Our Eastern Cape-based Marine Sciences schools embarked on a field trip for Grade 10 learners

29 October, 2025 - Marine Sciences, Courses, Education, Foundation, Blog

At the Two Oceans Aquarium Foundation’s Ocean Campus, experiential learning is a core aspect of our teaching philosophy and a huge part of who we are. For the schools across South Africa that offer Marine Sciences, this is no different.

Tim Barnard, Marine Sciences teacher at St Andrews College, introduced the idea of hosting a field trip for the Eastern Cape’s Marine Sciences learners. With the help of Rebotile Matabane, Marine Sciences teacher at Solomon Mahlangu High School, the two educators organised an incredible, jam-packed weekend in Boknes. The field trip was a huge success, bringing together 113 Grade 10 learners, 11 teachers, and seven student teachers.

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Rebotile reminisces: “When Solomon Mahlangu School piloted Marine Sciences in the Eastern Cape, it was a very lonely journey. This inspired the idea of having a field trip where teachers could share tips and pointers, while learners discussed everything about marine life and ocean conservation. That’s what the Boknes field trip was about: Practically linking what they were taught in the classroom to real life, exposing learners to the ocean environment, and creating communities that care about their environment”.

With over 100 enthusiastic learners attending, the structure of the field trip was designed to mitigate potential chaos. Learners were divided into four groups, each of which was doing a different practical activity or lesson at the same time, supervised by one of the 18 teachers and trainees.

Judy Mann-Lang, Executive of Strategic Projects at the Foundation, said: “Tim and Rebotile’s hard work and preparation ensured that each day’s activities happened on schedule, optimising the use of time and space despite the logistics to work around.”

The field trip provided a valuable opportunity for seven student teachers who are training to be Marine Sciences educators through Rhodes University’s PGCE course. The student teachers were able to lead fieldwork activities, conduct practical activities in a temporary laboratory, and teach large groups of learners theory lessons. They received positive feedback from mentors and lecturers.

This weekend was all about making memories that will hopefully last a lifetime, building friendships, exploring the ocean, and learning to love it.

For the teachers, it was incredible to witness the delight on the faces of young learners as they first touched a sea anemone, watched fear turn to fascination when they saw a baby shark, or saw faces transform from confusion to understanding as they finally grasped what a salinity gradient is. The sheer, unadulterated joy as the learners felt the sand under their feet on the beach or turned a rock over and found their first chiton was unmatched!

“Thank you once again for this marvellous experience! We look forward to many more collaborations for the benefit of our education and our learners,” said Jonathan Hellemann, Principal at Andrew Moyake School of Excellence. Luvuyo Nkani from the Department of Education agreed: "It was an awesome event. Preparations were done with precision, indeed a truly unforgettable success to everyone involved.”

On completion of the trip, Tim Barnard said, “The sea is a place of healing and connection. It was a privilege to be able to work with a positive team to share our love of the ocean with the next generation of ocean champions.”

The world needs more people who understand the ocean, its ecosystems, challenges, and importance to all life on Earth. By choosing Marine Sciences, you’ll gain practical skills, scientific knowledge, and experience that can lead to exciting careers in marine biology, conservation, research, and more.