Farewell, South Africa!

Well, with just over 24 hours left in Cape Town before I head back to Coastal to start the spring semester, all I can say is what an adventure. The past 3 weeks here in South Africa have proven to be some of the most life changing, inspiring, and challenging of my life. On December 15, myself and 7 other strangers left the United States to embark on the journey of a lifetime. Now, it feels bittersweet to say that I am leaving this beautiful country with 7 individuals who have now become close friends over the course of this internship.

Coming into this course with absolutely zero knowledge about photography and DSLR cameras, the first couple of days were kind of a learning curve for me as I slowly but surely fumbled my way through my camera’s settings to learn the basics of ISO, aperture, and shutter speed. Now, I can honestly that I am fully comfortable using a DSLR camera in manual mode, and know just what settings to manipulate to get that “perfect shot”. This internship has lived up to my expectations and then some. I learned things about photography I never even knew existed, how to spin my writing to convey my own views while still reporting the facts, and most importantly, I learned how to get out of my comfort zone. I would highly recommend this internship to any and everyone who is looking to gain hands on experience from one of the best photographers and conservationists that there is, regardless of their skill level.

My favorite part of this trip is a tie between the sunset hike up Lion’s Head Mountain and the seal snorkeling. I have gone hiking numerous times back home in the states, but this hike up Lion’s Head was like nothing I had ever experienced. Using chains, ropes, and ladders to scale the top of this mountain, the view at the top was one of the most amazing things I had ever seen. Snorkeling with the Cape fur seals in Hout Bay was also something I will never forget. Getting quite literally face to face with the seals underwater in their natural environment and seeing these clumsy land animals turn into swiftly moving acrobats of the sea is something that will stick with me forever.

The ONLY thing that was kind of a let down, for me anyways, was the cage diving. Going out on the boat, seeing first hand how the process works, and getting into the cage were all things I could cross off of my bucket list. The only problem, however, was that there no great white sharks to be seen. The great white is one of the animals I am most passionate about and is without a doubt my favorite animal, so being able to get up close to this amazing ocean predator was something I had been looking forward to since I received the notification that I was accepted for this internship. Unfortunately, predation by the local killer whales had scared off all of the sharks, and cage diving operators all across South Africa have been struggling with this slow summer season. Luck was not on our side yesterday in the cage, but sometimes that’s just how it goes. Nature in unpredictable. We did, however, get to see a relatively large copper shark, which is a species I had never seen before, so that trip did not come up empty I suppose.

Most importantly, however, this internship has taught me that, to quote the Pixar movie “Up”, “adventure is out there”. I have done things on this trip that I never would have dreamed about doing at the start of my college career. As I begin to pack up my things and belongings into my suitcases, know that South Africa will always hold a special place in my heart. I will hold on to the adventures and experiences I have had on this 3-week internship for as long as I live.

Thank you to everyone who has been keeping up with my adventures and photography as I have progressed through this internship. The amazing staff at Great White Shark Tours DID give me a free trip voucher since we didn’t see any great whites that needs to be used within the next year, so who knows, maybe I’ll be back sooner rather than later! Hint hint mother!)

 

Holidays, Penguins, and Adventures

This past week here in Cape Town has been a pretty hectic one. Multiple field trips, many hours of lecture, and some uncooperative weather have thrown many of us, myself included, for a curveball.

On December 21st, we hiked up Lion’s Head, which is part of Table Mountain National Park. This hike was like nothing I had ever done, with ropes, ladders, and chains being used to hoist ourselves up to the peak. The goal of this trip being to photograph the sunset, I had to constantly change my camera settings to adjust for the decreasing light by the minute. The hike down, which was done in total darkness, was an adventure in itself, as the city of Cape Town was illuminated with light in the background as evening turned to night.

With Christmas quickly approaching, we were given off from photography assignments until after the holiday. On Christmas Eve, the original plan was to go cage diving with great white sharks in Gansbaai, the excursion I was most looking forward to on this internship. Unfortunately, strong winds and high seas prompted a reschedule for January 4^th.  With the few days that remained before Christmas, we explored nearby Kalk Bay for holiday shopping and delicious eats. This year was my first Christmas being away from my family, and my first Christmas without my Nonna, who passed away last January. She would have loved to see some of the pictures I have taken so far. Being 7 hours ahead of my family back home, I rang in the Christmas holiday with my newfound family of fellow interns instead. We exchanged gifts during our own little Secret Santa party, and just enjoyed each other’s company. It was definitely a Christmas I will never forget.

This past week, our photographic expeditions focused on the African penguin, a conservation project that hits close to home here in False Bay, where numerous wild colonies still exist. The South African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB), was our first stop on our penguin journey, where we got to see first hand how this non-profit has built a name for itself over the past 50 years. SANCCOB focuses on the rescue and rehabilitation of sea birds, specifically African penguins, who have been injured, stranded, etc., and has a release rate of 85%. The African penguin unfortunately, has seen a drastic decline over the past 80 years with numbers dwindling from up to 2 million down to about 50,000 today. This is mainly due to human impacts of pollution, habitat destruction, and climate change.

Today, we ventured about an hour and a half to the other side of False Bay to Stony Point, where we got to witness first hand the release of 20 individual penguins back into the wild by SANCCOB volunteers. Seeing these little black and white penguins fumble their way back into the ocean with their colony is something that will stick with me for a long time. Additionally, we also got to photograph the penguin colony at Boulders Beach Nature Reserve, which was a completely different experience. At Boulders Beach hundreds of tourists were constantly crowding the penguins and trying to poke and prod them for photo opportunities with not a park ranger or conservation expert in sight to educate them. This was a very off-putting experience for me, as it was completely opposite from Stony Point, where the penguins were given their space.

So far, we haven’t really been able to do any water excursions due to the high winds, but a seal snorkel and snorkel safari through the kelp forests will (hopefully) be happening in the near future. Be sure to check back next week for my final blog post as the internship will be coming to an end in just 9 days. Also check out the photos below that I captured during our expeditions this past week!

Sunset from the top of Lion’s Head Mountain – 12/21/2017

Release of 20 individual penguins at Stony Point by SANCCOB volunteers – 12/28/2017

Resident penguin of the Stony Point colony sunbathes with its peers – 12/28/2017

Two penguins return from the sea at Boulders Beach – 12/28/2017

I made it!

My name is Chris Moorman and I am a student at Coastal Carolina University, currently working towards a bachelors of science degree in marine science, with a focus on biology. I am writing this blog post from South Africa, the home base of Lesley Rochat , renowned photographer and conservationist who is part of the AfriOceans Conservation Alliance and Shark Warrior Adventures . I am currently partaking in Lesley’s Wildlife Conservation and Photojournalism internship, which is offered twice a year to students of Coastal Carolina University, where I will earn 4 credits towards my marine science degree. On my path towards becoming an accredited marine scientist, I never would have thought that I would take the photography/photojournalism path. I chose to do this course because it seemed like an amazing opportunity to get out of my comfort zone and learn a new skill from one of the best photographers and conservationists in the business.

Our journey from South Carolina to South Africa began with some minor delays and headaches during our departure on December 15, 2017, and after travelling for a total of nearly 26 hours, we had finally landed at Cape Town International Airport during the afternoon of the following day. Having no prior experience or background in photography, I was hesitant on applying for this course, however after being in South Africa for about 4 days now and getting to experience the breathtaking views and landscapes that this country has to offer, I am glad I made the decision to travel across the world for this once in a lifetime opportunity.

Our work begins each morning promptly at 9 AM with Lesley’s arrival to the shark house, our home base for the next 3 weeks, where lectures on relevant photography topics and techniques precede adventures into the field to supplement the lecture topics of the day. Despite being here for only 4 days so far, Lesley has already taught us the fundamentals of aperture, ISO, and shutter speed, and how it pertains to techniques of bokeh, depth-of-field, and landscape photography. So far, our field excursions have included trips to such places as Kirstenbosch Gardens, Chapman’s Peak Drive, and Kalk Bay Harbor. At each location, the use of different techniques and lenses has already taught me so much about photography that I never thought I would learn. Below are just a few of the images I have captured so far from some of these locations.

From this internship, I hope to learn how to use photography to raise awareness of scientific issues that are plaguing the environment not only locally here in Cape Town, but also globally. South Africa has already given some of the most amazing experiences of my life, but that does not change the fact that our world is in trouble, and that our generation has to be the one to reverse the effects that human driven climate change and pollution have had on the world. By using photography to be the voice for the voiceless, something Lesley has accomplished on a global level, I hope to follow in her footsteps by raising awareness to the general public by publishing the images and articles that I will produce as this course progresses.

Be sure to check back each week as this new and exciting journey unfolds and stay up to date on the work my fellow interns and I are doing.

– Chris Moorman