Hundreds of Overstrand children attend World Oceans Day

On June 8^th thousands of individuals around the world gathered in celebration of our Blue Planet. World Oceans Day – recognised internationally by the United Nations – provides an opportunity for coastal and inland communities to celebrate our personal connections to the sea, acknowledging the importance of the global oceans in our daily lives irrespective of our distance from the closest coastal shoreline.

The South African Shark Conservancy (SASC) and the Overstrand Conservation Foundation (OCF) celebrated World Oceans Day in style, bringing together community members from Betty’s Bay to Kleinbaai. To commemorate this year’s theme, “Oceans of Life – pick your favourite, protect your favourite”, 200 children from Overstrand schools paraded through town dressed as their favourite sea creature, chanting “Go with the motion, save our oceans!” from Swallow Park along Marine Drive to the Whale House at the Old Harbour Museum. Given the blustery Cape winter’s day, such a turnout of young Ocean Warriors no doubt illustrated just how passionate the youth of the Overstrand are about Walker Bay and the surrounding beautiful blue ocean – a sure sign that us adults, the current custodians of our seas, must continue to act to ensure the preservation of our wild spaces for the coming generations.

Following this incredible display of support for our seas, Overstrand youth and concerned community members gathered at the Whale House to partake in a community pledge led by Mayor Beyleveldt and his wife, Marianne. Mr. Beyleveldt gave an impassioned speech to the World Oceans Day participants, encouraging everyone in the Overstrand to act on both an individual and societal level to conserve species and spaces through tangible action. As a people greatly influenced by the oceans – whether through the provision of employment or through the intrinsic ecstasy felt when witnessing a Southern right whale breach – it is undeniably fantastic that our Municipality wholeheartedly supports conservation and sustainability in our marine realm. The pledge, a book of over 100 children’s handprints, including that of our Mayor, can be viewed at the SASC facility in the Old Harbour.

A life-size whale shark – the largest fish found in the sea and currently listed as an internationally endangered species – will be permanently displayed at the SASC facility, serving as a constant reminder of the fragility of our global oceans, and the importance of each and every sea creature in maintaining the integrity of ocean ecosystems.

The day’s exciting events were followed by lectures by renowned conservationist Mr. Monty Guest of Underwater Africa, and internationally celebrated Professor Charles Griffiths of the Southern African Census of Marine Life and the Marine Biology Research Institute at the University of Cape Town. Highlighting the beauty and diversity of our seas while addressing the very real issues facing our oceans today, both gentlemen succeeded in inspiring all attendees to action.

The many generous donations given to us for World Oceans Day made our events such a success, and SASC and the OCF would like to extend a sincere thanks to the following: Greg Tutt, Mike Gray, HIK Abalone Farm, the Old Harbour Museum and its staff, Overberg Reinforcing, Sharklady Adventures, White Shark Ecoventures, Great White Shark Tours, Percy Tours, Gateway SuperSpar, White Shark Projects, and Lize van der Walt. A special thanks to the schools that went out of their way to make the day so special and to the Mayor, Hermanus Traffic Department and volunteers who made the day possible.

Mark June 8^th 2011 – World Oceans Day - in your calendar, for this annual event will no doubt continue to be an exciting and interesting celebration of our inherent link with one of the most important ecosystems on this, our Blue Planet.