Search

Due to the seriousness of the global COVID-19 pandemic and in light of the requests and recommendations made by the office of the Presidency of South Africa, the Two Oceans Aquarium will temporarily close its doors to the public from Wednesday 18 March until further notice. This will be the first time the Two Oceans Aquarium has closed since Christmas Day in 1996.

Yoshi the loggerhead turtle is known by many titles: She's our world record holder and "Greatest-of-all-time" ocean ambassador. She's been referred to as the ultimate traveller, influencer, inspiration, adventurer, navigator, foodie and "most famous sea turtle ever". We can now, with confidence, add "discoverer" and "lead scientist" to that list! Yoshi literally guided Australian scientists to a previously unknown loggerhead foraging site off the coast of Western Australia. A team from the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions in Western Australia has been incredible with their support and interest in Yoshi, and headed to Port Samson earlier this week hoping that they would be able to locate Yoshi and replace her ageing satellite tag. On their arrival in Yoshi's vicinity, the sea conditions were great and they picked up Yoshi’s satellite signals on their mobile receiver. Dr Scott Whiting knew it was going to be a bit of a "needle in a haystack" search – but what they did not realise was that they were going to find a whole lot of other needles in that haystack! They did not expect to find 40 other loggerhead turtles in the most ideal feeding ground. They could hear Yoshi’s ping, but unfortunately never caught sight of her (she can sure hide well for such a large turtle).

South Africa's COVID-19 lockdown is undoubtedly affecting the lives of millions of people - but what is happening to the animals at the Two Oceans Aquarium?

Amy Davis is a third-year photography student at City Varsity. Late last year, she entered a photography competition hosted by the World Photography Organisation. Amy was selected as a finalist, and chose to feature the story of Bob, the beloved green sea turtle in long-term rehabilitation at the Two Oceans Aquarium, to suit the theme of "sustainability now."

When Marius Scholtz climbed onto the roof of a double story factory in St Francis to install a maritime radio antenna on the afternoon of Thursday 2 April, he did not know he was about to become a turtle rescue hero!Marius's quick thinking, together with the guidance from our Turtle Rescue Network Coordinator Tracy Whitehead and the team at Port Elizabeth's Bayworl Aquarium, resulted in what has certainly been the most incredible hatchling rescue story we've ever had - and proof that even during the COVID-19 lockdown, everyday heroes get the chance to step-up and become turtle rescuers.

Missing the Two Oceans Aquarium? Even though we are closed to the public during the COVID-19 lockdown, you can still take a peek at the beautiful I&J Ocean Exhibit via this live stream provided by VOX Telecom.

If the beginning of the lockdown here in South Africa, and in other countries where long periods of isolation have been encouraged, proved anything, its that we humans are terrible at planning ahead for how much food we need! We tend to either hoard far too much or are severely underprepared. How to sea creatures facing harsh environments and food shortages cope?Here are five ocean animals that have their rainy day food situations sorted:

What an interesting season we have had so far in our turtle rehabilitation programme!The 2020 stranding season started pretty quickly, with March seeing the arrival of 24 rescued turtles, adding to the four that we had already received in February. Interestingly, 18 of these turtles came from Struisbaai - a real hotspot when it comes to turtle strandings.

Let's be honest, social distancing really takes a toll on the love life. Whether it's staying in contact with a partner who lives in another city, finding romance, or simply the tension of being in close proximity to your partner all day, every day, there isn't much that's sexy about being in lockdown. While social isolation might suck for us humans, these isolated ocean animals have no problem with finding love:

Many parents have had to jump in and ensure that their little ones (and the bigger ones) don’t fall behind with their school work during the COVID-19 pandemic. Parents have had to get those creative juices flowing and educate the kids and keep them entertained, at the same time. And so many parents have already spoken up on social media, thanking teachers for what they do every day, having never realised before how essential, and trying, the teaching of the young is. Parental guidance isn’t something that is very common in the marine world, but it does exist. Perhaps not always in the way us humans would classify it, but in the animal kingdom things sometimes work a bit differently. Let’s take a look at marine animals that “learn” from their parents and their community, and perhaps some other unexpected sources.

To our visitors, the Two Oceans Aquarium is a wonderous place to go for adventures. While you explore the exhibits and everything that the Aquarium has to offer, behind the scenes a whole team of people is constantly at work to ensure that each and every visitor has an amazing experience. Just like any other business, the Aquarium team consists of various departments – finance, marketing, curatorial and a whole lot more. With the Aquarium temporarily closed to the public, the majority of this team is working from home, with only the core, essential staff looking after the animals onsite. But, as anyone who works at the Aquarium will tell you, being away from the Aquarium, is an adjustment of note. What do those who are working from home miss most about the Aquarium?

The annual FET Marine Biology course, run by the team of teachers of the Two Oceans Aquarium Foundation and sponsored by I&J, has always been popular with students who have an interest in studying Marine Biology and wish to continue their studies at a tertiary level. The course introduces them to terminology and greater detail about organisms they will learn about in their future studies and careers.