PLETTENBERG BAY NEWS - Local children and visiting youngsters are in for a treat as the Plett Ocean Festival kicks off this weekend with an array of activities catering for young festinos.
The festival takes place from 1 to 10 July and provides a host of exciting events that shine the spotlight on the ocean and marine life along the Garden Route.
The festival will also be anchored by the Marine Science Symposium at the Beacon Isle Resort. This will include a series of talks by experts in their oceanic fields and a number of sessions by storytellers about interesting aspects of local marine life.
Wonders beneath the waves
A highlight of the festival will be a workshop that brings together Plett's Adopt-A-Swimmer and the Black Mermaid Foundation. It will involve introducing a group of youngsters to the "wonders beneath the waves". These students - who learned to swim through Plett's Adopt A Swimmer programme spearheaded by local Louise Auersperg - will have their first experience swimming in the ocean with free-diving instructor and master of ceremonies of the Marine Science Symposium, Zandile Ndhlovu.
Although the public cannot take part, spectators are welcome.
Swimming and ocean conservation
Ndlovu founded the Black Mermaid Foundation to create diverse representation in the ocean arena of South Africa. Her work involves giving local communities access to ocean spaces, with the aim of achieving recreational and professional participation while creating a new generation of "ocean guardians".
"I'm incredibly excited to be partnering with Adopt A Swimmer for an ocean excursion in Plett. Swim competency is the most important work, especially when we look at the drowning statistics in South Africa," Ndlovu said. For her, being able to connect the work of the two organisations is a "beautiful witnessing of collaborations and partnerships being a powerful tool for change in our communities".
She explained that her work in the Black Mermaid Foundation has always been about creating diverse representation in ocean spaces. "And the expansion of this work has been the conservation effect, and to be able to do this work here (in Plett) is further expanding how we can only save our oceans together.
This is also an opportunity for us to learn as the foundation looks to spread its wings in Cape Town to accommodate swim training."
Adopt A Swimmer was founded in a similar way. As it became apparent to Auersperg that nearly 80% of the youth in Plett could not swim, she started Adopt a Swimmer to give children of all backgrounds the opportunity to develop this life skill under her guidance and coaching.
Other festival activities
Activities for children on the festival programme include several items by the Nature's Valley Trust (NVT). Although their "Explore the Rocky Shores" item has been sold out already, NVT will be partnering with Plett Tourism and Open Plan Pictures to host screenings of the animated film Seal Team at community halls around Plettenberg Bay, along with a series of talks about marine debris. Visitors can also join NVT in a Sandcastle Building Competition and a Nurdle Hunt.
Festival director Cindy Wilson-Trollip said she is pleased with the response to this first Plett Ocean Festival. "The festival has really gripped the public's interest and ticket sales are going so well. The momentum is building daily. We couldn't be happier that people are being inspired to participate in the conservation of our oceans and marine life."
For more information about the festival, visit Plett Tourism's website, www.plett-tourism.co.za.
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