🥚🌊 Egg case surveys in Hartenbos! Our full crew headed out to Hartenbos for another egg case collection session. At first, things were looking a little quiet, with only a few egg cases turning up. But sometimes, it pays to keep looking!

🌊 When the ocean shows its power! Some impressive swell rolling into the Point in Mossel Bay, sending huge waves crashing against the rocky shoreline!

Our October students headed out for another tidal survey at the Point, building their intertidal invertebrate identification skills. From recognising species like volcano barnacles to carefully counting individuals and recording data accurately, every survey lets them put theory into practice.

🐬 A great start to land-based cetacean surveying! Our October students headed to the lookout below the Cape St Blaize Lighthouse for their first land-based cetacean survey session, and Ryan spotted a pod of bottlenose dolphins almost as soon as we arrived! 👀

A little glimpse into life at sea with our October students! 🌊🐬 From boat introductions and getting hands-on with life on board to selfies and working together as a crew, it’s been all about learning, teamwork, and making the most of every day on the water. 🚤💙

We set out in search of orcas that had been spotted earlier that day, but instead encountered another fascinating ocean giant just outside the Mossel Bay harbour entrance: the ocean sunfish (𝘔𝘰𝘭𝘢 𝘮𝘰𝘭𝘢)! 🌊🐟

☀️ Sunshine, salty air, and a little science! No classroom is better than the coastline on a beautiful day in Mossel Bay. 🌊Our students made the most of the sunshine during a recent tidal survey, exploring the intertidal zone, observing marine life, and collecting valuable field data.

🎧 Six months of data in, six more months of monitoring ahead. Every six months, we head out to retrieve and replace the ATAP acoustic receivers that form part of the long-term acoustic telemetry network along our coastline.

🎣 The knots behind the data. Before an acoustic receiver can start recording the movements of marine animals, there is a fair amount of practical work that happens above the water.

🐡 Can you guess what this is? 👀 We came across this unusual little find while out on Hartenbos Beach in Mossel Bay during one of our surveys. It might look like a piece of shell at first, but this is actually part of a pufferfish’s dental structure!

Just as we were heading out of the harbour, our Station Manager, Kristina, mentioned that the conditions looked perfect for humpback dolphins (𝘚𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘢 𝘱𝘭𝘶𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘢). And almost in the same breath, she spotted one along the harbour entrance, followed shortly by another two further out.

A gannet traffic jam at sea! On our way out to the chumming site, we were joined by a whole flock of Cape gannets (𝘔𝘰𝘳𝘶𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘴) passing alongside the boat.

🐚 A little beach behaviour caught during our egg case survey. During our latest egg case collection, we came across a group of plough snails (𝘉𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘢 𝘥𝘪𝘨𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘴) moving across the sand. These fascinating intertidal snails are highly adapted to life on sandy beaches.

🎣 A pyjama catshark in the catch A pyjama catshark (𝘗𝘰𝘳𝘰𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘢 𝘢𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘶𝘮) was among the catch during a recent sea fishing trip. 🦈

Grey skies, wild seas, and a coastline full of life. 🌊☁️ Not every field day comes with sunshine, but there is something special about exploring the shore under a moody sky.

This week, our research team had an exciting encounter with a female tiger catshark (𝘏𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘦𝘭𝘶𝘳𝘶𝘴 𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘴), measuring 41 cm in total length. This species is endemic to southern African waters and is a small, benthic shark typically associated with rocky reefs and sandy substrates.

🌊 Before the survey. After the survey. A tidal survey might look like a simple walk along the shore, but every piece of equipment has a purpose.

🌊 A tidal pool is much more than a pool of seawater. Along the rocky coastline of Mossel Bay, every tidal pool is a small, dynamic ecosystem.

Did the fieldwork actually happen if there’s no selfie to prove it? 😎🌊 Between transects, quadrats, species IDs and data sheets, we obviously had to document the most important part of the fieldwork too. 😂

Although our work focuses on the animals in & around the ocean, we are fascinated by all the wildlife we encounter. This week, we had an exhausted bee land on Triton. We carefully escorted her back to the harbour, where she was able to rest and recover before flying off on her own.

🦭 Morning chats with the locals! While out on shift at Seal Island, a few Cape fur seals (𝘈𝘳𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘶𝘴 𝘱𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘶𝘴 𝘱𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘶𝘴) decided to hang out around Triton’s anchor line and had a lot of fun.

🐬 Our first shift of the NEW land-based humpback dolphin survey! From our observation point at SeaGypsy, we are monitoring the waters around Santos Beach for Indian Ocean humpback dolphins (𝘚𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘢 𝘱𝘭𝘶𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘢), as well as other whale and dolphin species passing through the area.

A new group of students means a new season of learning, fieldwork and plenty of time on the water! 🐋 Orientation Day is all about getting everyone settled in and ready for life at Oceans Research.

🐋 Land-based cetacean surveys from the Point Today’s survey took us to the spectacular Point in Mossel Bay, beneath the historic St. Blaize Lighthouse, where our team conducted a land-based cetacean survey using a theodolite.

⚓ Keeping Triton safe through the storm When the wind picks up, our work at sea doesn’t stop completely — sometimes it just moves into the harbour.

🦭 A little company on the water Cape fur seals (𝘈𝘳𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘶𝘴 𝘱𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘶𝘴 𝘱𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘶𝘴) are a familiar sight along South Africa's coastline. These individuals spent some time following our research vessel, using the wake to surf alongside the boat while investigating their surroundings.

🦈 An early-season surprise! Last week, we had a special encounter off Mossel Bay: three juvenile smooth hammerheads (𝘚𝘱𝘩𝘺𝘳𝘯𝘢 𝘻𝘺𝘨𝘢𝘦𝘯𝘢), measuring between 0.8 and 1.2 m.

Fieldwork is as much about being prepared as it is about finding the animals you’re looking for. While waiting for the next shark to arrive, our students get the opportunity to practise an essential skill in shark research: taking high-quality photo ID images.

We recently joined Midbrak Conservancy and local families at Reebok Beach for a morning of marine education and exploration. Our team had the opportunity to teach participants about marine conservation, the challenges facing our oceans and some of the methods we use to study marine ecosystems.

Excited to share the deployment of a hydrophone as part of an important new research project investigating the acoustic world of the Critically Endangered Indian Ocean humpback dolphin (𝘚𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘢 𝘱𝘭𝘶𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘢). 🐬🎧