Tuesday, 08 March 2011


I came to the South African Shark Conservancy having little idea what I was getting myself into. I knew obviously it would involve sharks, some research, and some outreach but that is pretty small part of what I actually did. First week I was here, we headed to the Breede River to catch some Bull sharks. After days on the boat trying to track previously tagged sharks and waking up at 5am trying to catch fish, (I caught 3 fish by the way), we came up with no bull shark. And though it was very frustrating, no one could do anything about it, which to me is the beauty of science especially when working with wild animals. They don’t necessarily do what we want them to do. On the river, I met many very interesting people, all asking me about America, what I thought about South Africa and then giving me places I should go when I’m here. Once and awhile someone would sing me California Girls by the Beach Boys.

Heading back to Hermanus, I was finally able to settle into a routine and actually unpack my suitcase. Heading to the office everyday, I saw the intensive planning and work that went into working in a non-profit. We basically hit the ground running, where I worked on the research for a WWF contract about sustainable fishing. posters for the education room, aquarium layout plans, ideas for the Shark Camp, catching sharks for the tanks, cleaning tanks, research for the new Walker Bay Coffee book and many other things. Lets just say I was a Jack-of-all-trades this month.

After five weeks working with the South African Shark Conservancy, my internship has come to an end. Not that I want it to end, I can truly say that this trip has taught me so much about working with a non profit organization that is affiliated with marine science, and the research that tags along with it. When I came here I had no direct idea about what I wanted to do with my future, only a couple random thoughts. Now, coming out of the program, I can say that I would like to go into some sort of Biological Conservation path. I don’t know if that means non-profit work, conservation or research, but now at I can see some sort of clearing in this crazy world.

I want to give a big THANK YOU to Tamzyn and Meag. They were always there making sure I was comfortable, and having fun. They taught me so much about science in both research and non profit. This trip/program would truly be nothing without them.

Friday, 04 February 2011


Hello everyone, I'm Maxime,

I hold a masters degree in aquatic resources of the University of Montpellier 2 in France. I heard about the SASC by Katie Gledhill who diffused, by “coral-list”, opportunities of internships in shark conservancy. I have already had the chance to give a hand occasionally to a PhD student who works on black-tip sharks (Carcharhinus melanopterus) and lemon sharks (Negaprion acutidens) in French Polynesia during I was working on another project to finalize my master degree.

And I loved that, so when I saw that I could learn more about shark research, participate in tracking and tagging Zambezi sharks (Carcharhinus leucas), try to know more about those fantastic animals, talk about them to children, all that things with the aim of protect them more efficiently, I applied!!! And thanks to Meaghen and Tamzyn, they accepted, and now I’m here for three months.


Hello, my name is Lindy McMorran and I am the newest intern working at SASC. I hail from Los Angeles, California, United States and graduated from the University of Oregon (U.S.) in June 2010 with Batchelor of Science in Marine Biology. As a student, I took classes in Invertebrate Zoology, Marine Birds and Mammals, Estuary Biology, Animal Behavior, Oceanography, Invertebrate Embryology, and Environmental Issues, so a very wide range of classes for such a huge field. In school, I worked at a plethora of different jobs ranging from being a camp counselor to a lab technician in a Neurobiology lab. I currently have a seasonal job working on Catalina Island, a small island off the coast of California, where I am an outdoor education instructor for CELP (Catalina Environmental Leadership Program).

Due to my 3-month break off work, I decided to apply for an internship in another country, obviously in the marine science field. I knew I wanted to go to somewhere I had never been, and I had a couple ideas of what organisms I wanted to work with. I have always thought that sharks were beautiful animals, and knew a lot about the affect humans are currently having on the shark population, leading some sharks to extinction. With this in mind, I literally googled “internship, South Africa, sharks,” and SASC ‘s website popped up. I instantly fell in love with this group and everything they represented. I applied on a whim, crossing my fingers that I would get a chance of a lifetime.

Now after a 24 hour flight, and a couple of hours drive, here I am currently sitting looking over the Breede River in gorgeous Witsand, South Africa, helping with research that is currently being done on bull sharks (Carcharhinus leucas) that are known to swim up the river from the open ocean. Watch this space for more information about the outcomes of the trip, it’s pretty awesome!

Friday, 21 January 2011

SASC Schedule of Events Calendar for 2011

Below is a detailed calendar of events occurring 2011 with SASC. Please contact SASC if you would like more information.

March 22nd: World Water Day: Salty Water Science at SASC

Celebrating World Water Day with fun activities and experiments illustrating the properties of the water found in our world’s oceans.

April 4th-5th: Shark Camp 1 (6- 10 yrs)

08h30-13h00

Two half days of fun/educational activities educating the students about our friend the shark and the food web with fun outdoor games, exploring and art projects.

April 6th: Shark Camp 2 (11-13 yrs)

08h30-15h00

A new camp developed specifically for tweens to learn more about sharks and the ocean around us.

April 7th-8th: Marine Biology Camp (14-17yrs)

08h30-16h00

The high school camp is more in depth teaching about sharks and their physiology, ecological role, behavior and their conservation. The program includes a field trip and group experiments.

May 18th: Celebrate Marine Biodiversity at SASC (For International day of Biodiversity 22/5)

Biodiversity is a huge part of the marine ecosystem. Come learn more about it with the SASC team.

June 8th: SASC World Oceans Day Parade

(Theme to be confirmed)

11h00 at Swallow Park

July 4th-5th: Shark Camp 1 (6- 10 yrs)

08h30-13h00

Two half days of fun/educational activities educating the students about our friend the shark and the food web with fun outdoor games, exploring and art projects.

July 6th: Shark Camp 2 (11-13 yrs)

08h30-15h00

A new camp developed specifically for tweens to learn more about sharks and the ocean around us.

July 7th- 8th: Marine Biology Camp (14-17yrs)

08h30-16h00

The high school camp is more in depth teaching about sharks and their physiology, ecological role, behavior and their conservation. The program includes a field trip and group experiments.

July 18th: World Marine Day

International Whale Shark Day Art Competition opens.

Contact SASC for details

August 30th: International Whale Shark day

Whale Shark art Competition closes

Sept 17th: International Costal Clean-up week: Coastal and Underwater Cleanup at SASC

A fun day to clean up our beautiful coastline

Sept 23rd?: Whale Festival Events at SASC

Schedule to come when Whale Festival dates are confirmed

Oct 14th: Sustainable Seafood Cook-Off at SASC

Local Business and Community members are welcome to come and create their best SASSI (Southern Africa Sustainable Seafood Initiative) Green listed dishes. The community will vote on the food and winners will win exciting prizes. Benefits go to SASC.

Oct 15th: SASC Fin Run

5km Costumed fundraiser, all benefits go to SASC

Dec 12th -13th: Shark Camp 1 (6- 10 yrs)

08h30-13h00

Two half days of fun/educational activities educating the students about our friend the shark and the food web with fun outdoor games, exploring and art projects.

Dec 14th: Shark Camp 2 (11-13 yrs)

08h30-15h00

A new camp developed specifically for tweens to learn more about sharks and the ocean around us.

Dec 19th-20th: Marine Biology Camp (14- 17 yrs)

08h30-16h00

The high school camp is more in depth teaching about sharks and their physiology, ecological role, behavior and their conservation. The program includes a field trip and group experiments.