KNYSNA NEWS - Ocean Odyssey, Knysna's only permitted close-encounter whale-watching operation, has been awarded the prestigious Blue Flag status.
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 criteria are 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. 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".
"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. 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. 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.
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.
Our favourite is the humpback, as they are the most social and active above the surface. We also love them because they love to sing! The humpback whale song is thought to be the most complex in the animal kingdom. 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.
To be seen on our coast line is 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 a baleen whale and one of the larger of the rorqual species. The Southern right whale (Eubalaena australis) is 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) is one of the most delightful marine mammals that can be seen on a regular basis. The Cape fur seals (Arctocephalus pusillus), also referred to as brown fur seals 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. Trips depart daily from Thesen Island Harbour Town.
Read more at: www.oceanodyssey.co.za.
'We bring you the latest Knysna, Garden Route news'
