This past weekend’s Red Bull Flugtag was, by all accounts, a soaring success! The V&A Waterfront saw a record number of visitors on Sunday, and the Two Oceans Aquarium was there to cheer on all contenders. We were especially proud to see the maiden voyage of The Waterfront Seals, the team representing the V&A, and see them doing so by honouring one of our most regular harbour visitors – the Cape fur seal.

“Seals are part of the V&A marine family and have lived happily in all parts of the Waterfront and the V&A Marina for years,” said V&A Waterfront Harbour Master Steven Bentley.

The story goes that the idea came to the team on the Strandfontein beach one evening when the shape of a seal was drawn in the wet sand. This was followed by dimensioned sketches, and a very puzzled designer at Empire Inflatables, tasked with manufacturing the body. From a circular inflatable tube, the body was shaped into that of a proud bull seal.

“The secret of Oscar’s design is that he wants to fly with the wingspan similar to that of the famous Red Baron bi-plane. The bi-plane wing is being tested secretly in the Two Oceans Aquarium. This is being done at night when the fish are asleep, as Oscar the seal is very much like “Jonathan Livingston Seagull” and does all his testing when the other fish and birds are asleep and cannot see him,” Bentley said.

In the end, Oscar may not have travelled very far, but he was certainly held in high esteem by everyone attending the Red Bull Flugtag! And he gets our seal of approval!

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