Exposure to Marine Science
The 2022 annual blue planet competition winners made their marine science exposure trip to Cape Town on the 11th of May 2023. The winners Rakgopha Khutso and Tjale Phenyo from St Bede high school accompanied by their teacher were welcomed at the Cape Town International Airport by Dr Ragoasha and the 3 day adventure started at the South African Weather Services followed by a visit to waterfront.
The day was filled with fun & educational activities such as getting to meet interesting professionals from The South African Deep-Sea Trawling Industry Association (SADSTIA), the Department of Fisheries, Forest and Environment (DFFE), and the University of Cape Town.
They got the opportunity to be introduced to and lectured about different careers that exist within Marines sciences. Day 2 started with going to the University of Cape Town, followed by a visit to the Two Oceans Aquarium. On the last day, our winners got a chance to relax and soak up the relaxing atmosphere in the mother city and later had a meet and greet over Braai!
Let's hear what our winners had to say:
Q: How would you describe your trip experience?
Phenyo: First of all, I would love to say Cape Town is a very fabulous place. I’ve heard people raving about their visitation to Cape Town so many times but visiting it myself takes the cake. From the very first moment I arrived, I felt at home! I blame the Observatory for that, the awesome bohemian neighbourhood of Cape Town where I happened to stay.
We visited many places there, both educational & for leisure. We had the opportunity to visit the South African Weather Service (where we learned how observational data is collected & the models used); the South African Deep-Sea Trawling Industry Association; the Department of Fisheries, Forestry & the Environment; Two Oceans Aquarium which provided a closer view to the marine species of the Atlantic & Indian Ocean; and The Victoria & Alfred Waterfront which is one of Cape Town’s oldest historic attractions; just to name a few. We were even able to see some of the things that we learned about in school (Geography) e.g., the meandering river (this was seen along the way to Cape Town, through the plane’s window), the mesa, butte & even experience the cold, rainy winter weather of Cape Town brought by the cold fronts.
Khutso: Firstly, I have to say that Cape Town is a fascinating place. Everything about it was new and fabulous to me. I enjoyed being there as I explored new adventures. So the experience was very joyous and educational. Having to go to different places that have a good history and are very observable meant a lot to me. Everything was just fantastic and worthwhile.
Q: Is there anything new you learned on the trip?
Phenyo: Yes, a lot actually & my biggest highlight was at Two Oceans Aquarium which gave me exposure to some of the marine animals I found very fascinating like the clownfish which closely resembles “Nemo”, jellyfish, penguins, tortoises, etc., and as we were busy exploring, along the way we learned a lot about the importance of conservation of the environment & the extent to which our waste affects marine life, some even threatening their existence, like at the Save Our Seas Foundation Shark Exhibit which is a home to some impressive Ragged-tooth sharks which raises awareness about the plight of sharks and educates about the facts concerning these misunderstood creatures. I saw even some of the weirdest fish like the very attractive hagfish which doesn’t have jaws, eyes, fins, or scales.
Khutso: I have to say that everything that I have encountered was more of a new lesson to me since I did not know a lot about the ocean and other fields to which I was exposed on the trip. I learned about how the SAWS interprets the weather system and how they can collaborate with oceanographers in checking the weather in the ocean, this was one of the best learning experiences that I’ve had there since then I’m interested in understanding how nature and different organism function. I also loved learning more about the chemistry within the ocean when went to UCT and we met Dr. Mhlagabezi who explained briefly the different components they use in the analysis of things like the salinity in the ocean, nitrogen isotopes, etc.
Q: What was the most fun part of your trip?
Phenyo: The most fun part was seeing the mountainous areas of Cape Town which include the famous Table Mountain both with its “tablecloth” & without, the Lion’s Head & the devil’s peak; visiting the colourful houses of Bo-Kaap; going to the beach (even though we were unable to get in due to the weather), seeing the most beautiful scenery of V&A Waterfront at night, having a ride on the Cape Wheel, etc.
Khutso: The most fun part of the trip was when we went to The Victoria Wharf Mall where we got the chance to visit Two Ocean Aquarium and saw different marine species. We got the chance to have a view of what the harbour looks like and stepped on the Bridge which opens when different boats pass by. When we were there we got to have a view of the beautiful city at night. I also enjoyed being at the UCT open day because that is where I learned about a lot of career fields.
Q: Would you say the trip expanded your knowledge about the ocean, marine science, and careers that exist within the field?
Phenyo: Yes it did, this was mostly achieved through conversations we had with Lerato Mpheshea and online presentations with Caroline Mpeja & Dr. Mhlagabezi. We were able to get a better understanding of marine science and how it works. We had an exposure at The Marine Biogeochemistry Lab at the University of Cape Town where we learned how data is collected from the ocean, which apparatus is used, why they are used & how, and we came to know more about Biogeochemistry & how the ocean works.
From Caroline, I learned more about marine biology which is the study of plants and animals within saltwater environments. A marine biologist may also monitor ocean creatures’ interactions with each other and their environments to understand more about aquatic life. & Lerato was able to explain more about oceanography which is the study of the ocean but it’s broad as it covers more topics like marine life & ecosystem; & the geology of the ocean floor.
Khutso: Yes, the trip expanded my knowledge about the ocean and marine sciences because I only knew less about the ocean, so the trip gave me a lot of knowledge about the ocean and marine life in more detail. I learned about different types of hake and how fishes are protected from overfishing to try and counteract a disturbance in the ecosystem. We also learned about different roles that are assigned to people to study different factors such as ocean, temperature, and the rate at which phytoplankton grows, etc. So this gave me a broad understanding of different careers one may consider in marine sciences
Q: What was the most interesting/educational thing about the trip?
Phenyo: The most interesting/educational thing about the trip was learning about the existence of the S.A. Alguhas II which is a South African icebreaking polar supply and research ship owned by the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) used to collect data on ice in places like Antarctica, and in the future it will be used as a research platform by companies & universities of South Africa to gain more knowledge about the interaction between ice & the ship.
Khutso: Yes, the trip expanded my knowledge about the ocean and marine sciences because I only knew less about the ocean, so the trip gave me a lot of knowledge about the ocean and marine life in more detail. I learned about different types of hake and how fishes are protected from overfishing to try and counteract a disturbance in the ecosystem. We also learned about different roles that are assigned to people to study different factors such as the ocean, temperature, the rate at which phytoplankton grows, etc. So this gave me a broad understanding of different careers one may consider in marine sciences
Q: What advice would you give learners who want to enter the blue planet competition?
Phenyo: I would strongly encourage you to join the competition & once you’re in, give it your all because it’s not every day that one receives such an opportunity. Cape Town is a very beautiful day & I believe everyone should visit that place, so use the opportunity wisely.
Khutso: I think more learners should enter the blue planet competition as it provides learners from different backgrounds with an opportunity to explore other parts of the world and to know different marine science career fields. It provides learners with more knowledge about the ocean and what they need to do if they are interested in studying ocean/marine biology. So I would encourage other learners to enter this competition so that they can get other opportunities in life.
