MARINE COURSES
There are many ways to learn about the sea. You don't have to go to university and get a degree, although South Africa has some great universities offering ocean-related specialities. There are online and in-person courses in a wide range of subjects for many different age groups. The Ocean Advocate also offers workshops, talks and school presentations - please email for information. Also email if there are institutions running courses that should be featured here.
Cape Town's Two Oceans Aquarium Foundation has an Ocean Campus that offers a wide range of courses from grade 2 to matric and for adults. Some are online and topics range from climate change to oceanography, marine biology, rocky shores and more.
The Sustainable Seas Trust aims to change behaviour through education. It runs the African Waste Academy and offers online learning for people at all levels and across Africa. SST also operates The African Youth Network - a platform that facilitates collaboration among young people across countries.
The International Ocean Institute offers an annual ocean governance course and also holds ocean academies. It was founded in 1972 and has a global network with 22 operational centres. It focuses on sutainability and promotes peaceful ocean management.
The South African Association for Marine Biological Research is also the operator of Durban's uShaka Sea World and uSW Education, which offers outreach, holiday courses, sustainable seafood classes, marine careers guidance, fisheries management, classification and marine ecoology lessons.
I Am Water runs Ocean Guardians Workshops for schools in the Western Cape. It works in underserved communities and its target group is Grade 7 learners. A big focus of the workshops is to give participants an opportunity to see the life found below the ocean.
Sea Search takes on postgraduate students and works with them as they research a wide range of multidisciplinary projects focused on a variety of marine species. Its primary focus is on marine mammals, the production of peer-reviewed scientific research and student training.
THE UNIVERSITIES
This university in Makhanda in the Eastern Cape offers undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in icthyology - the study of fish - and fisheries science.
The University of Pretoria has a Mammal Research Institute Whale Unit, a research, conservation and education facility that researches the ecology, population dynamics and behaviour of whales. It offers post-graduate and post-doctoral opportunities.
The University of Cape Town offers degree courses in oceanography, marine biology and atmospheric science. It also operates the Marine and Antarctic Research for Innovation and Sustainability unit, which is an interdisciplinary centre promoting research projects.
The University of KwaZulu-Natal offers undergraduate and postgraduate degree courses in marine biology, ecology and biological sciences through its School of Life Sciences. The university has five campuses with the life sciences unit operating from the Pietermaritzburg and Westville campuses.
The University of the Western Cape has a Department of Biodiversity and Conservation Biology. Students can choose an elective course on marine biology that touches on oceanography, pelagic organisms and ecosystems and rocky intertidal habitats in southern Africa.
Stellenbosch University's Faculty of Science offers an undergraduate degree in biodiversity and ecology. Theere's also a nautical science department with modules designed for SA Navy officers. The Department of Botany and Zoology has a marine research unit for postgrads.
Nelson Mandela University in Gqeberha offers degrees in maritime studies and oceanography through its science faculty. It has an Ocean Sciences Campus and runs the The Institute for Coastal and Marine Research, which was founded in the 1980s.
The Cape Peninsula University of Technology has a Department of Maritime Studies and offers marine engineering. It operates the Survival Centre for sea-going students who can go on to be navigators in the navy. CPUT also offers short course and part-time diploma courses.
The Durban University of Technology has a maritime studies unit that offers diplomas in shipping and logistics, marine engineering, nautical studies and international shipping. There are also a variety of short courses, covering the likes of radar, communication and navigation.
“We only protect what we love, we only love what we understand, and we only understand what we are taught.”
Jacques-Yves Cousteau
Jacques-Yves Cousteau