AfricanDiver.com

I was referred to this article, written by Alan Straton of MyPE, by my friend Rainer Schimpf and which I’ve reproduced in full.

Boaters and the public, in the Eastern Cape, between Plettenberg Bay and East London, are being asked to keep a close eye out for the adult female Humpback whale that is entangled in netting and is expected to be in this area accompanied by her approximately 1 month old calf. Attempts made to try to free the nets off the whale, on Friday, in Plettenberg Bay, by volunteers of the SA Whale Disentanglement Network, were suspended, on Friday, after the adult whale appeared to get agitated by the rescue teams presence. Appeals were made to boaters and the public to be on the look-out for this whale (and her calf) but no sightings have been reported (by Sunday afternoon). Mike Meyer, SA Whale Disentanglement Network (SAWDN) says that they are hopeful that these two whales will be sighted and reported.

Whale calf swimming alongside her mom. Picture courtesy of Graham Anley.

On Saturday morning an SA Air Force (SAAF), 35 Squadron, Dakota (fixed wing aircraft), returning from East London to her base in Cape Town, volunteered to search for the whales while she flew overhead of the area where we expect these two whales to be (between Port Elizabeth and Plettenberg Bay) and although two whales were spotted by the 35 Squadron crew it was confirmed by them, on closer inspection, that these were not the same whales.

Only the adult female has netting wrapped around her torso, tail fin and dorsal fin (and not the calf).

Any sightings of these whales should be reported to the SEA RESCUE EMERGENCY NUMBER (EASTERN CAPE) 041-5071911.

SA Whale Disentanglement Network volunteers in Plettenberg Bay, St Francis Bay and Port Elizabeth are on high alert to respond to any reported sightings. SAWDN are urging boaters and the public not to try to attempt to disentangle the whales themselves as an operation of this nature is extremely dangerous due to the size and the unpredictable behaviour of these animals. The volunteers of the SA Whale Disentanglement Network are trained in these types of rescue operations and use specialised equipment. It is suspected that the fishing nets around this whale may be Tuna Purse Seine Nets not normally found in SA waters and SAWDN suspect that she may have gotten fouled in these nets further North beyond SA’s borders. (This is SAWDN’s suspicion and unless they recover the nets they cannot confirm this!).

The adult whale presently does not appear to be debilitated by the gear (nets). The effect of the drag of the net, on its migration South, is presently not known.

Source: mype on Sunday, August 29 @ 16:05:32 SAST

Here’s something very close to my heart; Dugongs. Our resident Western Indian Ocean Dugongs are in terrible danger from habitat destruction, gill netting and other forms of human-induced disturbance. The Endangered Wildlife Trust though, is doing something about it. I had the opportunity to meet Karen Allen of the EWT’s Dugong Emergency Recovery Project recently and she sent me this mail. Please have a read, download the attached pdf document and enter the competition to help the EWT raise funds to implement their project. It’s a minimal amount and your help will go a long way.

“Dear fellow ocean lovers, divers, and conservationists

Following a successful field trip to Mozambique’s idyllic Bazaruto Archipelago; home to the Western Indian Ocean’s last remaining viable Dugong population – I’m happy to report that their presence remains detectable! I spent a considerable amount of time spotting them from the air, and at close-range from a boat last week.

The unfortunate reality is that measures for their effective protection through law enforcement remain largely ineffective. The Endangered Wildlife Trust is endeavoring to resolve this, and to recover the Bazaruto Dugong population- which is estimated between 100 and 200 animals. THE DUGONG EMERGENCY RECOVERY PROJECT also aims to reduce the likelihood of entanglement in Gill nets, and alleviate human-induced disturbance on the endangered mammal and its habitat by partnering with local, regional, and National Government, other NGO’s, and International Conventions.

Bazaruto’s Dugong’s need your help, and the Emergency Protection Project needs your support.

Kindly find a raffle ticket attached which I’m encouraging you to circulate on your databases. Proceeds from the sales will fund implementation and operation of the 5-year Protection Project.

Dugongs are on the verge of extinction. SUPPORT critical conservation efforts to stabilize their numbers and protect their habitat.

Purchase a raffle and win.
Prize: A 3-NIGHT STAY AT MARLIN LODGE ON BENGUERRA ISLAND, INCLUDING RETURN FLIGHTS.

The Dugong Emergency Protection Project is a 5-year research, protection and community development programme that will rehabilitate the LAST REMAINING
VIABLE Dugong population resident to the Western Indian Ocean.

HOW TO SUPPORT AND WIN
Step 1:   Attached please find the Dugong Emergency Protection Project Raffle form. E-mail the competition answers to karena@ewt.org.za
Step 2:   Donate R100 to:     Endangered Wildlife Trust
Bank: First National Bank
Branch Name & Town: Rosebank, Johannesburg
Branch Code: 25 33 05
Account Number: 50371564219
Swift Code: FIRNZAJJ
Reference Number: EW024
Step 3:  IMPORTANT: Before your entry is considered, you will need to reference your deposit as: EW024, and either fax or email proof of payment.
Fax: 011 486 1506
Email: karena@ewt.org.za

The Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) is one of southern Africa’s leading non-Governmental, non-profit, conservation organizations.  “Conservation in Action” lies at
the heart of all the EWT’s operations. Our dedicated and expert field staff strive to conserve threatened species and ecosystems by initiating practical research and
conservation programmes, implementing projects that mitigate threats facing species diversity and supporting sustainable natural resource management.  Please
visit our website for more details about our project www.ewt.org.za

Join us in our commitment to conserving our rich natural heritage for future generations.

Your support in this endeavor is appreciated. Kindly contact me should you require any further information.

Karen Allen
Dugong Emergency Recovery Project
Endangered Wildlife Trust
Tel: 002711 486 1102
Mobile: 0027 82 7286564
www.ewt.org.za”

Click here to download the entry form and then follow the steps as outlined by Karen above.

I’ve been calling around to find out what people are up to on International Coastal Cleanup day – the 25th of September (you can read more here). Seems some dive operators are doing their bit on the 18th of September (more on that to follow).

But here’s something really innovative and committed. Sandton Scuba, based smack-bang in the middle of the city of smoke (Johannesburg) are taking a long-term view to coastal cleanup. Now we all know that what we do inland, ends up in the sea via our rivers and streams but there seems to be very little that gets done to clean up our rivers. Sandton Scuba, with the Braamfontein Spruit and Jukskei River on their doorstep have undertaken to do a cleanup on their patch of the rivers.

They plan to have a jam-packed day with their clients doing what we all should be doing anyway. What’s even better is that they’ve registered their cleanup operation with PADI’s Project Aware so their efforts will be recorded.

If you’ve got nothing planned on Saturday the 25th, why not pop down to Sandton Scuba and lend a hand and meet some new people. Here are the details:

Sandton Scuba

Date and time: 25 September · 10:00 – 13:00

And here’s what they say: “Support Project Aware ! Bring your kids , friends and family and every little bit of litter that we collect will make an impact! Gloves and Bags supplied on the day! Bring and Braai after the cleanup!”

After three days on the water, our planned break at Mazeppa Bay was heartily welcomed by all. The activity we’d been witness to on the first three days of our trip had left us in a dazed haze and our bodies, unused to being on the boat for 6 hours, were in bad need of a break.

Mazeppa Bay

Despite our tiredness, we still managed to rise early and take in the beauty of the morning sunrise. A soft orange sun that painted Mazeppa’s beach and rocky island in pastel colours greeted us, while the sea gently washed perfectly formed waves on the beach and rocks.

Sunrise at Mazeppa

Mazeppa Bay is one of those little-known quiet spots of beauty and serenity. Frequented mostly by anglers, it has a wide beach flanked by a rocky island that reaches out into the sea. Between the beach and the island is an exquisite suspension bridge that simply invites a crossing. From the island, sets of magnificent waves roll off the backline into the bay – a surfing paradise? The hotel’s bar is a display centre for the many anglers who have fished this bay for years. Photographs of anglers with magnificent catches of various game fish hang dustily on the walls and, of course, there are photographs of anglers with the sharks they have caught – mainly Raggies, Duskys, Coppers and Zambezis. This was probably the hardest part of the trip for our team to accept but accept it we did, reminding ourselves that this trip was a fact finding mission and not a crusade.

Suspension bridge at Mazeppa Bay

Our day was spent exploring inland. Michael, our guide for the day, took us to meet with local entrepreneurs and a Sangoma and her family. We met with Rodney, who has returned to his family home after an absence of 10 years and who is in the process of rebuilding the fruit business that once thrived there. This was a common theme of the people we met – rebuild, escape from the city and get back to nature.We were privileged to meet with a Sangoma and her family. Her Grandmother, at 93 years old, was a treat and an inspiration and kept us amused with her antics.

Rodney's rebuild house work in progress

Mike Holmes and 93 year old Grandmother

Sangoma

Building material

Mother and her child

We ended the day by climbing the dunes north of the bay. It is rumoured that a treasure ship was wrecked on this beach and the treasure buried beneath what is now a very large dune.

Sand dune at Mazeppa Bay

We didn’t attempt to dig for gold but had huge fun climbing the dune and running down.

View from a dune

Mazeppa is a wonderful peaceful place to rest your soul and take in the beauty of the Transkei. Go take a look.

View of Transkei coastline next to Mazeppa Bay

Cape Town – A whale that became entangled in a 40-metre nylon rope was freed on Saturday afternoon near Gordon’s Bay in a meticulously planned rescue operation.

Employees from the department of environmental affairs, with the support of the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI), used sharp knives to cut free the one-year-old southern right whale, which presumably became entangled on Friday afternoon at Hangklip.

The crew of a boat in False Bay saw on Friday night how the whale was hitting the water with its tail and realised it was in distress and was probably tangled.

“But it was nearly dark and we decided to only go out the next morning,” said Mike Meyer, a spokesperson of the department for environmental affairs’ branch for oceans and coast, on Sunday evening.

“All along the coastline there are fish nets in which whales can become entangled. When a whale swims into a net, it starts turning round and round in an attempt to free itself. But that is actually the worst thing it can do because then it becomes more entangled.”

Infection

According to Meyer, a rope like that usually caught on the thin part of the tail, in front of the tail fin.

Often, as was also the case with this whale, there was a buoy attached to the rope. If an entangled whale was not helped, it could die eventually.

“The rope cuts into the animal’s flesh and it leads to infection.”

“The buoy keeps the animal on the surface of the ocean and prevents him from feeding and eating properly.”

“As this whale was helped within a day, he was not injured too badly,” Meyer added.

Officials from the branch asked the NSRI, tourist boats and other boats to look out for the whale on Saturday morning.

After they established that it was near Koeël Bay, NSRI volunteers took three members of the branch in NSRI boats to the whale.

Quick operation

They herded the whale to calmer waters in Gordon’s Bay.

They could then throw a kedge anchor on a rope toward him so that it could be fixed to the rope on his tail. Two buoys were tied to the rope so that the whale would remain on the surface.

Then they switched off the boat’s engines and carefully approached the whale. They pulled the rope toward them and carefully cut it off with sharp knives.

The rescue operation took about 30 minutes.

Cormac is currently on a 7 day expedition from Port Elizabeth to Port St Johns. The trip is an exploratory sea-going venture to gain a better understanding of the marine life on the South African East Coast. The trip has been organized jointly by African Diver and Rainer Schimpf of Expert Tours (www.expert-tours.com).

Rainer operates from his base at Port Elizabeth and this trip has long been an ambition of his. He also runs and NGO called Ocean Messengers (www.ocean-messengers.com) which focuses on ocean conservation.

Entries in the blog catalogue Cormac’s trip and the October issue of African Diver magazine will carry a full feature on it.

Further blog entries from other parties on the expedition can be found at www.mype.co.za

Day 2

Port Alfred to East London

After a lazy breakfast our little party left Port Alfred destined for East London. Once again the weather Gods had been kind to us and we delighted in another lazy sea day. That said, waves were crashing on the rocky coastline and leaving the harbour at Port Alfred was an exciting mad dash out of the harbour entrance once we caught a lull in the waves. Although we had a lazy sea, the sky was overcast and grey, but it looked like the clouds would burn off in a midday sun and we would be treated to blue skies again.

It didn’t take us long to find some excitement and we spent about an hour tailing a small Humpback family; two adults and a calf. This was consistent with our experience of the previous day when we had come across several small families of 2 adults and a calf.

Having left the Humpback family to their meanderings we headed into deeper water hoping to find some form of marine action. Great shafts of sunlight broke through the cloud cover in patches illuminating huge spot-lit areas of the ocean. Now and then blue sky broke over our heads, encouraging us to move ever deeper.

As the cloud cover broke up, in the distance, we caught sight of Gannets wheeling and diving and so we raced towards them. As we got closer it became apparent that the Gannets were following a mega-pod of Common Dolphin. The pod was spread out and was obviously hunting. Every now and then the dolphin would isolate a school of fish and the Gannets would wheel in and dive into the water to feed. The dolphin and Gannet were hunting Garfish and not Sardines as we had hoped.

The dolphin, were in a playful mood and each time we sped up they swiftly slipped into our bow wave to surf in front of our boat. Because the pod was so spread out we were able to “work” a very large patch of the ocean and “play” with them.

At some stage during all of this activity the pod came upon a two families of Humpback Whale and we were treated to the magnificent experience of having two species of cetacean sharing the ocean with us.

By now the sun had won its battle with the clouds and the sky was a magnificent azure and so was the ocean. It was too inviting to miss and so we kitted up and joined the dolphin in the water. Visibility was a magnificent 20 meters and clear of phytoplankton. Sunrays danced in front of us as it pierced and illuminated the waters beneath us.

We could hear the clicks and squeaks of the dolphin but also the deeper rumble of the Humpbacks. With so much activity the ocean sounded like a high street in Johannesburg in peak traffic.

We realised we were in the path of the oncoming whales and readied our cameras in the hope of a once-in-a-lifetime shot …

Little did I know just how once-in-a-lifetime that experience would be. For the full story and images, catch the October issue of African Diver, out on 1 October.