The second annual Wavescape Festival Slide Night took place on the evening of Wednesday, 11 December at the Two Oceans Aquarium. The event was well attended, despite clashing with the memorial service for Nelson Mandela, being held round the corner at the Cape Town Stadium.
However, the night would have been amiss if speakers at the event hadn’t acknowledged Madiba in their own special way. Steve Pike, founder of the Wavescape Festival, gave a short and heartwarming tribute to the great man by relaying two surf-related stories, admittedly ones that Mandela himself probably never knew about. The first was about a surfing spot off the coast of Robben Island, called Madiba’s Left, which has been surfed by the likes of Jordy Smith (read the full story here), and is named in honour of the time Mandela spent incarcerated on the island. The second story was about a daring plan dreamed up by Cape Times editor Tony Heard to break Madiba out of prison by paddling him on a surfboard out into the shipping lane, hiding in the kelp that the prisoners harvested. Of course, it never came to fruition, but it was good to know that the man’s presence was never forgotten during his many years in jail.
Mike Markovina, the next speaker in the line-up, revealed the first glimpse of the epic East Africa Marine Transect project that he and his team embarked on earlier in the year, through this short teaser video:
Alison Kock, Research Manager for the Shark Spotters’ Programme and one of the Slide Night speakers, said: “What I really enjoyed about the evening was the diversity of people who attended, and it was clear that there was great enthusiasm from the crowd for the different topics. It is such an amazing platform [on which] to build new relationships and share one’s story across disciplines, ultimately spreading the message further than it would go if it just stayed within one’s own discipline.
“The talk that inspired me the most was Haley McLellan‘s talk on banning the plastic bag and reminding us how disgusting plastic pollution is. It is so easy in today’s busy world to succumb to the convenience of modern life, and it reconfirmed the importance of reducing the use of plastic in my life,” she said.
Hayley is a staff member at the Two Oceans Aquarium and has been championing the Rethink The Bag campaign for some time now. Her presentation was hard-hitting, but carried her message across clearly: it’s time to rethink the single-use plastic bag.
“Wavescape Slide Night was, for me, an electric synergy of conservation-minded spirits sharing their passion. As speakers, we may have mostly been focussing on the oceans but terra firma is never off our preservation radar. The link is undeniable. It felt so right that the event was about honouring the oceans and Madiba at the same time,” said Hayley.
“I enjoyed all of the talks immensely. Deon Bing’s presentation (performance!) resonated for me. He is so natural in communicating what excites him. He had a project in his heart and did not give up until it was achieved, and with major success all round.”
“I am thrilled to see such an array of local interest and talent in preserving our environment. Each speaker has their own directed project – imagine if each individual on Earth chose one cause to focus on, what a difference we would make!”
“Every one of the presenters is determined to make their efforts count even when it seems we are swimming against a powerful tide. The evening was a celebration of conservation in action, and now we go away to continue the journey of learning more and spreading much-needed awareness.”
“In our beloved Madiba’s wise words we find unlimited inspiration: ‘It always seems impossible until it’s done’”.
A big thank you to everyone who made Wavescape Slide Night possible.
Find out more about hosting your event or conference at the Two Oceans Aquarium.
Stay in touch: for daily Aquarium updates, follow us on Twitter (@2OceansAquarium) and become a fan on Facebook.
