by Ria Olivier | Apr 2, 2020 | Important Dates, Marion Island, News, Overwintering Team, sub-Antarctic, Take-Over Operations
UPDATE ON WAY FORWARD FOR MARION 2020 RELIEF VOYAGE – 2 April 2020.
The Department of Environment Forestry and Fisheries (DEFF) hereby wishes to inform all participants, principle investigators and support teams of the arrangements pertaining to the forthcoming Marion Island 2020 relief voyage, which was scheduled to depart on 9 April 2020. As a result of the lockdown from 26 March 2020, as per announcement of the President, the voyage planning and arrangements had to be reconfigured to minimise any risk.
The DEFF as a custodian and key Department of the SANAP program needs to mitigate risks and
ensure that decisions are made in the best interest and well-being of all participants, as well as that of the overwintering teams. To this end, the DEFF together with key partners and specialist advisors has
decided that the voyage will proceed but with a significantly reduced vessel crew and passenger complement. The voyage configuration was premised on the guiding principle of having the minimum
number of essential voyage participants during the relief as well as to overwinter.
The format of the voyage will include an essential support team for logistics, maintenance and overwintering. There will be no field science activities during the relief and overwintering periods. The Department is facilitating quarantine and testing of all voyage participants.
This decision was not taken lightly and should not be construed as a lack of priority assigned to the science activities. This is certainly a tremendous set back for all of us, however we need to do the best that we can under the circumstances, and strive towards positive future outcomes. The parties that will be participating in the voyage will be contacted either directly or through their respective focal points. These would include personnel from Department of Public Works and Infrastructure, SA Weather Service, SA National Space Agency and Ultimate Heli.
The Department would like wish you and your families well.
Stay safe and healthy.
Ms Judy Beaumont
Deputy Director General: Oceans and Coasts
Date: 2 April 2020
by Ria Olivier | Mar 20, 2020 | Antarctica, Discover, Environment, SANAE, SANAP, SEAmester, Take-Over Operations
Our mid-Month Series also include those people that has become part of the SANAP community and do a lot of freelance and volunteer work for SANAP. Alexander Oelofse is becoming a well-known name within the SANAP community. His videos of SEAmester give a real insight to the SEAmester program. ALSA realized that as freelancer he can be of great service to the community and to ALSA. During the Departure of SANAE59 an agreement was reached to compile videos during takeover. Ria Olivier met with him after his expedition at Iziko during the Sentinels of the South exhibition launch and possibilities were discussed of his contributions toward the Antarctic legacy of our country.
ALSA asked him when he got interested in photography?
What started off as a childhood dream turned into a reality on the 2019/2020 Antarctic relief voyage. I have always had a deep love for the ocean and knew from a young age that I would want to be in, or surrounded, by the ocean as much as possible. I wanted to study marine biology for a long time. Until job shadowing a marine biologist and realising much of the work would be lab-based. I couldn’t imagine that for myself. I then decided to pursue my other passion; photography. Being a member of the photographic society in high school sparked my interest. This led to me studying fine art photography at Michaelis in Cape Town. At Michaelis, I continued to create art centering around the environment.
How did he become involved in SANAP?
While at University I already started trying to find a way onboard the S.A. Agulhas II. I had to see this stark, extreme and yet breathtakingly beautiful landscape for myself. It took a few years of applying, without succeeding, until I could get onboard the SEAmester III as a lecturer after my studies. Onboard students from various universities around South Africa get the opportunity to experience oceanographic research at its best, out in the field, onboard the S.A. Agulhas II. To have the privilege to experience SEAmester as a student must be absolutely amazing, but more importantly, the eye-opening experience that can lead some students to follow their passions in the marine studies field.
Opportunity to go to Antarctica:
After doing two SEAmester Expeditions the opportunity came up to go down to Antarctica with UCT. He grabbed the opportunity with both hands. He departed on the first leg of the relief voyage of 2019/2020. I can’t really say I had any expectations, to be frankly honest. AS he has never seen a place like the Antarctica and not having any expectations, it lead to some of his best experiences. He admits that sailing down for 9 days to reach the ice shelf definitely adds to the anticipation and the surprise that is Antarctica. Visit his website to see his collection of Antarctic Images
“Seeing the ice shelf for the first time left me speechless. I became quite emotional, realising my dream had come true”.
“One of my highlights was getting to sit on the back of a snowmobile and traverse the snowy landscapes. Being the passenger allowed me to, despite the icy breeze, absorb the sublime landscapes that we passed through. This image was captured at 02:00 am. You could see the sun dip ever so slightly but never setting. I could get used to that. It made life seem endless, like there was no rush”
Alex Oelofse is looking forward to working alongside ALSA to inspire youth and spread the information about the amazing program that South Africa runs all the way down in Antarctica.
His contributions will soon be available on the ALSA archive and see in next Mid-Month series one of his videos.
All Images copyright Alexander Oelofse
Visit his website https://www.alexanderoelofse.com/ and Instagram
by Ria Olivier | Feb 27, 2020 | Announcement, Antarctica, News, SA Agulhas II, SANAE, Take-Over Operations, Team member
S. A. Agulhas II will be back in Cape Town Harbour at East Pier tomorrow 28 February 2020.
SANAE 58 will return to Cape Town Harbour tomorrow after more than 14 months away from home. With them the takeover team consisting of Department of Environment, Forest and Fisheries, Department of Public Works an Infrastructure and researchers. ALSA is looking forward add their legacy of images to the digital archive.
If you want to know more about what they have been doing while in Antarctica read all their newsletters available on the ALSA digital archive. SANAE 58 departed in December 2018 read more about S.A. Agulhas II heading south with SANAE58 on the SANAP website.
by Fishgate Developer | Sep 10, 2019 | Announcement, Antarctica, Jobs, News, SANAE, Take-Over Operations
Find out more here: https://www.sansa.org.za/2019/09/09/3-volunteer-positions-for-the-take-over-trip-to-antarctica/
by Fishgate Developer | Aug 13, 2019 | Antarctica, Important Dates, Marion Island, News, Overwintering Team, Research, SANAE, Science, Take-Over Operations
August is a very special month for women in South Africa and this said we would like to salute women within the South African National Antarctic Programme.
SANAP is filled with strong women in Antarctic, sub-Antarctic and Southern Ocean research. The programme also consist of a number of brave women overwintering at the South African research stations (Marion Island, Gough Island and Antarctica).
There are 29 National Research Foundation/Department of Science and Technology funded projects within SANAP and 13 of these are managed by women. This is evident that women definitely have a place within Antarctic research.
The South African National Space Agency (SANSA) sends four volunteers to Antarctica every year. These volunteers assist with hard work (physically and mentally). The last take-over to Antarctica, three of the four South African National Space Agency (SANSA) volunteers were women.
During my trip to Antarctica earlier this year, I had the opportunity to meet a number of very inspiring women – in the video below, meet the three SANSA volunteers of the 2018/2019 Antarctic take-over and the new VLF (Very Low Frequency) SANSA Engineer, who is currently overwintering at the South African National Antarctic Expedition station (SANAE IV).
Anché Louw, Antarctic Legacy of South Africa, 13 August 2019.
by Fishgate Developer | May 13, 2019 | Announcement, News, Overwintering Team, Research, SA Agulhas II, Southern Ocean, Take-Over Operations
Expected Time of Arrival: 15 May 2019 (morning)
Place: East Pier, Cape Town Harbour
Photo Credit: Ben van der Walt, 2018 Marion Island take-over voyage.
freelance and volunteer work for SANAP. Alexander Oelofse is becoming a well-known name within the SANAP community. His 
realized that as freelancer he can be of great service to the community and to 
that I would want to be in, or surrounded, by the ocean as much as possible. I wanted to study marine biology for a long time. Until job shadowing a marine biologist and realising much of the work would be lab-based. I couldn’t imagine that for myself. I then decided to pursue my other passion; photography. Being a member of the photographic society in high school sparked my interest. This led to me studying 
While at University I already started trying to find a way onboard the S.A. Agulhas II. I had to see this stark, extreme and yet breathtakingly beautiful landscape for myself. It took a few years of applying, without succeeding, until I could get onboard the SEAmester III as a lecturer after my studies. Onboard students from various universities around South Africa get the opportunity to experience oceanographic research at its best, out in the field, onboard the 
He departed on the first leg of 
“Seeing the ice shelf for the first time left me speechless. I became quite emotional, realising my dream had come true”. 
“One of my highlights was getting to sit on the back of a snowmobile and traverse the snowy landscapes. Being the passenger allowed me to, despite the icy breeze, absorb the sublime landscapes that we passed through. This image was captured at 02:00 am. You could see the sun dip ever so slightly but never setting. I could get used to that. It made life seem endless, like there was no rush”
S. A. Agulhas II will be back in Cape Town Harbour at East Pier tomorrow 28 February 2020.
