Oceans Research Institute
@oceansresearch.bsky.social
Oceans Research provides innovative & dynamic research relevant to the management & conservation of Southern Africa's sharks & marine mammals.
A very special find for us today!🤩
Our students caught, tagged, and safely released a white-spotted smoothhound — a shark so rarely seen that none of our current team have encountered one in years of working these waters.🦈
Our students caught, tagged, and safely released a white-spotted smoothhound — a shark so rarely seen that none of our current team have encountered one in years of working these waters.🦈
November 12, 2025 at 8:50 PM
A very special find for us today!🤩
Our students caught, tagged, and safely released a white-spotted smoothhound — a shark so rarely seen that none of our current team have encountered one in years of working these waters.🦈
Our students caught, tagged, and safely released a white-spotted smoothhound — a shark so rarely seen that none of our current team have encountered one in years of working these waters.🦈
🦈 Not all sharks fit the story you’ve been told.
Here, you can see just how gentle these incredible animals truly are — simply cruising around our boat, curious and calm.
Here, you can see just how gentle these incredible animals truly are — simply cruising around our boat, curious and calm.
November 10, 2025 at 6:15 PM
🦈 Not all sharks fit the story you’ve been told.
Here, you can see just how gentle these incredible animals truly are — simply cruising around our boat, curious and calm.
Here, you can see just how gentle these incredible animals truly are — simply cruising around our boat, curious and calm.
🎧 Listening to the Ocean’s Hidden Conversations
At Oceans Research, our students dive into the fascinating world of bioacoustics — learning how to record, analyze, and interpret the underwater sounds that reveal the secret lives of marine animals 🌊
Learning how to decode the languages of the deep!
At Oceans Research, our students dive into the fascinating world of bioacoustics — learning how to record, analyze, and interpret the underwater sounds that reveal the secret lives of marine animals 🌊
Learning how to decode the languages of the deep!
November 9, 2025 at 6:48 PM
🎧 Listening to the Ocean’s Hidden Conversations
At Oceans Research, our students dive into the fascinating world of bioacoustics — learning how to record, analyze, and interpret the underwater sounds that reveal the secret lives of marine animals 🌊
Learning how to decode the languages of the deep!
At Oceans Research, our students dive into the fascinating world of bioacoustics — learning how to record, analyze, and interpret the underwater sounds that reveal the secret lives of marine animals 🌊
Learning how to decode the languages of the deep!
📡 Teaching our students the basics with a vintage theodolite — proof that precision doesn’t age.
Learning to track angles and movements manually builds real field skills before they move on to the high-tech gear. Old-school science still delivers.
Learning to track angles and movements manually builds real field skills before they move on to the high-tech gear. Old-school science still delivers.
November 7, 2025 at 8:07 PM
📡 Teaching our students the basics with a vintage theodolite — proof that precision doesn’t age.
Learning to track angles and movements manually builds real field skills before they move on to the high-tech gear. Old-school science still delivers.
Learning to track angles and movements manually builds real field skills before they move on to the high-tech gear. Old-school science still delivers.
🎣 Why do we teach so many fishing methods?
Because every technique reveals something unique about the ocean. 🌊
Because every technique reveals something unique about the ocean. 🌊
November 5, 2025 at 5:52 PM
🎣 Why do we teach so many fishing methods?
Because every technique reveals something unique about the ocean. 🌊
Because every technique reveals something unique about the ocean. 🌊
🤿 ROV Training in Action! 🌊
Operating an ROV takes practice — it’s all about:
🎮 Developing fine motor skills to control movements
🧭 Staying aware of the tether and learning how to untangle it underwater
⚙️ Understanding the ROV’s functions and remote settings to capture the best possible footage
Operating an ROV takes practice — it’s all about:
🎮 Developing fine motor skills to control movements
🧭 Staying aware of the tether and learning how to untangle it underwater
⚙️ Understanding the ROV’s functions and remote settings to capture the best possible footage
November 3, 2025 at 3:19 PM
🤿 ROV Training in Action! 🌊
Operating an ROV takes practice — it’s all about:
🎮 Developing fine motor skills to control movements
🧭 Staying aware of the tether and learning how to untangle it underwater
⚙️ Understanding the ROV’s functions and remote settings to capture the best possible footage
Operating an ROV takes practice — it’s all about:
🎮 Developing fine motor skills to control movements
🧭 Staying aware of the tether and learning how to untangle it underwater
⚙️ Understanding the ROV’s functions and remote settings to capture the best possible footage
🦈 Safely tagging and releasing a dark shyshark
This little dark shyshark (Haploblepharus pictus) was one of our recent tag-and-release encounters along the South African coast.
This little dark shyshark (Haploblepharus pictus) was one of our recent tag-and-release encounters along the South African coast.
November 1, 2025 at 7:47 PM
🦈 Safely tagging and releasing a dark shyshark
This little dark shyshark (Haploblepharus pictus) was one of our recent tag-and-release encounters along the South African coast.
This little dark shyshark (Haploblepharus pictus) was one of our recent tag-and-release encounters along the South African coast.
🦈 The Maldives’ shark sanctuary is under threat.
Reopening gulper shark fishing could wipe out species that take decades to recover.
Add your voice → only.one/act/save-the-sanctuary
#SaveTheSharks #Maldives
Reopening gulper shark fishing could wipe out species that take decades to recover.
Add your voice → only.one/act/save-the-sanctuary
#SaveTheSharks #Maldives
Save the Sanctuary: Keep Gulper Shark Fisheries Closed
Urge the Maldivian government to keep gulper shark fishing banned and protect the only shark sanctuary in the Indian Ocean.
only.one
October 30, 2025 at 4:58 PM
🦈 The Maldives’ shark sanctuary is under threat.
Reopening gulper shark fishing could wipe out species that take decades to recover.
Add your voice → only.one/act/save-the-sanctuary
#SaveTheSharks #Maldives
Reopening gulper shark fishing could wipe out species that take decades to recover.
Add your voice → only.one/act/save-the-sanctuary
#SaveTheSharks #Maldives
🦈 South Africa’s sharks are in trouble — and we saw it with our own eyes.
This week’s @mongabay article exposes the crisis surrounding the Demersal Shark Longline (DSL) fishery — where endangered and critically endangered species like smoothhound and soupfin sharks are still being targeted.
This week’s @mongabay article exposes the crisis surrounding the Demersal Shark Longline (DSL) fishery — where endangered and critically endangered species like smoothhound and soupfin sharks are still being targeted.
news.mongabay.com
October 28, 2025 at 2:03 PM
🦈 South Africa’s sharks are in trouble — and we saw it with our own eyes.
This week’s @mongabay article exposes the crisis surrounding the Demersal Shark Longline (DSL) fishery — where endangered and critically endangered species like smoothhound and soupfin sharks are still being targeted.
This week’s @mongabay article exposes the crisis surrounding the Demersal Shark Longline (DSL) fishery — where endangered and critically endangered species like smoothhound and soupfin sharks are still being targeted.
Guess who’s back? 👀🦈
After months without white sharks, one of our old friends has returned — seen two days in a row around the boat!
Welcome home, Apex Legend.
#GreatWhiteShark #WelcomeHome #OceansResearch #SharkSighting #SharkConservation #MosselBay
After months without white sharks, one of our old friends has returned — seen two days in a row around the boat!
Welcome home, Apex Legend.
#GreatWhiteShark #WelcomeHome #OceansResearch #SharkSighting #SharkConservation #MosselBay
October 22, 2025 at 4:13 PM
Guess who’s back? 👀🦈
After months without white sharks, one of our old friends has returned — seen two days in a row around the boat!
Welcome home, Apex Legend.
#GreatWhiteShark #WelcomeHome #OceansResearch #SharkSighting #SharkConservation #MosselBay
After months without white sharks, one of our old friends has returned — seen two days in a row around the boat!
Welcome home, Apex Legend.
#GreatWhiteShark #WelcomeHome #OceansResearch #SharkSighting #SharkConservation #MosselBay
🎥 Another skill our students learn here at Oceans: science communication 🌊✨
Because doing great science is only half the job — sharing it with the world matters just as much.
Because doing great science is only half the job — sharing it with the world matters just as much.
October 20, 2025 at 7:03 PM
🎥 Another skill our students learn here at Oceans: science communication 🌊✨
Because doing great science is only half the job — sharing it with the world matters just as much.
Because doing great science is only half the job — sharing it with the world matters just as much.
🎮 Steady hands, clear focus.
During our drone training course, students practice fine motor skills and precision piloting — essential for capturing high-quality imagery and accurate data in the field.
During our drone training course, students practice fine motor skills and precision piloting — essential for capturing high-quality imagery and accurate data in the field.
October 19, 2025 at 7:48 PM
🎮 Steady hands, clear focus.
During our drone training course, students practice fine motor skills and precision piloting — essential for capturing high-quality imagery and accurate data in the field.
During our drone training course, students practice fine motor skills and precision piloting — essential for capturing high-quality imagery and accurate data in the field.
🧽 Scrubbing the boat isn’t just about keeping it shiny — it’s about learning respect for the gear that makes fieldwork possible.
Teamwork, responsibility, and care for equipment are just as important as the science itself. A clean boat = a smooth research day. 🌊✨
#MarineScience #Fieldwork #Oceans
Teamwork, responsibility, and care for equipment are just as important as the science itself. A clean boat = a smooth research day. 🌊✨
#MarineScience #Fieldwork #Oceans
October 17, 2025 at 10:36 PM
🧽 Scrubbing the boat isn’t just about keeping it shiny — it’s about learning respect for the gear that makes fieldwork possible.
Teamwork, responsibility, and care for equipment are just as important as the science itself. A clean boat = a smooth research day. 🌊✨
#MarineScience #Fieldwork #Oceans
Teamwork, responsibility, and care for equipment are just as important as the science itself. A clean boat = a smooth research day. 🌊✨
#MarineScience #Fieldwork #Oceans
🦈✨ A Lucky Release for This Smoothhound Shark ✨🦈
This little smoothhound (about 50 cm) was safely released after being caught during one of our surveys. But sadly, many like it don’t get the same chance.
This little smoothhound (about 50 cm) was safely released after being caught during one of our surveys. But sadly, many like it don’t get the same chance.
#smoothhoundshark #sharkawareness #flakeandchips #notjustfish #sharkconservation #catchandrelease #marinescience #oceansresearch #protectoursharks #coastalecosystems | Enrico Gennari (PhD)
🦈✨ A Lucky Release for This Smoothhound Shark ✨🦈
This little smoothhound (about 50 cm) was safely released after being caught during one of our surveys. But sadly, many like it don’t get the same cha...
www.linkedin.com
October 15, 2025 at 7:02 PM
🦈✨ A Lucky Release for This Smoothhound Shark ✨🦈
This little smoothhound (about 50 cm) was safely released after being caught during one of our surveys. But sadly, many like it don’t get the same chance.
This little smoothhound (about 50 cm) was safely released after being caught during one of our surveys. But sadly, many like it don’t get the same chance.
🪸 Red Algae – More Than Just Seaweed
These deep red tufts may seem simple at first glance, but red algae (Rhodophyta) are some of the most fascinating and important organisms in our coastal ecosystems 🌊✨
These deep red tufts may seem simple at first glance, but red algae (Rhodophyta) are some of the most fascinating and important organisms in our coastal ecosystems 🌊✨
October 13, 2025 at 7:23 PM
🪸 Red Algae – More Than Just Seaweed
These deep red tufts may seem simple at first glance, but red algae (Rhodophyta) are some of the most fascinating and important organisms in our coastal ecosystems 🌊✨
These deep red tufts may seem simple at first glance, but red algae (Rhodophyta) are some of the most fascinating and important organisms in our coastal ecosystems 🌊✨
🔬 Fieldwork find: Paper nautilus shell
During an intertidal invertebrate assessment, we came across this delicate paper nautilus shell, which is actually not a true shell at all — but the eggcase of a female Argonauta octopus.
During an intertidal invertebrate assessment, we came across this delicate paper nautilus shell, which is actually not a true shell at all — but the eggcase of a female Argonauta octopus.
October 11, 2025 at 6:40 PM
🔬 Fieldwork find: Paper nautilus shell
During an intertidal invertebrate assessment, we came across this delicate paper nautilus shell, which is actually not a true shell at all — but the eggcase of a female Argonauta octopus.
During an intertidal invertebrate assessment, we came across this delicate paper nautilus shell, which is actually not a true shell at all — but the eggcase of a female Argonauta octopus.
📸 Tongue-eating hitchhiker alert!
🫱 For the common folk:
This little critter drinks a fish’s blood, then becomes its tongue — and lives there rent-free. 😳
Not dangerous to people, but definitely one of the ocean’s strangest parasites.
🫱 For the common folk:
This little critter drinks a fish’s blood, then becomes its tongue — and lives there rent-free. 😳
Not dangerous to people, but definitely one of the ocean’s strangest parasites.
October 9, 2025 at 7:30 PM
📸 Tongue-eating hitchhiker alert!
🫱 For the common folk:
This little critter drinks a fish’s blood, then becomes its tongue — and lives there rent-free. 😳
Not dangerous to people, but definitely one of the ocean’s strangest parasites.
🫱 For the common folk:
This little critter drinks a fish’s blood, then becomes its tongue — and lives there rent-free. 😳
Not dangerous to people, but definitely one of the ocean’s strangest parasites.
🌊 Meet Amber McAbee! 🌊
Amber joined us all the way from the University of South Alabama, bringing her passion for marine conservation and fisheries ecology to Oceans Research.
www.linkedin.com/posts/enrico...
Amber joined us all the way from the University of South Alabama, bringing her passion for marine conservation and fisheries ecology to Oceans Research.
www.linkedin.com/posts/enrico...
#oceansresearch #marinescience #studentexperience #fieldresearch #marinebiology #oceanconservation #womeninstem #mosselbay | Enrico Gennari (PhD)
🌊 Meet Amber McAbee! 🌊
Amber joined us all the way from the University of South Alabama during the month of September, bringing her passion for marine conservation and fisheries ecology to Oceans Rese...
www.linkedin.com
October 7, 2025 at 7:35 PM
🌊 Meet Amber McAbee! 🌊
Amber joined us all the way from the University of South Alabama, bringing her passion for marine conservation and fisheries ecology to Oceans Research.
www.linkedin.com/posts/enrico...
Amber joined us all the way from the University of South Alabama, bringing her passion for marine conservation and fisheries ecology to Oceans Research.
www.linkedin.com/posts/enrico...
Our students get hands-on with the quadrat and transect method — one of the classic ways to measure biodiversity across the intertidal zone.
But, as the saying goes, there’s more than one road that leads to Rome! 🌍
But, as the saying goes, there’s more than one road that leads to Rome! 🌍
October 6, 2025 at 7:00 PM
Our students get hands-on with the quadrat and transect method — one of the classic ways to measure biodiversity across the intertidal zone.
But, as the saying goes, there’s more than one road that leads to Rome! 🌍
But, as the saying goes, there’s more than one road that leads to Rome! 🌍
During our egg case analysis shift at the Hartenbos river mouth, the recent opening created some incredible low-water conditions — and our students came across this fascinating find! 🪱🌊
What looks like a coral head is actually a dense colony of tube worms.
What looks like a coral head is actually a dense colony of tube worms.
October 4, 2025 at 6:10 PM
During our egg case analysis shift at the Hartenbos river mouth, the recent opening created some incredible low-water conditions — and our students came across this fascinating find! 🪱🌊
What looks like a coral head is actually a dense colony of tube worms.
What looks like a coral head is actually a dense colony of tube worms.
🦈 White shark tracking update (Jan–July 2025) 🌊
In collaboration with the Shark Research Foundation, SAIAB, and Stellenbosch University, our program has followed two very different shark stories this year.
In collaboration with the Shark Research Foundation, SAIAB, and Stellenbosch University, our program has followed two very different shark stories this year.
White shark tracking 2025: first 7 months - Oceans Research
White shark tracking 2025: first 7 months
www.oceans-research.com
October 2, 2025 at 6:31 PM
🦈 White shark tracking update (Jan–July 2025) 🌊
In collaboration with the Shark Research Foundation, SAIAB, and Stellenbosch University, our program has followed two very different shark stories this year.
In collaboration with the Shark Research Foundation, SAIAB, and Stellenbosch University, our program has followed two very different shark stories this year.
🌙 Tonight, we swapped sun caps for headlamps and joined Justin from Saltlife Mossel Bay for a night fishing adventure. The swell was heavy, and the chill set in, but the excitement kept us warm!
September 30, 2025 at 9:16 PM
🌙 Tonight, we swapped sun caps for headlamps and joined Justin from Saltlife Mossel Bay for a night fishing adventure. The swell was heavy, and the chill set in, but the excitement kept us warm!
After a full week of salt spray, sandy boots, and long research days, our students roll up their sleeves to give Triton a well-deserved deep clean.
September 28, 2025 at 7:48 PM
After a full week of salt spray, sandy boots, and long research days, our students roll up their sleeves to give Triton a well-deserved deep clean.
An unexpected find on our elasmobranch egg-case survey 🥚➡️🐟
While searching the beach for shark and skate egg cases, our students spotted something unusual—a dried cowfish carapace.
While searching the beach for shark and skate egg cases, our students spotted something unusual—a dried cowfish carapace.
September 26, 2025 at 5:23 PM
An unexpected find on our elasmobranch egg-case survey 🥚➡️🐟
While searching the beach for shark and skate egg cases, our students spotted something unusual—a dried cowfish carapace.
While searching the beach for shark and skate egg cases, our students spotted something unusual—a dried cowfish carapace.
🌊 ROV Skills in Action 🌊
Today’s shift took our students beneath the surface—without even getting wet! 🎮🤿
Today’s shift took our students beneath the surface—without even getting wet! 🎮🤿
September 24, 2025 at 6:21 PM
🌊 ROV Skills in Action 🌊
Today’s shift took our students beneath the surface—without even getting wet! 🎮🤿
Today’s shift took our students beneath the surface—without even getting wet! 🎮🤿