Marine Research - Education - Conservation South Africa | Oceans Research
Oceans ResearchOceans Research Institute investigates the biology and ecology of mega-fauna, including sharks, marine mammals, and terrestrial carnivores; we advise governmental and non-governmental bodies on relevant conservation issues. We also offer multi-disciplinary practical and theoretical training for aspiring researchers from internship to postgraduate levels in conjunction with partner schools, technical colleges, and universities.
Our Motto
Oceans Research provides and facilitates innovative and dynamic research relevant to the management and conservation of Southern Africa’s wildlife.
We strive to divulge research discoveries to the scientific community and also to the general public, through our website, media releases, scientific and popular articles, and documentaries.
We fulfill our responsibilities towards the next generation of South Africa by educating young school pupils and students through our marine volunteer and internship programs, exposing them to species such as the White Shark, Cape fur seal, bottlenose, and humpback dolphins.
One of our primary goals is to ensure South Africa's white sharks conservation through novel research, innovative awareness approaches, and aimed conservation projects.
Latest research news
Written by Dr Enrico Gennari on January 07, 2026
Balancing science, public safety, and conservation through a precautionary lens..
Connect with Oceans Research
🦈 Ever wondered how sharks move? Or if they move in a specific way? Well…
In this clip, you’re watching Carcharodon carcharias cruising past the boat — and even in this calm, steady swim, its biomechanics are on full display.
Great whites use carangiform locomotion, meaning propulsion is concentrated in the posterior third of the body.
🔬 Axial muscle wave
A wave of muscle contraction travels from head to tail, increasing in amplitude toward the caudal peduncle.
→ The head stays relatively stable while the back third generates most of the movement.
🔬 Lunate, high aspect-ratio caudal fin
The crescent-shaped tail sweeps laterally (side to side), producing thrust efficiently during steady cruising.
→ Built for distance, not wasted motion.
🔬 Heterocercal tail morphology
The elongated dorsal lobe generates both forward thrust and hydrodynamic lift, helping counteract negative buoyancy.
→ The tail pushes forward and subtly supports body position in the water column.
Even in a simple “cruise-by” moment like this, what looks effortless is actually highly refined hydrodynamic engineering — controlled posterior oscillation, minimized drag, and efficient thrust production.
#OceansResearch #SharkLocomotion #MarineScience #Elasmobranchs
Feb 14
Fieldwork in ecology is declining — and that’s a real problem.
A recent Trends in Ecology & Evolution article points out something worrying: as conservation becomes more driven by modelling, policy frameworks, remote sensing, and big datasets, time in ecosystems is shrinking. The paper argues this shift risks weakening a core foundation of ecological science.
🔗 Read it here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0169534724003185
Technology gives us incredible tools. But technology alone cannot replace first-hand experience in the natural world.
Fieldwork builds something no spreadsheet can: • Context you can’t infer from numbers
• Behaviour that only reveals itself in real time
• Habitat subtleties you don’t see in aerial data
• Ecological intuition that trains us to read the system, not just the output
At Oceans Research, we still believe in boots-on-deck, hands-in-water conservation training.
Because you can’t protect what you’ve never experienced — and the ocean deserves advocates who’ve seen it up close.
If you want to build real-world marine conservation skills — not just learn from a screen — sign up via the link in our bio.
#FieldworkMatters #MarineConservation #OceansResearch #HandsOnScience #Ecology
Feb 12
Huge thank you to the @flindersuniversity group for spending an unforgettable month with us 🌊
A month full of learning, growth, laughs, and incredible moments on and off the water.
We wish each of you nothing but success as you move forward in your professional journeys — go chase those dreams, you’re more than ready 💙
And while you`re at it, let us know in the comments what your favourite thing was that you have learned whilst here!
We miss you all already🌊🦈
Feb 10
Bad weather days at Oceans don’t mean downtime 🌬️🌊
They mean skill-building days.
When conditions keep us off the water, our students never just sit still. Instead, we dive straight into hands-on lectures and real-world research skills — the kind you don’t get from a textbook.
One of the most special skills they’re exposed to comes during our shark physiology lectures, led by our Director Dr Enrico Gennari. Drawing from his published research, Dr Gennari takes students through the methods used during internal tagging of great white sharks, including how sharks are carefully sutured post-surgery to ensure proper healing and animal welfare.
It’s a rare behind-the-scenes look at the precision, responsibility, and care required when working with apex predators 🦈
Because here, every day — weather or not — is about building confident, capable marine scientists.
Feb 8
The great whites are back in Mossel Bay, and we couldn’t be more excited! 🦈🌊
At Oceans, we’re passionate about these incredible sharks because they play a crucial role in keeping our oceans healthy. 🌍💙 Their presence is a sign of a thriving ecosystem, and we’re committed to research, conservation, and sharing our knowledge with the community. 📚✨
Join us in celebrating their return and the vital role they play in our marine world! 🎉 Let us know in the comments what excites you most about seeing these magnificent sharks return! 🦈💬
Feb 6
Land dolphin shift: where our students learn that conservation isn’t just about being on the boat. It’s long hours scanning the horizon, identifying species, logging behaviour and learning how to read the ocean properly. These shifts build real field skills — patience, focus, teamwork and solid data collection — and show students what doing science actually looks like.🔬🐬🌊
Feb 4
This video was created entirely by our students, sharing their own experiences here at Oceans 🌊
A huge shout-out to Emily (@emily.warner6), who put in an incredible amount of time and effort editing and leading this project.
This video truly captures what Oceans is, what we do, and—most importantly—what we hope our students take with them from this program.
Feb 2
Tinley Manor, sharks & safety — what the science says...
There is growing discussion around proposals to introduce shark control gear (such as shark nets or drumlines) at Tinley Manor on KZN’s North Coast.
Shark nets do not form a barrier, and drumlines do not selectively catch sharks. These methods work by catching and killing marine animals, many of which are non-target species, including rays, turtles, dolphins, and threatened shark species.
The Tinley Manor Impact Review examines numerous unscientific statements made during the public participation process that were used to support the need for shark culling. These statements have been reviewed by leading South African scientists, who have provided correct, evidence-based information in response.
No unprovoked shark bite has been recorded at Tinley Manor since the early 1990s, when nets were last used. Scientific reviews have raised concerns about the effectiveness and ecological impacts of reintroducing lethal shark control in this area.
Shark safety matters — but it must be guided by transparent, evidence-based decision-making that considers both human safety and ocean health.
More information:
https://sites.google.com/view/tinleymanorimpact/home
📷 Photo credit: @dr_sara_andreotti @sharksafebarrier
🔗https://www.sharksafesolution.com
Jan 31
Fieldwork is the fun part, but the office is where the real story happens.
🎥 Our latest crew is getting stuck into BRUVs (Baited Remote Underwater Video) analysis this week.
It’s a lot of hours, a lot of coffee, and some very meticulous species identification, but there’s nothing quite like the win of spotting that one rare find after hours of footage. It definitely makes you value every single data point that much more! 🌊🦈
#OceansResearchInstitute #MarineBiologyLife #BRUVs #SpeciesID #DataDays
Jan 29
Sharks aren’t guaranteed and patience is part of the process.
After a scarce few weeks in the bay, today rewarded the wait.
Relief, excitement, and a lot of smiling faces.
Student reactions say it all. 🦈
Jan 27
Our welcome movie All videos
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