Shark Chronicles 090 - I don't wanna leave!

So far I have only been here for six days and it has been an absolutely life changing experience for me.

The second day I got here, I had an absolutely amazing day! We started the day at 4 am doing Seal Survey with Dorien. Yulia and I took the first shift from 4-6am talking the whole entire time and loving the bioluminescence that surrounded the seals as they swam in the water. Around 5am we saw this Cape fur seal that was staying very close to the boat and was staring at us for a while until it started flipping vertically in the water column. We had absolutely no clue what it was doing and thought it was adorable until I looked closer to the boat and saw a white shark about 4 meters long, lit up by the bioluminescence in the water, and noticed it was circling the seal. I was in amazement! I could not believe I was witnessing this happening!!! Finally the white shark gave up and swam away but that is one experience that I will never forget for the rest of my life!

Later on that day around 9am when everyone was exhausted from the day, we had a white shark breech so close to the boat that you could reach out and touch it! Everyone started screaming in excitement! When everyone had calmed down after that breech and we were wrapping up the day by finishing weather data, when another shark breeched so close to the boat; for a second I thought it was going to come into the boat! It was absolutely amazing to see a creature that massive jumping out of the water completely.

I will never forget that first seal survey trip and I still went chumming later on that day (during which we saw 14 sharks)!

I am in love with Oceans Research and Mossel Bay. I don't think I'm going to go on the plane ride home.

Sam Hagen - Mossel bay Oceans Research intern

Shark Chronicles 086 - Pills

White shark population research by Peter Berney

I’ve now been an intern here at Oceans Research in Mossel bay for a week but it has been such an amazing week with so many new experiences that I will never forget. On Wednesday it was my birthday and in the morning was my first time chumming for Great white sharks. We took a boat out in to the bay and after only half an hour of throwing chum into the water came the first great white I have ever seen, which was amazing, this was then followed by another eight over the course of about five hours ranging in length from around 2 to 4 meters.

Dolphin research by Lucinda Farmery

There are around six watch spots along the coastline of Mossel Bay. The one we visited was based on a hotel balcony. We scanned the ocean once every 30mins with binoculars to see if we could see any dolphin pods. This provides more of an understanding on how the dolphins move around the bay.
I have only been here a week so far, but overall I had had a really enjoyable experience. It’s hard work, but the work is rewarding. It also makes you appreciate the weekends a great deal!

Aquarium research by Jordan Housiaux and Janette Theuner

At the Ocean’s aquarium/ Shark Lab we learnt how to do water changes, how to feed the different animals and how to record data for these jobs. The one thing we picked up quickly from hanging at the aquarium that we weren’t expecting was the close relationship between the public and the aquarium staff and the importance of educating people.
Another aspect of the aquarium we enjoyed from day one was the interactions we got to have with the animals. We are using some of the sea stars to do research and we will present this project at the end of the month.

Seal research by Jessie Lee

January marks a new year for many things for Oceans Research. For one, the seal survey method has changed as of December 2010, where daytime surveys of the Cape fur seal (Artocephalus pusillus pusillus) movements from Seal Island are now done on the boat instead of from a nearby hotel rooftop, and in sectors other that the main seal movement path of Sector 2 at night. Seal surveys are now conducted in random sectors (total 6) around Seal Island, and in set blocks of 6 hours (0700-1300, 1300-1900, 1900-0100 and 0100-0700) which allows different shifts of people to have their schedules fit accordingly for the week. Changing from 24 hour blocks also means that all is not lost through bad weather. Which four time blocks we have for the week is totally random, as is our anchoring position, adding a little more variety to proceedings.
Given the opportunity to be closer to Seal Island, we can see that there are currently pups on the island, and gather incidental data regarding seal activities off the island: feeding on fish inshore of island, and some playful behaviour. Among the other benefits is that individual seals who are returning slowly are less likely to be missed than they would through binoculars from the hotel rooftop. Much is yet to be learned about seal behaviour, but having access to a boat has greatly helped with providing more data regarding their activity and consequently that of their main predator, the great white shark. Little activity is still good data even during the day when seals do not normally leave the island, and anchoring in the sectors with fewer seal movements is important so we can obtain field data (or a lack thereof) to support our previous predictions.
A total of six people are on board the vessel to take two-hour shifts in pairs observing any seal activity. Having a shift in the afternoon may make seal surveying seem like a bit of breeze, even like sunbathing on a boat. The sun’s rays are piercing and hard on the eyes without sunglasses though, and sunscreen is a must spending six hours under the sun. However, when one is assigned to a 1900-0100 or 0100-0700 shift, the situation changes drastically - people wearing as many clothes as possible and trying to find any inch of dry space aboard the boat. One lucky person may seek the cabin for shelter, leaving the rest out in the night cold of Mossel Bay. Those not asleep may be treated to the tranquillity of a pod of bottlenose dolphins swimming by in the darkness, and everyone secretly hopes to witness a white shark breach in ambush of its prey. Having the boat available during the day has allowed greater flexibility and scientific accuracy for seal survey, and it has also opened doors to embracing the field work of marine research.

Shark Chronicles 084 - What is research about at Oceans Research?

On our day of arrival we were met by a friendly bunch of people of all different nationalities but with a common interest, the conservation and public awareness of marine life. To be honest before arriving in Mossel Bay I thought that we would pretty much only be doing Great White Shark research, which is the primary reason I signed up to be an intern with Oceans Research. However the first couple of days were too windy and were not conducive for going out and chumming for the white sharks. This was followed by a few boat engine problems which resulted in us not being able to go out on the boat for the day. It quickly becomes apparent that research in the marine environment and indeed any research in general is susceptible to last minute decisions whereby changes to the planned schedule is inevitable. This makes it interesting as plans can change at any time and you need to be prepared to adapt to new challenges.

Instead of going out on the boat, the fist few days involved doing Dolphin surveys from land at 6 sites around the Mossel Bay coastline. Edith is the Cetacean Queen here at Mossel Bay and her enthusiasm for cetaceans and dolphins in particular is awesome. The days can get a bit long when you don’t see any dolphins for several hours on end, but again this teaches you another vital attribute of any researcher, patience! After all patience is a virtue.. However it is rewarding on the days when you get to see a pod of about 40-50 dolphins moving synchronously en mass and tracking them around the bay.

On one of the first few days we were also introduced to the Shark Lab where a variety of interesting and ground-breaking research is taking place. We were fortunate enough to get involved with a study involving tonic immobility in sharks, namely the Puff-Adder Shy Sharks and Leopard Catsharks. This is when the sharks are turned upside-down and go into a trance-like state. At first when you turn them over they struggle profusely but then they eventually start to relax and you can literally feel when they slip into tonic. They lie there motionless and one would almost think they are dead as they don’t move at all except for their gills as they continue to breathe. However they suddenly slip out of tonic and start to struggle again at which point you release them and let them be. Theories differ on why sharks go into tonic immobility such as it could be an anti-predator defence mechanism by playing dead or it could help with shark copulation as the male will turn the female over whereby she wont struggle and he can get on with things. But again the research is helping to better understand why this mechanism is inherent in shark species and is aiming to identify if all sharks are capable of going into tonic as well as the main reason for this unusual phenomenon. Adam is in charge of the Shark Lab and also runs the aquarium which aims to undertake ground-breaking research while at the same time allowing the public to come and observe what is going on. Often new discoveries in science are kept among the scientists of the world, but Enrico (one of the Oceans Research Directors) explained to us that it is important to translate what happens in science into a simpler format which can be understood by the general public. This is also important as it generates public awareness which enables the public to understand why scientists do research in the first place and will ultimately lead to the more successful conservation of marine species.

About a week into our stay here we were finally able to go out on the boat looking for Great Whites. Our two intern leaders, Rob (the humorous South African-Kiwi) and Jeremy (the Californian gnarly surfer dude) took us out for the day and showed us the ropes of what to do on the boat and how to attract sharks. We started chumming and waited about 3 hours for any sharks to appear. These 3 hours were filled by Rob trying to get us to reveal things we never new about each other as well as other funny stories of past events and life in general. Just as we were about to run out of conversation 3 great whites came hurtling in towards the boat and we got our first taste of the Great White experience. It was amazing to see how graceful they are in the water, immediately putting to rest any doubt that these are mindless man-eating killers.. They pass by the bait rope with a graceful calm that you would not expect from one of the oceans apex predators, a truly humbling experience.

Our final mission before writing this blog was a seal survey whereby we anchored just off seal island and observed the movement of seals both incoming and outgoing from the island. Being out on the boat all day is an awesome experience. It’s just you and your new buddies out on the ocean observing things which people in general never see or simply take for granted.

One quickly realizes how all things in nature are interconnected and how researching various organisms enables us to better understand these interconnections and ultimately how we can enable their conservation. From just a week here the life of a research scientist seems very appealing. It’s hard work and long hours, however the work you do is very rewarding. It’s awesome to be able to contribute to something larger than yourself, and being an Oceans intern gives you the opportunity to do just that.

David van Beuningen

Shark Chronicles 076 - A brand new first month

As our ten-person car stuttered along the beautiful coastline of Mossel bay towards the Ocean’s Office & House, feelings of excitement and nervousness began to set in.

The first day or two seemed like a blur. On the first full day we woke up at seven, had orientation, socialized, and then explored the facets of our new research environment. By the third day, most of us had gotten the hang of things and it felt like we had become seasoned veterans---although maybe these sentiments were due to the fact that we hadn’t slept much.

For about half of us, our first chum trip provided such spectacular events that five hours on a rocky boat went by as if it were fifteen minutes. Almost immediately upon our arrival to Seal Island, a wounded seal greeted our boat, eliciting queasy stomachs, and a feeling that we might be in over our heads. Ten minutes later the wounded seal was gone. What the sharks didn’t finish off, the seagulls slowly and surely did. Although we were initially inclined to stare at the remnants of the injured seal, it was time to start the real work---chumming, data taking, photography, and probably the coolest, bait roping. Great White Sharks were even more magnificent in the water than they had been in any pictures that we had seen. We felt both amazement and utter respect for the sleek, agile and fast animals. Just when it seemed like the chum trip couldn’t get any better; we heard a loud splash on the port side of the Cheetah. It was predation. No one except for Dylan was prepared for what we saw next. While half of us cheered for the shark, the other half prayed that the baby seal would get safely back to the island. After a minute or two, the outcome was clear as the water turned blood red and the splashing ceased almost as quickly as it had occurred.

By the end of the week, everyone was more than ready to have a few days off. After all, a twenty-four hour seal survey will take its toll on anyone---except for our resident Italian, Michele, who managed to stay awake for over a day. From sitting on the Cheetah and listening for seals coming and going in sector two, to watching from a “snipers nest” at the top of the Diaz Strand hotel, seal survey definitely required patience.

While the seal survey was an exciting experience, at the very least it was also a long, arduous, and uncomfortable one for some. The seal survey from the boat was broken up into shifts, and ours was the night shift. Just when we had succumbed to sleep after the previous day’s duties, we were awoken in order to board the boat. It was a beautiful cool and crisp night, a stark contrast to the previous blizzard-cold nights previous groups had endured. Those that were on-shift utilized any night-vision senses they were equipped with in order to listen and spy fur seals coming and going from Seal Island. While the Cheetah boat was an excellent vessel for chumming, it did not have the best sleeping accommodations. Many of us played musical chairs in the attempt to find good sleeping positions. The cubby, in the steering wheel compartment of the boat, seemed to be the warmest and most comfortable area of all. Half of the boat seemed to be rooting for a breach; the other half hoped that all seals would make it through their journeys unscathed. Although a breach would be an exciting event, for this half the seal’s safety was more valued.

And to top off the week, everyone also managed to have a little social time. Despite thinking that going out would be a leisurely event, it soon became clear that going to Carouse, the only and best nightclub in Mossel Bay, required dance skills and a lot of energy. Dylan impressed even the locals with his excellent and exotic dance moves!

Overall, the first week at Ocean’s was excellent. It started out with a little apprehension but after seven days in the intern house, everyone seemed like family. The excitement of doing groundbreaking research and the experience of seamanship culminated in making the first week a very memorable one.

Robert, Katie and Brittany - Mossel Bay Oceans Research interns

Shark Chronicles 068 - Seal surveys and late-night predations

Not every moment spent at the Oceans research station in Mossel Bay can be devoted purely to the chumming and tracking of great white sharks. In order to fully understand the hunting and feeding behavior of these sharks, it is necessary to spend some time looking at the driving factor behind their actions; the seals (actually sea lions) of Seal Island. Seal surveys are completed anywhere from once a month to once a week, and consist of one, 24-hr long survey period. The end result of one survey will be a complete day’s worth of seal activity, from when they leave the island to feed, to when the stragglers, sluggish with digesting fish, return back to their island home. Over the years, the observations from these seal surveys have shown the researchers at Oceans that the seals are transitioning from very active periods during daylight hours, to almost solely nighttime activity. As a direct result from this shift in activity, the great whites of Mossel Bay have been found to also shift their hunting hours to a more nocturnal schedule. What this means for us dedicated seal surveyors, is the possibility to spot a nighttime act of predation from the great white. I know I speak for more than just myself when I say that this rare opportunity is what drives us to stay awake and vigilant at 3am in the morning, while wearing five layers of clothing and four pairs of socks (and day-dreaming of our much warmer beds on land).

We just completed our most recent seal survey during the hours of Wednesday night and Thursday day. Much like our survey last week (and surveys before, I’ve been told), the seals did not stray from the island during daytime hours but were incredibly active once darkness fell upon the bay. I was fortunate enough to be placed on the nighttime survey period of 1am – 7am, and much like last week, seals were actively leaving and returning to the island throughout the night. Most seals traveled in large groups comprising of 5 or more seals (in order to reduce the odds of being a shark’s dinner), but every now and then a daring seal would take off into the night all by itself. Although I personally find these seals to be amazingly cute, I found myself attentively staring at these individuals, praying for a white shark to breach out of the water and claim it’s dinner. Finally, at 3:36am, a group of 2-3 seals were in the midst of passing by the boat when a great white suddenly breached out of the water and sent the seals flying. The shark was relatively small (~ 2m), and the breach looked somewhat unsuccessful, but I still woke up the entire boat by yelling “BREACH” over and over again until everyone was watching the action. It was the first time that I had witnessed a great white breach, and reliving that moment over and over again in my head was what sustained me for the following four hours of surveying, that and the occasional lone seal setting out to be a possible white shark feast.

Lindsay L. Graff – Mossel Bay, Oceans Research Intern

Shark Chronicles 063 - Final week of November

The final week of November was also the final week for several of the interns.

Starting out with a seal survey on Sunday night that all went according to plan, the week carried on to be shark-filled and gloriously sunny.

It was evident to all of us that the sharks had come back to the bay to bid us farewell, seeing at least four sharks per chum trip with over ten one afternoon! There was a noticeable increase in the average size of the sharks we were seeing in comparison to Octobers chum trips, with the same 3-4 metre sharks revisiting the boat almost every day. Despite the need for data all across the bay, everybody desperately wanted to chum right by the Kleinbrak river mouth, as this was where the sharks were lingering.

An injured seal was found on the rocks near the aquarium, but there was no evidence of a shark attack…supporting the fact we had seen no sharks around the island in a while.

Our intern manager, Amy, went home on Thursday, and Friday was the final chum trip for our other intern manager Jonathon, during which they saw 11 sharks…so not a bad send off at all! That evening was the “grand finale” for most of us, with dinner and speeches for everyone.

Once the weekend came round, the week seemed to have flown by and the house was getting emptier and quieter.

The week was rounded off on Sunday with a trip on Shark Warrior, where 3xe (Trixie) came to play and put on quite a show for the tourists. Seal survey again on Sunday night, but the sea was calm and it was a pleasant way for us to say goodbye to the bay and the island…

Rachel Walls (OCEANS Research intern- Mossel Bay)

Shark Chronicles 055 - A Swiss in SA

There are a lot of things to discover and to learn when you arrive for an internship at Oceans. On Monday we had our first chumming session. We were particularly lucky for this trip: 3 sharks came towards the bait, and we saw 4 predations near to Seal Island. One of the sharks, which was particularly active and dynamic, made jumps here and there to catch the bait. Sometimes the waiting time is quite long, but what a reward when you can see the shark approaching the bait! The Great White Sharks are really impressive animals. The first experience with the ones of Mossel Bay was great and prepared us for some very interesting things to come for the next months.

Seal survey took place on Thursday night. The main task during that exercise consisted of counting the seals who arrived or left the island, in order to analyse the dynamics of the seal populations. Other events like sharks attacks, the presence of other marine animals, as well as the environmental conditions, are also taken into account. This week, the moon was bright and the night was not too dark, so the bioluminescence was not very strong. But despite this fact we could see the movement of the seals which approached the boat, and those movements are amazing and very beautiful to see.

In addition to the learning of all the tasks to do and how to do them, the first week in Mossel Bay allowed us to discover the marine biodiversity of this region, which is spectacular. Within the small area of Mossel Bay sharks, whales, dolphins, seals, and so on can be found. And that is one of the reasons why that region is amazing.

Sylvain Haldimann - Oceans Intern

Shark Chronicles 053 - Cold seal survey

Nights on seal survey are amazingly interesting (counting seals, creating bioluminescence, watching Enrico do charades, looking out for sharks, and wondering if the southern hemisphere is ever going to get its seasons right). Nights on seal survey are amazingly cold, too. And having people forget to bring sleeping bags certainly does not help.

In spite of the cold, the latest seal survey was thoroughly enjoyable as the sea was calm and there was much to see. As expected, there were several groups of seals leaving the island in a hurry and heading for the sea in order to forage (or do whatever seals get up to after sunset). Their speeding through the sea, bobbing in and out of sight does make counting them rather difficult, but as one of the other interns put it: just imagine that every time you leave your house to go grab some food, a group of huge monsters is going to be sitting right next to your front door, desperate to take a big bite off you. Small surprise these seals are pretty fast.

As the first shift of seal survey was drawing to a close (as was the supply of crackers and the interns’ capability of staying awake much longer), a Southern Right Whale showed up right next to the boat, inspecting it with what probably was something akin to interest. Worried that the whale might decide on taking a closer look at the funny creatures seated within, knock the boat over in the process, and potentially hurt itself, everyone started hitting the motors since whales are known to be very sensitive to noise. The whale disappeared beneath the waves and was not seen again that night. A much smaller whale, however, was lingering near the harbor later the same night.

It might have been yet another seal though. A rather big one.

On more shark related news, some of the bigger sharks seem to have returned to Mossel Bay by now! We hope to start tagging as soon as the southern hemisphere has finally succeeded in getting its seasons right, which is to say as soon as weather conditions are good enough to find a sufficiently large shark.

Elisa Schaum - Oceans intern

Shark Chronicles 052 - Gale force weeks

“The National Weather Service in Cape Town, Western Cape South Africa has issued a gale warning for the entire coast of the Western Cape- Winds are expected to reach 70-80km/h and waves are expected to reach over 15m. Ocean going vessels, especially small craft are urged to seek immediate safe harbour.”

This is the weather report that the Oceans staff and us interns were greeted with just about two weeks ago now. Needless to say, we weren’t expecting to be out on the water for a few days. The days before the storm were incredible, though, with up to 7 sharks per chum trip and they were getting bigger as well- up to 3.3m! As the storms waves started to roll in, all hands were on deck to try our best to protect the aquarium from the raging sea, but as with any storm preparedness, all we could really do was hope for the best. Nearly all of Mossel Bay joined the interns at the pub Big Blue (which is just on top of the aquarium at the point) to watch the mighty waves wreak their havoc. To keep ourselves entertained while there were marooned on dry ground, the interns headed to the Mother City, Cape Town, for the weekend and were treated to the sobering and uplifting experience at Robben Island, and the breathtaking views afforded few with a clear day on Table Mountain.

Returning from Cape Town we found the aquarium to be no worse for wear, just a bit of sand, and the time had come to bid farewell to several interns. It’s an interesting time for Oceans interns at that point as we have so many memories shared with those people, but so many to look forward to with the new interns to arrive. A proper going away party was in order and spit braii-ing an entire lamb certainly did the trick. (Bubblegum, Rodeo, Amandine, and Ross, you are all missed! And a hearty South African welcome to Leah, Erin, Elisa, Rob, Tom, and Niels!)) The new interns were whisked to Mossel Bay from the George Airport and were treated in their first week to sharks finally returning to the bay after the storm stirred up the water quite a bit. Not only did they get the chance to chum the first week, but also to experience the pure luxury of 24-hour seal surveys. There is nothing quite like spending the night on Cheetah with four of your closest friends counting seals…

The weather has returned to its former glorious sunny and warm self after the storm, and the water visibility is slowly but surely getting better and the sharks most certainly are making their return. The winter is upon us now and that means two things in Mossel Bay- crappy weather, and BIG seal-hunting sharks. The weather so far has been fantastic, and the sharks are indeed getting bigger. Hopefully a predation is surely in all interns’ near futures!

Shark Chronicles 046 - Good bye summer

As summer draws to an end and winter sets in, we believe big sharks to be coming into the area. The movement of sharks has already been observed, as we have not found many sharks in our old hotspot. Sharks have begun to be found around Seal Island again, which is typical of winter behavior. Juvenile seals are beginning to take to the water on their own to forage and their naivety and inexperience makes them an easy target for the sharks. This results in a lot of activity around the island. This behavior is beginning to be observed during the seal surveys, with much more data sheets being used.

The white sharks were illusive during the early part of the week but returned along with the arrival yesterday of a German film crew. Our chumming efforts were rewarded yesterday by attracting 10 sharks and today with 6 in the morning and 11 in the afternoon.

In the last couple of weeks we improved the appearance of the aquarium, giving it a funky make-over. Colorful posters were made, a new coat of paint was given and the shop expanded. As well, additional lighting and improving the oxygenation of the benthic tank has made a significant difference to the look and feel of the aquarium which has seen an increase in visitors as we approach the Easter holiday.

Coming with a new look are a few extra sharks and fish. A few interns went diving this week to collect new inhabitants for the aquarium, and would like to give a big thanks to Adventure Edge who gave their time and equipment for the collection of the sharks. With the new sharks a surprise came when the large pajama-jacket shark laid 2 egg sacks in the benthic tank. These eggs are now positioned in the back display, and everyone here at OCEANS is excited for the sharks to hatch.

A new octopus was also caught to keep the resident octopus company. At first this resulted in a fight-off, but now they’ve gotten used to each other, they respect each others space. We thought we had a handful with the first octopus’ cunning escape plans, rearrangement of the tank and doing ninja-moves at the sharks, two octopus will probably mean double trouble.

Dorien, Gill and Chris – Oceans interns