we at AfriOceans were fortunate to have one of our most successful years to date, 2011 was a tough year for many as a result of the economic climate, which some are saying is heading similarly to the 1930 Great Depression. It has caused a turmoil of despair and uncertainty…
Category Archives: Conservation
13
Oct
Oct
Let me begin by saying I am truly sorry that a shark harmed a man recently in my home village, Fish Hoek. I feel for the man, his family, and for the sharks. After reading the facts of the incident I am left with one big question: If someone warned you repeatedly that there was…
07
Sep
Sep
I’m in one of those phases that is all too familiar: too much to do, too little time! We have been setting up our new public office and getting the wheels turning for our exciting AfriOceans Warriors Environmental Education Programme, funded by the National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund of South Africa. We are hectic with…
10
Aug
Aug
It’s been a very eventful and busy few weeks: since our Lottery grant was finalised we have been up to our eyeballs in setting up offices and getting our exciting AfriOceans Warriors programme off the ground, I have given a talk at the Whale of an Equation Conference held at Muizenberg to 500 strong, plus…
19
May
May
Unbeknown to me there are wonderful people helping us make a difference! Recently I received a delightful email with photos from Fazlin Pheiffer informing me that her and some of her classmates from the University of the Western Cape had been helping AfriOceans raise awareness about our work and in particular our shark conservation efforts.
22
Apr
Apr
Great One of the Oceans – a Poem by Lesley Rochat. Your Beauty is otherworldly, Your skin, rough like silk, Your eyes like mysterious l dark tunnels I fall into with awe.
07
Apr
Apr
After returning from London last week one of the first emails I received was a link to the Dive Site’s blog post about the sevengill sharks that were being caught for their livers for the white shark cage diving industry. Since I was already working with the media on a piece about our lobbying progress,…
01
Apr
Apr
Tears poured down her face as she caught my eye as if to say: “This is so, so sad and incredibly cruel and it pains me to watch it.” She was a young, attractive Asian-looking woman, sitting one row back from the front, watching my film ‘Sharks in Deep Trouble’ which I presented at the…
23
Mar
Mar
When I became a shark conservationist over a decade ago sharks were not in vogue as self-promoting marketing tools, nor considered to be in any real danger of extinction and therefore not worth conserving. As a freelance environmental journalist I knew differently. Not happy with my career at the time, I was on a spiritual…
17
Mar
Mar
Surrounded by lemon sharks, tiger sharks, nurse sharks, reef sharks, and playing with spotted dolphins in the gin clear, azure blue ocean of the Bahamas, against the backdrop of postcard sunsets, shared with wonderful people from all corners of the globe, was my recent privilege enjoyed. This exciting photographic expedition was all part of the…