Sea Search

Is rabies on the rise?

We don’t know and we need to find out!

Rabies is a major health concern for our local seal population and we need your help to monitor the situation. We have our permits, we have our equipment and we have the necessary skill, but we need you help to fund this vital research!

We aim to test 500 seals in the upcoming field season! Donate today and help us understand what’s happening to our seals - for your health and theirs!

To donate, you can visit our GivenGain page (link in bio), and help us get closer to our goal to make our ocean healthier.

Sea Search is leading research into rabies in seals. We led the discovery and quantified the outbreak. This hashtag help us continue this work to 1) understand if rabies is still increasing in the wild, 2) how it's spreading, and 3) which animals are at risk.

Rabies in seals affects all water users. If it spreads to other species, it could become a global catastrophe.

Each test costs R1000. We need to test 500 seals per season to accurately understand the disease in the wild.

Click through to the GoFundMe to help support this work
https://www.givengain.com/campaign/rabies-on-the-rise

See you there! Africa's foremost meeting of Bioacoustics researchers, students and consultants.

We welcome abstract submissions to: 5th African Bioacoustics Community CONFERENCE - 21 – 27 of November 2026, at Sawela Lodges, Lake Naivasha, Kenya.

To help deal with global uncertainties - the submission deadline has been extended until the 15th of June!

Can't present in person? Don't worry, we are hosting another hybrid event, so you can join us online and present your work virtually.

See the African Bioacoustics Community website to submit your abstract, register, and find out all about this year’s event: https://www.africanbioacoustics.org/

Join the African Bioacoustics Community & Co for the Little Bioacoustics Jamii @ Mpala!

Following directly after the conference, the African Bioacoustics Community is also hosting the Little Bioacoustics Jamii Workshop at the Mpala Research Centre, Nanyuki. This is an engaging, participant driven, residential workshop to encourage organic collaboration in bioacoustics science. Serenaded by the savanna soundscape - enjoy a flexible agenda that prioritizes open discussion, networking, scientific and creative exploration of natural sound. From sound recording and equipment, to big data challenges and machine learning methods, we have created a welcoming space for engagement between attendees at all points in their bioacoustics journey.

Workshop dates: 29th November - 4th December 2026
All information & registration on the website.

Help us count Heaviside's dolphins! Did you know ? To count dolphins - we photograph them and use scar and notches on the body and dorsal fin to identify individuals. By re-sightings those individuals over time and space - we can start to figure out how many animals there are, where they move, how long they stay in an area et etc.

However -- we can only get to sea so many days a year but the dolphins are out there every day!. Cape Town has a vibrant and busy marine conservation and tourism community. Become a citizen scientist and help us count them!

WHAT WE NEED: Good quality photographs of Heaviside's dolphins at sea (with a date and location).
HOW: Take your camera to sea when you go... or spend these wintery days checking through you existing photos (or even videos)!

Happywhale is making this work so much easier for scientists and citizen scientists to get involved. Upload direct, or get in touch about sharing with us and we can help with the uploads.

New photos, old photos -- all photos are welcome!

Many people have already contributed. More always welcome - please share :)

The other week, our team had the opportunity to step into the studio and watch a live recording of the Leadership for Conservation in Africa - LCA Sparks Talks.

We got to hear from two legends of South African marine biology, George and Margo Branch, the minds behind The Living Shores of Southern Africa, a book that has shaped generations of scientists and ocean lovers in this country.

The inspiration kept coming with a talk from Leigh de Necker, who shared insights into the world of South African sharks.

A massive thank you to LCA for having us for the day!

This is a very important update on seal and wildlife health in SA. Avian flu has a huge impact on seals and has been wiping out seal populations across the world over the last few years... only just discovered here.. well have to see where this goes. But combined with the rabies outbreak.. this is not good. Will keep you posted

Catching up with some of our recent travels in the team - In March, Sasha travelled to Venice as an invited Early Career Ocean Professional (ECOP) for the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development.

She was among a select group of global participants at the International Symposium on Transformative Ocean Science, a high-level meeting focused on shaping the future of the European Commission’s Ocean Pact. An exciting opportunity to influence the next ten years of ocean strategy - with global policy often looking to European direction - sitting alongside NGOS, industry and academia was a real insight into how policy will affect ocean strategy into the next few decades. By participating in interdisciplinary working groups, Sasha and her fellow ECOPs ensured that early-career voices were heard in the co-design of key strategic outputs, including a White Paper, Policy Brief, and Strategic Roadmap.

However, alongside bridging into policy work, the week was not without opportunities to meet like-minded colleagues, drink plenty of Aperol Spritz, and spend afternoons exploring the canals by gondola.

Got interviewed for this by the Beeb.. Can confirm. 1) It's an amazing spectacle 2) It can be chaotic, especially when you're juggling cameras, hydrophones, behavioral forms, steering wheels etc ..but we're very lucky to have been working on these supergroups for the last few years (and have several papers in the pipeline so stayed tuned)

'It's so chaotic': Humpback whales are forming super-groups On a misty morning in December, two photographers captured the images of 304 individual humpbacks – the highest number of large whales ever identified in a single day.

The Killer Whale "Dream Team" is Heading to Algoa Bay

April marks an unofficial start of killer whale season in South Africa, and we are kicking things off with an addition to our research team. We recently welcomed Dr Paul Tixier to Cape Town, joining us from the French National Research Institute for Sustainable Development (IRD) and the MARBEC research unit in Sète. Paul is an expert who has spent many years leading killer whale research at the Crozet Islands and is a co-supervisor of Aaron (PhD) and Lindiwe (MSc). Over the next few years, Paul will be based in Cape Town, splitting his time between Sea Search and the DFFE, bringing his French expertise to the team.

The season has already started strong, with a full month of fieldwork in Algoa Bay, in collaboration with Raggy Charters - Marine-Eco Cruises planned. This killer whale "dream team" is now gearing up for an intensive month ahead, focusing on collecting data through photo identification, biopsies for genetic analysis, and acoustic recordings. These efforts are essential for maximising the team's success when working with these notoriously elusive animals.

Big news from the St. James sea wall! This March we launched our ‘Partici-paintory’ Workshops, part of our Listening for Life project!

We’ve teamed up with , Silent Labs, and through the Community have created a unique community experience that blends marine science with creative expression.

What is a Partici-paintory Workshop?
It’s a 1-hour Silent Lab sound journey where participants put on headphones and dive deep into the local underwater environment. You’ll be immersed in a soundscape curated by Sea Search, featuring actual recordings from False Bay:
🐋 False Bay whale song
🐬 Playful dolphin whistles
🦭 The barks of Cape Fur seals and calls of sea birds

While immersed in these sounds, participants help us remodel the iconic St. James sea wall mural, transforming the artwork from “Meet the Locals” to “Listening to the Locals.” It’s about more than just painting; it’s about mindful listening and connecting to the sounds of our ocean.

This March, we invited local youth groups to pilot the program and provide valuable feedback (thank you to everyone who joined!🙌). Now, we’re getting ready to open this experience to the public.

Look out for public workshop dates coming soon! 🐚✨