During your stay in Plettenberg Bay, you will be lucky enough to witness the power and grace of whales, the exuberance of dolphins and seals, and the majestic beauty of mountain, forest and coastal scenery. Above all, you will have an opportunity to actively and meaningfully participate in conserving our marine life. You will learn about managing a marine and coastal zone in a sustainable manner and in the process experience the community, culture and environment in a more intimate way than most visitors.

OVERALL AIMS & OBJECTIVES

To introduce students to Plettenberg Bay’s marine and coastal environment (including marine resources and the consumptive and non-consumptive use of such resources in the Bay and surrounding areas)

- To show students how the Bay and its resources are currently being managed

- To introduce students to Marine Protected Area (MPA) management perspectives (and how current research is geared towards providing recommendations for a management plan for the Bay)

- An understanding of: the cultural diversity in the coastal community The considerations and practicalities in beach management and public safety.

- Gaining further insight into the problems faced by resource managers as a result of illegal operations.

- To have an unforgettable experience “learning by doing” in one of the most beautiful outdoor classrooms in South Africa

ACTIVITIES

All activities that students get involved in will be in line with the mission and objectives of the ORCA Foundation, including current research activities at the time of the course. Students will be working under the supervision of expert guides and/or Masters students from Rhodes University.

Other activities may include;

- Monitoring & cleaning beaches
- Conducting research surveys
- Tagging and monitoring fish species
- Dissection of fish species -please remove
- ORCA patrol boat trips to collect data
- Collection of aquarium species for the ORCA Aquarium
- Sea kayaking
- Learning about conservation and marine ecology
- Diving (PADI certification is available at an additional cost)
- Dolphin and Whale watching
- Overnight adventure in the bush
- Teaching in the local creche
- Learning about organic gardening

Programme length - 4 weeks - 8 weeks

Where Will I Stay? Location

O.R.C.A. Marine Foundation is situated along South Africa’s famous Garden Route in the lively town of Plettenberg Bay. Plettenberg Bay, in one of the country's most fashionable holiday resorts and a beach-lover's paradise, where long stretches of soft sand give way to azure seas.

Plettenberg Bay is characterised by sweeping, unspoilt golden beaches, a dramatic rocky peninsula, intriguing lagoons and estuaries, towering indigenous forests and unpolluted rivers and sea. With its exceptional climate, and beautiful view sites over the Indian Ocean, Plettenberg Bay is perfect for tourists, travellers and locals alike.

You’ll share a room in the ORCA house - A beautiful beach-front house in Plettenberg Bay. The house has 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, kitchen, dining area and living room complete with TV, broadband internet access. There are laundry and maid facilities for the house.

What's included?

- Accommodation
- All meals
- Activities that form part of your programme (see above)
- Trips on whale watching boats
- ORCA Foundation course literature



Your flight costs are not included.

Local Marine Guiding program (MGP)
This course is a condensed version of the National marine guiding program offered by South African Boat Based Whale Watching Association.  It is an experience program and can be completed in a 4 week stay.

• approx 10 hours of theory
• 1 hour exam
• 10 hours of practical training
• Included in the 4 week program

Additional costs to consider

A      use of telephone and fax
B      airport transfers
C      insurance
D      excess baggage costs
E      other activities such as scuba diving, bungee jumping, skydiving
F      leisure time activities
Internet on request. Packages available

General Program

A      general program involves the first two weeks being a learning experience on the area including the shore line, rocky shores, beach areas, reef fish, marine protected areas and cultural involvement.
B      the second two weeks will be an application period involving education of the local community schools including presentations, field trips, making of educational displays and games.

Typical weeks

Time Off
Note: as most activities require the signing of indemnity forms, we recommend a minimum age of 18 for program participants.

Your working week on your O.R.C.A. placement is generally speaking Monday to Friday from 0800 to 1700 depending on the activities of the day. Evenings and weekends are at leisure.

Leisure activities could include:

HOW TO APPLY

To have the experience of a lifetime and achieve something meaningful and lasting, email us directly with your details and we will tailor make a package for your stay while in Plettenberg Bay. eMail: tony@orcafoundation.com should you wish to look at a complete package with airfares, insurance, and other activities in southern africa.
Please click on any one links to our supporting agencies listed on
the bottom of this page.

Course Program and costs

eMail: tony@orcafoundation.com to obtain an application that will help us to tailor make a program for you!!
PLEASE DOWNLOAD THE QUESTIONNAIRE AND FILL IN THE DETAILS SO WE CAN BEST ASSIT FOR A PACKAGE FOR YOU :: DOWNLOAD NOW

Research projects are outlined below:

Thesis in Ichthyology is carrying out a study that aims to : 1) quantify offshore resource utilization (consumptive and non-consumptive) within Plettenberg Bay and 2) to assess the health of the reefs found within Plettenberg Bay via a community level ecological study.

Thesis in Ichthyology will conduct a study aimed at assessing the use of onshore (consumptive and non-consumptive) resources in Plettenberg Bay, paying particular attention to recreational fishing. The study sites will include the Keurbooms lagoon and adjoining rivers, the Piesang River and will also quantify the rock and surf angling from Robberg Point to Grootbanks.

The data captured from these surveys will then be used in conjunction with other recommendations to substantiate the need for declaring Plettenberg bay a Marine Protected Area (MPA) with the ultimate goal of protecting marine biodiversity and maintaining the food-producing and recreational potential of Plettenberg Bay’s marine environment.

Thesis in Environmental Economics aims to put a value on Plettenberg Bay’s marine resources by developing a model for the demand for visits to the resource (i.e. the Bay). The analysis of this demand model provides recommendations for the financing of a management program for the resource through access fees or taxes on the consumption (use) of the resource.

The results of these projects will be integrated into a report that will be submitted to Marine and Coastal Management (MCM) proposing the extension of the Tsitsikamma Marine Reserve to include Plettenberg Bay.

Judges’Comments:

‘This company is running one of the first eco-tourism projects seen that actually work.
It is a small company offering sustainable methods, involving local communities and a broad range of educational initiatives. It hasn’t stuck to the traditional approach to
eco-tourism - and is setting the example of how to get things right.”

Certificate of Excellence -
Imvelo Awards for the WSSD 2002
Winner of the Green Trust Award 2001

Testimonials

A week in my stay at ORCA Foundation

Week 1
My week started out with a boat trip to see dolphin and seals. Carla was the skipper and Jaco the guide. It was pretty overcast and cool, but we saw common dolphin in the bay busy feeding. They are such beautiful animals! After about 15-20 minutes observing the common dolphin, the boat made its way towards Robberg, where we saw the seal colony consisting of roughly 4000 seals! It was fun to see the seals frolicking, cooling themselves (with their flippers in the air) and having fun in the crystal clear turquoise waters. It was also amazing to see how high up some of the seals managed to haul themselves up the sheer mountain side of Robberg, Jaco said it is a way of establishing dominance within the colony. While we were looking at the seals, a small pod of bottle nose dolphin swam past the boat. What an awesome boat trip!

Later I went with Charlie, Tracey and Nino to the Keurbooms lagoon to collect hermit crabs and small fish for the fish tank back at Ocean Blue. Then it was off to the Piesang River to pump for prawns...that was fun! I also hopped into the fish tank at Ocean Blue to give it a good scrub down. It was cool and my first time using a snorkel and mask.

On Wednesday, Clayton dropped me off at the crèche in Qolweni. It was the first day of school for a lot of the little children, so as expected; there were a lot of tears. I pulled out some weeds from the paving, helped clean dishes, and played with the kids. I read (with the help of a teacher translating) a story pop-up book about animals of the sea to the kids. They seemed mesmerized by the pop-up pictures.

The week ended off with two days of fishing off a boat with researchers Rhett and Ryan. Each day of fishing consisted of eight half-hour sessions fishing the reefs. I was responsible for recording the type of fish caught, the size of the fish and DNA tag. It was awesome  to see the different types of fish being caught and they even managed to hook one or two bronze sharks and an octopus!

Regards to everyone!
Keep well
Monica













THE HOUSE