Plett Marine Science Symposium Fri 10 - Sun 12 July
Lagoon Room, Beacon Island Resort
Proudly supported by
In this fifth milestone year, the Plett Marine Science Symposium hosts speakers whose work contributes meaningfully to our understanding of the ocean - and whose insights deserve to be heard not only by peers in the field, but by a wider audience ready to engage.
The Symposium has grown into a respected platform for knowledge exchange, where marine scientists, conservation practitioners, researchers and students connect around current research, emerging challenges and innovative solutions.
What makes this event distinct is its setting within the larger Ocean Festival. Here, science does not sit behind closed academic doors. It becomes part of a broad public conversation.
Choose your ticket options
- Buy a ticket for selected sessions for R300 per session.
- Buy a ticket for Day One, Day Two or Day Three for R600 per day.
- Buy a Three-Day pass for R1500.
Blue Health
Experience the ocean through your body
Lizl Engelbrecht
Your Body Wants to Move
South African Hidden Predators
Heavy metal pollution across land and sea
Dr Catherine Hauw
Wits University
Sharks: Stewardship and Solutions
A multidisciplinary approach to shark conservation
Dr Sara Andreotti
SCAR Trust
The Greater Dyer Island Marine Ecosystem
Over a decade of observation
Dr Loraine Shuttleworth
Dyer Island Conservation Trust & Marine Dynamics
Say my Name
Why humpback whales sing and grunters shout
Mark Dixon
Strandloper Project
Dedicated to Discovery
Whales & dolphins of southern Africa
Dr Gwenith Penry
Dr Gwenith Penry
Stranded on the Shoreline
What stranded whales and dolphins reveal about our cceans.
Jean Purdon
University of Pretoria
People and Predator Coexistence
The pioneering Plett shark safety programme
Shariva Brand and Everol Williams
Plett Shark Spotters
Saving Marion Island's Seabirds
The Mouse-Free Marion Project
Dr Anton Wolfaardt
Saving Marion Island's Seabirds: The Mouse-Free Marion Project
Aliwal Shoal Through Time
Tracking changes in reef biodiversity
Alwande Dube
Oceanographic Research Institute (ORI)
When an Estuary Breathes
How changing water levels reshape hidden life in seagrass beds
Dr Cloverley Lawrence
South African National Parks
Summer Love
Reproductive patterns of seahorses in the Keurbooms estuary
Kathleen Peard & Bronwen Currie
Keurbooms Estuary Research Foundation
Sharing Space with Seahorses
Balancing human activity and seahorse conservation
Lisa van Haaster
Conserve Eden
The Secret Life of White Steenbras
Lessons on conservation from an endangered species
Jessica Seath
Knysna Estuary Research Foundation
Penguins in the Anthropocene
Indicators of change in the Southern Ocean
Prof Pierre Pistorius
Nelson Mandela University
Strandlings and Satellites
Community impact on turtle survival
Varsha Naidu Moodley and Maryke Musson
SAAMBR
The Elusive Cape Clawless Otter
Tracking otters along the coast
Lauren Moriarty
NVT Tsitsikamma
Blue Khaltsha
A Township-led journey to the Blue Economy and Marine Conservation
Khotso Mogotlane
Hotlane Organization
A Macro World
Featuring the small creatures and fishes of the ocean
Albert du Toit
Private
Listening to the Ocean
Soundscapes of Marine Protected Areas
kuhle Kibido
Department of Forestry Fisheries and the Environment
Rabies at the Coast
Understanding risk, awareness and prevention
Thabiso Mokhatshane
Wits African Leadership in Vaccinology Expertise (Alive)
C2R Against All Odds
Leadership, teamwork, and life at sea
Sibusiso Sizatu
Cape Royal Yacht Club Sailing Academy
