Diving into an ocean conservation story at One Blue Heart

Last Thursday evening, the highly anticipated One Blue Heart event returned for its third rendition, with a twist. In support of our Turtle Conservation Centre, One Blue Heart 2025 took an immersive and intimate approach, bringing ocean conservation back to its core of connection, awareness, and impact. The Unplugged concept focused on care, abundance, community, and a collective spirit – a reminder that we have one chance to make a lasting impact.

This year, One Blue Heart: Unplugged paid tribute to the turtle conservation community – a vast network of turtle rescuers, supporters, volunteers, and more – who have shown incredible support for the Turtle Conservation Centre team. During 2024’s unprecedented turtle hatchling stranding season, when over 600 hatchlings washed ashore, the turtle community came to their aid. They volunteered their time and resources to make sure every hatchling arrived safely at the Turtle Conservation Centre to receive the care they needed to get back to fighting strength.

“At the Two Oceans Aquarium Foundation, we believe in care as our organising principle. It’s not a soft idea; it’s a radical one. It is rooted in justice; it is rooted in reciprocity and interdependence. We are not powerless,” said Ann Lamont, Executive Chairperson at the Foundation. One Blue Heart: Unplugged was curated with this in mind.

An evening of care and community

The theme of the evening was One Planet. One Ocean. One Night. One Caring Collective. Hosted by the Two Oceans Aquarium Foundation and the One&Only Cape Town, One Blue Heart has turtle conservation at its core – amplified by the generous support of premium sponsors and partners, including Cloudigital Art, the V&A Waterfront, FNB, UrbanTonic and VenueTech. The experience focused on meaningful connections, carefully selected art for auction, and the powerful stories of those working tirelessly to protect our oceans.

“Every element of this year’s One Blue Heart event was intentionally curated to reflect the deep integrity and purpose of the Foundation’s mission. Guests’ names were handwritten on mussel shells – previously enjoyed by the Aquarium’s animals – symbolising a gesture of reciprocity and reverence for the ocean. Glamour was set aside in favour of simplicity and authenticity, with every detail encouraging reflection, connection, and a shared commitment to caring for one another, and our one blue ocean,” explained Rachel Smith, event curator.

Guests were welcomed on the blue carpet by the haunting music of renowned crystal water harpist Antoinette Bishop. As they entered the One&Only Cape Town’s Ball Room, they were ushered to long tables set with a delicious, local, and sustainable harvest feast, elegantly decorated to emanate the serenity of the ocean. The guests mingled enthusiastically as they sat next to strangers who quickly became new friends, joining hands and minds for turtle conservation while the enchanting voice of Bonga Kwana, who opened with a blessing song for the evening, ebbed and flowed through the space.

Members of the Turtle Conservation Centre team rose under the spotlight to share their personal turtle stories. Each captivated the audience with their clear passion for these ancient ocean travellers, inspiring hope for the future of our blue planet.

Turtle Aquarist Siyolise Bezu shared the story of Mangaliso, a hawksbill turtle in rehabilitation. “Mangaliso has had a long recovery journey. He taught me about dedication, passion, love, but most importantly, Mangaliso taught me that miracles do exist,” he said. “The turtle team is also a source of inspiration. I don’t look at my team as volunteers, interns, seniors and coworkers, I look at them as my family.”

A cause for turtle conservation

Grounded in a narrative of protecting ancient turtle species, this unplugged blue carpet event celebrated the ocean, as well as raising funds for the Two Oceans Aquarium Foundation’s Turtle Conservation Centre.

Ann Lamont and the turtle team hinted at exciting developments on the new Turtle Conservation Centre, which was announced by David Green, CEO of the Waterfront, at last year’s One Blue Heart gala dinner. The new, stand-alone Turtle Conservation Centre is set to break ground in the Waterfront’s Granger Bay precinct in mid-2026. A first of this scale in Africa, the Centre will include a turtle rehabilitation hospital, education facilities, ample space for exhibition displays, a restaurant, and a shop.

“We are excited to be working with customer experience experts to create the conceptual visitor journey. This work is as important as the medical and rehabilitation facilities of the Centre – creating an accessible space for the public is essential to the turtle conservation work that we do. We believe that we can come together to make a difference to the health of our ocean and the animals that live in it,” said Lamont.

The current Turtle Conservation Centre plays a critical role in the conservation of five of the seven species of turtles through their rescue, rehabilitation, and release work. Over the past 20 years, we have released over 1 000 turtles back into the ocean.

“To ensure successful rehabilitation and eventual release, expensive rehabilitation techniques are needed, including life support, expert medical care and around-the-clock monitoring. Ranging in size from 20g to 80kg, each turtle’s rehabilitation journey is unique and can take from a couple of months to many years, depending on individual needs. We are incredibly excited about the opportunities which the new TCC will provide us. While extraordinary, last year’s turtle-geddon showed us that we need to be prepared for an influx of stranded turtles, and the new Centre will allow us to provide the best care possible for our turtle patients,” said Talitha Noble-Trull, Turtle Conservation Centre Manager.

Through storytelling, art and music, this year’s One Blue Heart reignited the collective responsibility to safeguard marine life for future generations.

“We wanted to return to the heart of what One Blue Heart stands for - a movement rooted in deep connection with the ocean and ourselves,” said Lamont. “We are grateful to everyone who supports our turtle conservation work and who has joined the movement to protect the ocean for future generations.”