Why do you do what you do?
I try to spread knowledge and passion for marine conservation to school kids and to early career scientists and the public. Marine conservation is a very important and pressing area of study with intensifying stresses, such as human population, coastal development, over fishing, and marine pollution. There has never been a more important time to raise awareness about the importance of marine conservation.
Recent studies show the severity of the biodiversity crisis the planet is seeing and it is up to everyone to do their part to try and prevent the situation from getting worse. I believe by educating the next generation to care, become passionate, and see value in the marine world will help conserve it. By teaching and allowing young scientists and conservationists opportunity to get into the field and apply their knowledge and skills in a meaningful way will create more capable and informed scientists for the future.
Briefing the students before a dive
What is your favorite part of your job?
My favorite part of the job is to see how much our students develop as field biologists, as divers, and as young people during their stay with us in Cape Town. They not only get an amazing insight into what it is like to work as a marine biologist, developing their skills and knowledge foundation, but they also experience the different cultures of South Africa, meet like-minded people, and get life experiences which they would never have gained anywhere else. By the end of the field course students feel so accomplished and confident, it is great to have been a part of that journey in their development.
What challenges do you often face and how do you overcome them?
As field biologists we come across plenty of challenges, from difficult or dangerous animals to observe, equipment issues, and challenging environmental conditions. As a scientific diver, water conditions are usually the most common challenge and can make our job very challenging.
We sometimes have to work in strong surge or low visibility. To overcome this we manage our dive objectives carefully and adapt our field work to the conditions and habitat we are intending to work in. But when you complete your dive objectives and you overcome these challenges, you feel very accomplished and gain great experience and confidence for future situations.
Out on a freedive recording kelp forest distribution and density
What advice would you tell your pre-travel self?
I would tell myself to make sure I pick the right experience that is going to benefit me the most personally and professionally while creating future opportunity. This is not always the cheapest option or in the tropical destinations. However, a course which offers top quality practical and theoretical workshops and great mentoring from experienced staff is vital. You often only get one chance to take a summer to gain that incredible experience before jobs or further study so make sure you invest in the best and the most effective experience for you.
Why should someone choose your organization over competitors?
Cape RADD is a marine biology field course for early career marine scientists designed and taught by marine scientists and professional divers. This means we know what it takes and what skills are most valuable in this field. We know the challenges, the techniques, and processes needed to succeed as a marine scientist.
We are here to help guide you as mentors, teach you new and exciting skills, and develop your knowledge and confidence in the application of these skills. We do this by offering an exceptionally high quality of course, which includes lots of diving with the best equipment, from the best boats, in the best dive locations and with engaging and relevant workshops. Unfortunately, this does increase the cost of the course; however, if you invest in the best you will not regret it.
What makes your organization easy to market to potential participants?
We offer lots of diving expeditions and boat time where we engage students in the research projects which are running at the time. Our students are exactly that—students—so they do not work on eco tours looking after guests or cleaning boats. They are here to learn, so we get them fully involved in the research, both hands-on and theoretical. This gives students as much exposure to practical application as possible, using SCUBA and freediving techniques which they will be able to apply and use in future careers. As fun as looking at white sharks is, it’s not much use when trying to get a marine biology job or future study position.
Course director Mike teaching new sampling techniques to students on a training dive
What is your organization's mission and how do you continue to work toward it?
Cape RADD is a marine field station that serves as a platform for researchers in the Cape Town and False Bay area. We specialise in long-term projects that serve to monitor the biodiversity of a global hotspot with more than 3500 endemic marine species. Our research includes assessing the success of different management strategies in Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), monitoring the diversity and abundance of marine species, white shark population estimates, shark deterrent strategies, and some large-scale citizen science programs.
Our research utilises various techniques including Baited Remote Underwater Video (BRUV), SCUBA roving divers, line transects, quadrats, photoquadrats and dropcams, mark-recapture, and other novel techniques. At the core of our values is passing on our expertise to early career scientists and those with a passion for the ocean. We intend to continue making the marine biology field course the most relevant, hands-on, and beneficial experience for our students, updating our material, and developing new and exciting projects and collaborations to enhance student development.
What do you hope participants take away from your programs?
We hope our students take away the confidence that they are capable of applying the skills and knowledge that they have learned on the course to their future studies or careers. They will have been there and done it, not only have learnt what and why various skills and techniques are used but have got into the field and applied and practiced these skills whilst working on real research projects. This gives them a huge head start in their careers.
Mike diving with a student on a roving diver fish and shark abundance survey
What questions do participants often ask you, and how do you typically respond?
We often get asked, why is it so expensive? The answer to this is easy—because we offer the best! The best accommodation, the best dive equipment and boats, the best tuition and guidance, and the best fun and experience. Being based in Cape Town, these things are more expensive, but we make 100% sure our students get their money’s worth, learn as much as possible, and of course enjoy the experience to the max.
Why is it important for people to travel abroad and experience new cultures?
It is the most amazing experience to travel and meet new people from different backgrounds and see different places. It gives you a new perspective of life to see how other people experience life. It makes you hugely appreciative and humbled. As a biologist it is also hugely important to understand and experience different ecosystems and understand the socio-economics of conservation and see different community relationships with the natural world. It opens up new observation and animal interactions which you may not get in your own country. Studies have shown that students (especially biology students) actually learn and take away much more information and experience when they gain the experience in a novel and unusual environment, making international field courses ideal to increase your foundation of knowledge and experience.
What does meaningful travel mean to you?
Meaningful travel to me means having clear objectives and goals which by the end of your period of travel you will have achieved and will benefit you and the people around you in the most effective possible way. If you want to travel to help with charity or conservation or perhaps develop yourself personally and professionally, then the travel plan must achieve these objectives by benefiting all parties (host and guest). You will learn new skills and meet new people, and you will get to leave your mark or contribution on that new community.
