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We chatted to four volunteers - Leslie, Faatin, Jenny and Tara about their volunteering experiences, to give you some insight into where they find value.

The enthusiastic teachers of the Two Oceans Aquarium Foundation really dont mind getting their hands, and feet, wet when teaching enquiring minds about the ocean and its amazing underwater world! The Grade 7 class of Bridge House School in Franschhoek was camping near Simons Town and wanted to see what there was to discover in the rock pools in the area. They contacted us to assist with exploring the rock pools and helping to identify the marine flora and fauna, and our teachers were happy for the chance to lead one of these exciting lessons.

For us, seeing a shark in the water is certainly a sight to see! But how well do sharks actually see? How do they protect their eyes? And what is up with a hammerheads eyes? Lets take a closer look at shark sight.

Members are invited to celebrate Sharktober at the Two Oceans Aquarium. We are hosting a special family night all about sharks on 29 October 2021, an exclusive chance for small groups to explore the Aquarium, learn more about sharks, and watch a family-friendly shark movie in a comfortable setting with some delicious treats added to the fun!

The I&J Ocean Exhibit has a newcomer - Geri, a three-flippered green sea turtle! Geri has been in the care of the Two Oceans Aquarium Foundation for some time, and will be completing the final phase of her rehabilitation in the larger space that this exhibit offers before being released. A 48kg Geri was rescued on 25 July 2021 at Paternoster - an unusual location for green turtle strandings! She was clearly missing her front left flipper, which appeared to be an old injury, but also had serious injuries and infections which hampered the movement of her remaining right flipper. Lacerations on her right flipper were deep enough to expose bone, definitely a cause for concern!

For the last 30 years, the third Saturday in September is dedicated to cleaning the marine environment and is known as International Coastal Cleanup Day. The Two Oceans Aquarium has been supporters of the day for many years and this year organised a Trash Bash at Monwabisi Beach to celebrate.

If you're short on time, but really want to become a diver, the PADI Scuba Diver course might be what you're looking for! The PADI Scuba Diver course is a new offering at the Two Oceans Aquarium, suitable for new divers, bridging the gap between the Discover Scuba Diving one-day experience for the scuba-curious, and the comprehensive PADI Open Water Diver course which some people struggle to fit into a busy schedule.

Thanks to the efforts of 42 marine and social scientists, The MPA Guide: A Framework to Achieve Global Goals for the Ocean has been launched in Science (you can read it here). The Guide sets a common language for the conversation around MPAs, allowing the conservation community to better understand ocean protections and get us closer to the goals of reversing biodiversity loss in our ocean ecosystems.

Everyone loves Bob, the green sea turtle that has been in long-term rehabilitation at the Two Oceans Aquarium after he was rescued in 2014. Bob became compromised due to a gut full of ingested plastic pollutions, leaving him vulnerable to an infection that caused brain damage. Although Bob has made a full recovery from his physical injuries, his behaviours and levels of activity suggested a loss of brain function, and the expert opinion at the time was that Bob would not be able to survive in the wild. But now, a new rehabilitation technique might be able to help Bob return to the wild at long last!

We recently added a school of 50 new Atlantic bonito to the Save Our Seas Foundation Shark Exhibit at the Two Oceans Aquarium and were asked an interesting question - why don’t the sharks eat the new fish? Good question - let's investigate!

With the support of DHL, the Two Oceans Aquarium Foundation is able to offer an outreach programme to under-resourced primary schools, bringing lessons about sustainability to Grade 6 and 7 learners. Known as "Smart Living" these lessons cover topics like energy, water, biodiversity and waste, and are designed to give learners a better understanding of the connections between their lifestyles and the environment, as well as tie in with their school CAPS curriculum.