The elephant seal is back and we think that he will be here for a while. But today he is having a good time and relaxing in the water. Photo by Chanel Hauvette

RESEARCH & MONITORING Bumper breeding season for Robberg seals? Between January-March volunteers assisted biologists with six boat-based counts of Cape fur seals that haul out on Robberg Peninsula. Apart from routine counts of adult seals, which have levelled off since 2012 despite seasonal fluctuations in their numbers, our biologists were surprised by the large increase […] Continue Reading...
Education- Siyakula Pre-School Education Once a week, volunteers visit young children at the local crèche to give a lesson on basic English words based on the theme of the week. All teaching is done in English (translated by the teachers into their mother tongue of isiXhosa) so that kids can learn a second language. It […] Continue Reading...
Conservation- Beach Clean-Ups We regularly hike along Plettenberg Bay’s beaches to remove marine debris. Unfortunately we live in a world where people still expose of their rubbish from vessels, in rivers or on beaches. This often causes deadly entanglement in marine animals. Tiny plastic particles (micro-plastics) are also known to end up in the ocean […] Continue Reading...
RESEARCH Overview The ORCA Foundation offers a unique learning experience for volunteers who are passionate about the marine environment. It will allow you to make valuable contributions to increased knowledge, awareness and conservation efforts while supporting applied marine research. As part of our comprehensive volunteer programme, you will regularly receive the opportunity to assist our […] Continue Reading...
The origins of marine mammals Although all marine mammals evolved from land mammals, it may surprise some that each group of marine mammals has its own unique ancestry. There are three groups of marine mammals: the cetaceans (whales, dolphins and porpoises), the pinnipeds (fur seals, sea lions, walruses and seals) and the sirenians (dugongs and […] Continue Reading...
The elephant seal is back and we think that he will be here for a while. But today he is having a good time and relaxing in the water. Photo by Chanel Hauvette
Our semi-resident elephant seal has come back to visit again. Generally they would be found 3000 km away but this youngster has been visiting us for the past 6 years and we have been watching him develop from a young seal to this monster size adult!
Today we had an encounter with a giant of another kind. This elephant seal made a stop at the local seal colony on his journey. Not yet fully grown, this seal is gigantic compared to the cape fur seals that are found at the seal colony of Plett.