Stories of the Great African Seaforest

The Great African Seaforest is home to thousands of species, some that have not yet even been scientifically named and every time you set foot in the kelp forest you are opening yourself up for an experience that you cannot predict.

In 2015, amidst the whirlwind of my PhD thesis, I entered the biology building, ready for another day of research. As part of our routine,

You can see it when you stand on the shore around Cape Town: the Great African Seaforest. What you see is a narrow stretch of floating Bamboo kelp (Ecklonia maxima). It is one of the few kelp species in the world that grows to the surface at low tide. But what you see at the top is just the tip of the iceberg!

When we originally formed SCP it was a way for us to produce the occasional creative project while immersing ourselves in the kelp forests which we named the Great African Seaforest. As a group we realised that by giving our kelp forests a name we were giving it an unique identity and a presence that connected it to the kelp forests of the world, but also distinguished it as a particular ecosystem found on the shores of Southern Africa.

Some years ago, I was kayaking and swimming along a rugged part of Cape Town’s coast. The sun blazed overhead, the sea frothed against rocks, and behind a stand of kelp, I discovered a cave. Battling against a strong surge, I timed my entry, and crawled into a dark, cool world ripe with the smell of salt and primordial plant life. I ventured further into the cave, and there it was: a full human skeleton lying sprawled on the rock-littered floor.

I wrote down “#0101 I am a Seaforest Species”. In retrospect, I think what I did was make a list of the first 100 species, and realised that humans were very absent but need to be a part of the project.

The debate around the proposed octopus farm goes beyond the arguments of sentience. Read our full statement.

‘It is always worth it to leave the house and explore in nature.’ Or,
as Dr Jannes Landschoff says – ‘you never regret a dive!’

Rituals are part of our blueprint and although most of them may be subconscious, our days are full of small habitual actions that helps us to make sense of the world and move within it.

A few weeks ago I was diving with my husband in the seaforest close to our home. The conditions were not ideal for free-diving –

When I was a young girl, there was a Boney M song that I loved. The song was called “Oceans of Fantasy”. It spoke of

The entire underwater sea-scape is a magical world of sound, and it is this sound on which many species depend for their survival.

Cold water swimming, free diving, and the effects on mental and physical health.

Swimming with southern right whales and an exploration into the fine line between life, death and history.

Befriending a wild otter, nature and wilderness connection during lockdown, and hope for the future of our environment.

Marine biology and crustacean study with the rediscovery, 60 years after it was first described, of a new crab-like creature – the hermit-tanaid.

Growing up swimming with sharks, and learning to love these beautiful, majestic marine creatures. What sharks have taught me about myself.

We are nature. Biodiversity can be seen as the immune system of the planet, making its loss our greatest crisis that exacerbates climate change.

Craig Foster’s wife speaks about the octopus teacher, learning to swim, and eventually free diving herself.

The making of Academy Award winning documentary, My Octopus Teacher by Pippa Ehrlich, James Reed & Craig Foster.

Rare encounters with a school of elusive smooth-hound sharks, and the over-fishing crisis shark populations are facing.

The world of fantasy and adventure experienced in the ocean often belies language.

Breaking down the boundaries between nature and science to allow for deeper nature immersion and better marine biology research.

Swimming through the seaforest tracking down cuttlefish eggs, assessing predatory marks in shells, and ascertaining the species of some strange egg casing.