The killer whales of Marion Island

by Anne Treasure | Mar 18, 2026 | Environment, Long-term observations, LTO-Land, Marion Island, NRF-SAEON, Prince Edward Islands, SANAP, SAPRI, Southern Ocean, Sub-Antarctic

Local and global importance of monitoring killer whales The monitoring of killer whales (Orcinus orca) at Marion Island is of great importance both locally and globally. The work done by the South African Polar Research Infrastructure (SAPRI) on Marion Island...

Gordy the southern elephant seal spotted on Marion Island

by Anne Treasure | Mar 13, 2026 | Environment, Long-term observations, LTO-Land, Marion Island, NRF-SAEON, Prince Edward Islands, SANAP, SAPRI, Southern Ocean, Sub-Antarctic

Gordy the southern elephant seal went viral in May 2025 after wandering more than 1 km inland into the residential area of Gordon’s Bay, which is where his name comes from. You might be wondering, where is Gordy now? Roughly halfway between South Africa and Antarctica...

SAPRI and its host, NRF-SAEON, engage at the 2026 Marine and Coastal Educators Network Conference

by Anne Treasure | Feb 12, 2026 | Conference, DPS, Environment, Lecture/Seminar, LTO-Land, LTO-Ocean, SAPRI, Workshop/Training

The South African Polar Research Infrastructure (SAPRI) and its host institution, the South African Environmental Observation Network (NRF-SAEON), were proudly represented at the Marine and Coastal Educators Network (MCEN) 2026 Conference, held from 18-23 January 2026...

SAPRI 2025/26 Marion Island Overwinterers Appointed

by Rabia Mathakutha | Jul 30, 2025 | Antarctica, DPS, Environment, LTO-Land, Marion Island, NRF-SAEON, SANAP, SAPRI, Southern Ocean, Sub-Antarctic, Uncategorized

2025 saw the appointment of the second cohort of the South African Polar Research Infrastructure (SAPRI) team of Marion Island overwinterers in March. This dedicated team of marine mammal and seabird field researchers forms part of the Marion Island Top Predator...

South Africa leads collaborative deep-sea exploration in African waters onboard the OceanXplorer

by Rabia Mathakutha | Jun 11, 2025 | Environment, LTO-Ocean, NRF-SAEON, SAPRI, Uncategorized

The Around Africa Expedition, led by global ocean exploration non-profit organisations OceanX and the newly established OceanQuest, is a pioneering collaborative expedition along the African coastline and an endorsed action programme of the United Nations Ocean Decade...