Sapphire Coast, Australia

Hi Sea Fans!

Australia is such a beautiful place and the people are so friendly! 

Blue Mountains, New South Wales.  (Photo: Anne Dirkse www.annedirkse.com)

My latest stopover was the Sapphire Coast Marine Discovery Centre (SCMDC) in Eden, NSW, where I was lucky enough to go to the Eden Whale Festival.  I went on a whale watching cruise with Cat Balou in Twofold Bay and was named captain for a day!   

At SCMDC I joined the education programs and chatted to the students about their favourite marine animals.  

In between, I got to know all the animals in the tanks (I got up close and personal with the octopus…I think he liked me. I could sit for hours at the tank just watching him swim and play, they really are amazing animals) 

and discover their marine artefacts.

The staff and visitors were so nice to me and I loved every minute of my visit.   Thanks Jillian Riethmuller for hosting me!! (http://www.sapphirecoastdiscovery.com.au/who-we-are/)

I was sad to leave the coast and all my new friends, but we can always stay in touch through the internet.

So long Sapphire Coast, hello Dolphin Discovery!

This hoodie for a wetsuit was a bit big!

Have a great week Sea Fans!

Chat soon.

Cheers

Abby

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Waddle you do?

Hi Sea Fans!

Saturday was good fun.  A bunch of my friends joined the Penguin Waddlers in Muizenberg and walked 15km to Simonstown in the Cape (South Africa) for a good cause...African Penguin Awareness.  

The hard core waddlers started their 124km route in Gansbaai... 

The Waddle for a Week (13 – 18 April 2015) is an annual event that brings together committed, conservation-minded people keen to raise awareness about the plight of the African penguin. 

There used to be lots of African penguins, but now they're endangered.  (Some scientists reckon that they could become extinct within the next 20 years because of a huge drop in the number of breeding pairs!).

All it took was a few aquarium staff to get this, now much-anticipated annual event, going.     The waddlers walk not for money, but for the love of these amazing animals!  Yes, all they want is for people to show their love for the penguins and the planet. 

Pedestrians, cyclists and onlookers of all sorts are informed about the Penguin Promises campaign as the waddlers walk along the coastline.  The campaign aims to get people promising to do something for the planet’s future, why not pledge your promise? 

Examples: 

·        Don’t buy plastic shopping bags – reuse quality fabric bags

·        Make a pact to be involved in at least one environmental day this year -  What about Earth Hour?!

·        Stay informed about the Penguin - The more we know, and share with others, the greater the chance of people effecting social change.

·        Get involved in coastal clean ups - Litter in our oceans is a threat to the Penguins. If you don’t live on the coast arrange a waterway clean up in your area.

For more info go to: www.penguinpromises.com

Have a great week Sea Fans and don't forget to pledge...not just South Africans!

Cheers

Abby

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