The company's all-women team received this international award given to beaches, marinas and nature-based boat excursions for meeting excellent standards in the categories of environmental education, environmental management, safety and security and water quality. The criterion is laid by the international coordinators of the Blue Flag campaign in Europe, the FEE (Foundation for Environmental Education).
Ocean Odyssey stands proudly alongside well-known local Blue Flag sites, namely Brenton and Buffel's Bay beaches (Sedgefield Beach received a pilot Blue Flag) and Thesen Island Marina, where the Blue Flag recipients for the 2014/2015 South African Blue Flag season were announced at a ceremony hosted by the Knysna Municipality on Tuesday, October 7. It was attended by the minister of Tourism Derek Hanekom, Knysna executive mayor Georlene Wolmarans, Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa (WESSA) CEO Dr Thommie Burger and the National Coastal Programme's manager Ted Knott.
Owner, Evelyn Pepler says perhaps the most significant of the aforementioned categories within the Blue Flag Programme is environmental education. To emphasise the importance of this aspect she quotes the famous Senegalese conservationist Baba Dioum: “In the end we will conserve only what we love. We will love only what we understand. We will understand only what we are taught.” Pepler says it has indeed become clear that education is crucial for the preservation of the environment “and the Ocean Odyssey team are so very proud to be able to contribute”.
Environmental commitment
“Ocean Odyssey values the importance of our rich aquatic environment and has therefore made a commitment to assist students from the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University’s Department of Zoology with essential research into certain marine species.” They are currently working with Danielle Conry, who is working on her Master's degree on the rare Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin, members of the genus sousa (sousa chinensis). Several times a month, Ocean Odyssey takes Conry on full-day surveying trips, covering a wide area just offshore of our coastline where she collects valuable data on the humpback dolphin. Individuals are identified by the unique shape of their dorsal fins, and photographs are taken of each dolphin and put into a database. This allows them to study and measure population numbers and breeding patterns. This is invaluable research into an extremely rare dolphin species.
Pepler explains that in assessing the company for Blue Flag status, the business was scrutinised from top to bottom. “Our cleaning products, how we recycle and who we deal with, our commitment to our community and employees, all these factors are being taken in to consideration. This is a high standard and we are even more conscious and aware of our responsibility towards our environment and the way we do business.”
The Blue Flag Programme is managed by WESSA, a respected South African environmental NGO whose mission it is to “implement high impact environmental and conservation projects that promote public participation in caring for the Earth”. The Blue Flag Programme falls within WESSA’s National Coastal Programme, which aims at both protecting and rehabilitating South Africa’s dynamic and beautiful marine environment, which includes miles of sweeping beaches, vast estuaries, rocky shores, marinas and more. The programme offers numerous benefits, including improved tourism facilities and management of coastal ecosystems.
Luring thousands of local and international tourists every year, the Greater Knysna area is renowned for the raw beauty of its myriad ecosystems and its natural beauty is the area’s primary economic drawcard. These Blue Flag statuses bring to the fore just how extraordinary Knysna really is. It lies within the extensive Garden Route National Park, which includes not one but two Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), rich in species both in and out of the water. The park includes several Blue Flag beaches. Knysna itself is hugged by an estuary that is rated as the most significant in terms of biodiversity in the country. Within this estuary is Thesen Island, a Blue Flag marina, and operating from this marina is Ocean Odyssey, one of only six Blue Flag whale-watching companies in the country. Pepler says the above facts tell a story that is real cause for celebration and should serve to inspire everybody to conserve our most precious and inspiring natural environment.
The Knysna Lagoon
The Knysna Lagoon is postcard pretty, and the extraordinary life above and below its surface makes it one of the most celebrated liquid landscapes in South Africa. It is permanently open to the sea and the twice daily tidal dance that plays out between the sentinel sandstone cliffs of the estuary mouth has resulted in a dynamic environment of spectacular biodiversity.
Each of the five serpentine rivers that flow from the adjacent Outeniqua Mountains marry with the millions of litres of surging seawater that enter the system every day from the Indian Ocean. The adjacent coastline is equally show-stopping, holding in its deep blue, gleaming depths a complex web of marine life. Pepler says Ocean Odyssey is passionate about showcasing these awesome environments and the life systems they support, particularly the awe-inspiring marine mammals that are encountered.
“All year round we have the resident Bryde’s whale that cruises our coastline and also various species of dolphin can be seen dancing and leaping through the surf. And every Winter, the Southern right and humpback whales migrate from their icy feeding grounds off Antarctica to mate and calve in the warmer waters along our Southern African coastline, participating in an ancient and mysterious migratory ritual. This stretch of coastline is fast becoming known as one of the premiere whale-watching destinations in the country.”
Pepler eloquently explains that across vast expanses, whales are navigating their way across the world’s oceans, taking part in annual migrations that are in many ways still a mystery to marine biologists. “Whale-watching can be best described as a thrilling game of anticipation. One can only imagine just what is happening beneath the dynamic indigo depths. We never quite know when they are going to surface. How long will it take for them to resurface to once again draw a breath? We know they are out there, but when and where will they show themselves? And so you wait … your eyes scanning the liquid realm around you. This is exactly what makes whale-watching so exciting,” says Pepler.
“When they do decide to grace us with their magnificent presence, with a powerful breaching or some playful flipper slapping, the emotional response can be pretty powerful. Their sheer size, grace and powerful energy is mesmerising. Our favourite is the humpback, as they are the most social and active above the surface, and thus the most enjoyable to observe in the wild. We also love them because they love to sing! The humpback whale song is thought to be the most complex in the animal kingdom. Only the males sing and, interestingly, just like we have different languages, whales occupying the same geographical areas tend to sing the same song, with only slight variations, Whales from non-overlapping regions sing entirely different songs. The songs themselves evolve over time, and are often different from year to year. After years of research, however, marine biologists are yet to grasp the complexities behind their underwater vocal repertoire. Whales also emit low frequency sound waves thought to travel more than 10 000 miles in some levels of the ocean."
Pepler says the Ocean Odyssey vessel is fitted with a high-tech hydrophone, so passengers can experience the remarkable humpback whale song on-board.
Species along our coast
Along our coast can be found the Bryde’s whale (Balaenoptera brydei), a moderately-sized baleen whale and a year-round resident of our Southern African waters, continually moving up and down our coastline in search of food. The Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) is also a baleen whale and one of the larger of the rorqual species.
The Southern right whale (Eubalaena australis), as a true baleen whale which is easily recognised by the callosities on its head, a broad back without a dorsal fin, and a long arching mouth that begins above the eye. The Common dolphin (Delphinus delphis), one of the most delightful marine mammals, can be seen on a regular basis. The Cape fur seals (Arctocephalus pusillus), also referred to as the brown fur seal, are an endemic mammal species and the largest of any fur seal and very common all along our coastline. The Humpback dolphin (Sousa chinensis), easily identified by the obvious humps, and the Bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncates) can be seen all year round.
An amazing sight right on Knysna's doorstep.
Skipper Marlon Baartman has become synonymous with Ocean Odyssey and can not get enough of the sea and everything it has to offer. After thirteen years as a whale-watching skipper, he has developed a deeply intuitive sense of the ocean. He sees things that most others don’t. He says he is intensely passionate about imparting his knowledge about the ocean and all its wonders. He navigates the dynamic Knysna Heads and the adjacent ocean with both confidence and skill. Photos: Lisa Greyling.
ARTICLE: INGRID ERLANK, KNYSNA-PLETT HERALD EDITOR
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