Ocean Messengers the film and its brochures have been an accepted and recognized tool in 2007 - 2008. The film has been awarded with the KUDU Award by SAN Parks 2008 and received international recognition on film festivals.
For 2009, Ocean Mesengers has found some great partners to continue help realizing the projects and new revolutionary ideas:
SSI (Scuba Schools International), Rufford Booster Grant and Dive Expert-Tours.
To promote education (training) and understanding the need to protect the sea and its creatures, I have thought further and come to the solution that only practical experience will make “locals” and “previously disprivileged” Africans understand the enormous eco tourism potential and value within the Algoa Bay, Port Elizabeth. Despite the industrial developments, there is and has to be room for nature and conservation.
The practical task will be to donate 100 Open Water qualifications from June 2009 onwards and train 100 students to become fully qualified divers “Open Water One SSI by July 2010.
1 0 0 Open Water qualifications (training to become a scuba diver).The estimated value of this donation is 450.000,00 ZAR (about 32.000,00 £)
This is calculated by the value of the education material, the rent of lecture rooms, rent of boats and skippers and the fuel costs. (see details later)
These donations are aimed to be used pre-dominantly by previously disprivileged people. The aim is to make them aware of the importance of the ocean, its creatures and the connections to the terrestral environment.
The open water qualification is an international recognized education and can be a first step into a career in tourism, watersport and as a qualified dive instructor it could well be the step into an own business venture with prosperous future inside and outside South Africa!
Project Update: July 2009 Ocean Messengers NGO has done a great deal in creating understanding for the marine environment. Since our start we have had such great response from public and industry.
Here is an example on how to create awareness:http://www.theherald.co.za/article.aspx?id=446897
Our 100 Dive Project is aimed to get responsible people to dive so they can understand the need to protect our marine environment. Sadly the pollution at Port Elizabeth Port and in future at Coega will create more need to train personnel to be responsible with the sea. The Environment Department‘s National Marine and Coastal Management (MCM) directorate will now be able to understand our concerns more effectively.
Marine inspectors qualify as divers
20.07.09 Guy Rogers Environment & Tourism Editor rogersg@avusa.co.za
Six marine conservation inspectors graduated from a two- week dive course at the weekend as part of a new project to combat perlemoen poaching. The project is a first for the Environment Department‘s National Marine and Coastal Management (MCM) directorate – and this is the second time it‘s Eastern Cape team is leading the way in the battle against the poacher plague. Last week, their divers arrested two poachers underwater and still in possession of perlemoen, the first time this has been achieved. With five of the apprentice divers having had no experience swimming in the sea and three of them unable to swim at all until a short while ago, the course was a challenge – but they came through with flying colours, said MCM project co-ordinator Stan Kenny. “We called for volunteers and these guys came forward. It was tough to start with and one guy did fall off the pace, but the rest have pulled through excellently. “There‘s a real excitement among the guys that they will soon be able to pursue the poachers in the water. Now we‘re seeing an interest from a number of other colleagues, so we will be looking at the possibility of more courses.” The course was run in Port Elizabeth by Ocean Divers International (ODI) in terms of the “100-dive initiative” launched last month by marine conservation NGO Ocean Messengers. The initiative is sponsored by Scuba Schools International, Rufford Small Grants Institute and Expert-Tours, and practical instruction is from ODI and Outdoor Focus in Port Alfred. Aimed at spreading awareness of the beauty and fragility of the underwater environment, the initiative has sourced R500000 to run 100 dive courses for previously disadvantaged divers. The “open water dive course” completed by the MCM group equipped them to dive to a depth of 18m, Ocean Divers‘ Jean Snyman said.
Project Update: August 2009 Hope is the name of the first rehabilitation patient at the SAMREC Centre at Cape Recief.
Rainer Schimpf was showing Goido Wätzig Algoa Bay and the potential danger coming from Coega and the present pollution from Port Net and the oil storage. As they stopped at North End beach they watched some Southern Right Whales in the surf, in very dirty sea water and Guido expressed his concern and understanding for the urgent need of creating more awareness and education. Then they spotted the little penguin at the edge of the beach inside a sand dune. Rainer knew instantly that something was wrong with this vulnerable and prestige creature and climbed down the edge to rescue the penguin. Covered in oil, Rainer and Guido contacted Libby from SAMREC. To Rainer's surprise this is indeed the first patient for SAMREC and therefore was given the name “Hope” by Petra Schimpf.
Rainer explained to Guido that it is a shame that neither Portnet nor the oil companies responsible for the pollution take any serious action. There should be a reasonable plan to support NGOs and support active help for these creatures. Furthermore only Ocean Messengers is actively educating people with films and dive programmes. Funds for this are all international - not one sponsor came from within South Africa – it’s a shame! A possible world heritage site, Algoa Bay, destroyed and no one seems to care.
Guido Wätzig is part owner of SSI (Scuba Schools International; www.divessi.com ). SSI has more than 40 year's experience in professional dive training and is present worldwide in more than 110 countries, hence the biggest dive training organization on the globe.
Committed already, Guido partly sponsored the Ocean Messengers 100 Dive project, where 100 Open Water Dive Qualifications were handed out to mainly previously underprivileged people, and government officials like MCM, NP and Police, to create awareness and knowledge about the sea and to see first hand and with their own eyes how fragile the sea is.
The concept is clear, only once seen directly and personally and professionally trained by SSI Dive Schools future and present generations within South Africa and the world can change the pollution to and into the sea. 71% of the earth surface is water. If the water is polluted and the ocean dies, we humans stand no chance.
Recognizing the urgency, Guido and SSI committed further and are partly sponsoring a further 200 Open Water Qualifications in 2010.
The legacy of 2010 needs to be taken into the sea and Ocean Messengers and SSI will make a change to the good within the oceans!
Project Update: October 2009 Read about the latest news on the project http://www.ocean-messengers.com/index.php/en/News/Aluminium-Smelter-good...
Project Update: November 2009 Historic Birth of Humpback Whale Filmed in Port Elizabeth
The birth of a humpback whale was filmed this weekend by a German TV crew which travelled to Port Elizabeth at the invitation of Rainer Schimpf from Dive Expert-Tours. The crew is in Port Elizabeth to see and film the marine diversity of Algoa Bay.
Rainer says; "Travelling around Cape Receife, we saw a breaching humpback whale, as we came closer with the boat we realized that there were five humpback whales displaying great activity in this area. They were diving up and down and behaving very excited for quite some time and then, suddenly, a sixth Humpback whale - a newborn baby, grey in colour and a with a bent hump, broke the surface to take its first breath!"
With this historic event caught on camera by the TV crew and still photographers, we have conclusive photographic proof of Algoa Bay being the birth place of a Humpback whale. Shortly after the baby Humpback surfaced for it's first breath, the afterbirth also surfaced and drifted away.
The witnessed birth of the Humpback Whale helps to prove that the habitat in Algoa Bay is ideal for these behemoths of the deep as a birthing and nursery ground and underlines once again the importance of the Eastern Cape and Port Elizabeth marine area, as well as lending support to the concept of Rainers's NGO, Ocean Messengers, in their drive to create a partial World Heritage site within Algoa Bay. Rainer and Peter Myles are both actively involved with the drive to have Algoa Bay declared a World Heritage Site.
In 2008 Rainer also filmed the world images of a killer whale hunting a common dolphin in Algoa Bay.
The birth of the Humpback whale was filmed by the German ARD TV which was visiting Port Elizabeth to prepare programs in connection with the Soccer World Cup 2010 and will put more focus on Port Elizabeth via international wildlife film and documentaries.
News Update: January 2010 Killer Whales
Discovery Channel will start showing 'Killer Whales' on its international channel from this weekend (12th February 2010) onwards world wide!
1 year of production in New Zealand, South America and South Africa will show new evidence about the behavior of these apex predators and show new exciting footage to the audience.
Even more astonishing to many viewers will be the fact that one third of the production took place in
Together with Dive Expert-Tours and Rainer Schimpf, Pangolin Pictures followed the Orcas for weeks in and around Algoa Bay, Port Elizabeth. Amazing hunting techniques were documented on film.
The environmental protection and eco tourism exploration of Algoa Bay and its unique marine life should find highest interest within tourism buddys inside the Eastern Cape and within South Africa.
Dive Expert-Tours and Rainer have shown for years that the Algoa Bay is a special place and is worth investing money to protect the Bay. Ocean Messengers NGO will realize this project, we all need to work together to keep the name Port Elizabeth directly connected with extraordinary footage and extreme wildlife with the highest reputation world wide!
Project Update: February 2010 Read about the latest development in the article below or visit the link for the latest film
http://ocean-messengers.com/index.php/en/Press/Enviro-Film.php
Final Report Read about the activities undertaken and findings of this project in the final report below.
Read about Rainer winning citizen of the year by following the link below.
http://ocean-messengers.com/index.php/en/News/GM-Citizen-of-the-Year.php
