Diver24

ABOUT

On the evening of 7 March 2020 the Two Oceans Aquarium, in partnership with the UCT Underwater Club, will be hosting an exciting public event all about scuba diving, called Diver24.

This event forms part of the annual #Diver24 24-hour scuba marathon, and it’s the fourth year in a row that this fundraising event is taking place inside the exhibits of the Aquarium. 

This year we are raising funds for the Two Oceans Aquarium Education Foundation, Shine Literacy, and the Rural Education Access Programme. More than 100 student divers from UCT will once again be undertaking the marathon scuba dive event, making sure they are diving for 24 hours straight (alternating divers every hour)

It’s an awesome cause, and one we want to let the public in on. That’s why this year we are having an extra special event to help raise funds and to introduce you to the joy of diving. It’ll be a casual night with a variety of programme items to suit your pace and interests. All proceeds from the ticket sales of this event will be donated to the listed organisations.

Get deep into this thrilling outdoor activity with the following event highlights at Diver24:

• Hear from three diving experts, covering the history of scuba gear, the incredible sights of Southern African diving sites, and what it’s like to work with sharks … underwater!
• Try on some scuba gear and get an idea of what it feels like to be wearing a “self-contained underwater breathing apparatus”.
• Learn more about the Two Oceans Aquarium Education Foundation’s impact on people, places and animals … like rescuing, rehabilitating and releasing hundreds of turtles every year.
• Find out about the different ways in which you can explore the deep blue ocean.
• Watch scuba-inspired short films while enjoying delicious burgers, made right here by the Two Oceans Aquarium’s functions team.
• Enjoy the Aquarium after closing time, for a special night-time view of the fish.

Divers will be in the exhibits throughout the evening and we have one or two other special tricks up our wetsuit sleeves… Don’t miss out! You’ll be contributing to some incredible causes and may just get bitten by the diving bug…

Please note: During the UCT Underwater Club’s marathon event from 7 to 8 March, our diving exhibits have been booked out for the Club's exclusive use, so guests who attend our evening event will not be able to dive on the night. However, you are free to book a dive at the Aquarium at any other time. 

Event details

• Date: 7 March 2020
• Time: 18h30 till 22h00
• Venue: Two Oceans Aquarium
• Food and beverages will be available on the night. No alcohol will be served, and all ages are welcome!
• All proceeds from ticket sales will be donated to the organisations that are receiving the funds raised by the UCT Underwater Club’s Diver24 activity in 2020.

Who you'll meet at Diver24

Reef Wetsuits

Scuba requires quite a bit of specialised gear, and we definitely don’t recommend scuba diving without a wetsuit - especially in the Cape, where water temperatures can get pretty chilly! Find out all about suits, fins, snorkels and masks at Diver24, where Reef Wetsuits will be showcasing the “soft gear” that makes scuba diving possible, safe, and exhilarating.

Maryke Musson

If by now you have not heard the story of Yoshi the travelling turtle, well... where have you been? Yoshi has made it all the way to Australia, and she is just one example of hundreds of turtles that have been successfully released back into the wild by the Two Oceans Aquarium.

At Diver24, Two Oceans Aquarium Education Foundation CEO Maryke Musson will shed light on our amazing rescue, rehab and release programme for turtles. 

Dive Action/Nauticam

What does it take to capture a brilliant underwater photograph? Opportunity, readiness, and specialised gear. Dive Action and Nauticam will be at Diver24 to teach us all about the different kinds of underwater camera housings and how they work. Armed with that knowledge you’re one step closer to the cover of National Geographic! The rest is up to you… 

Nauticam produces the world’s finest and widest range of rugged underwater camera housings for DSLR, mirrorless, compacts and professional video cameras.

Kate Jonker

Southern Africa’s incredible biodiversity - marine and terrestrial - naturally means that we have some of the most awesome dive sites in the world. From the incredible kelp forests of False Bay to the crystal blue of Mozambique, there’s so much to see and learn about the ocean through diving.

Writer, photographer, underwater photography coach, dive boat skipper and dive guide Kate Jonker will share her favourite Southern African dive sites at Diver24. You can also view some of Kate’s underwater macro-photography at the Aquarium, they are exhibited on our cold and warm water mosaic walls.

Dr Cleeve Robertson

"Dr Cleeve" is a long-time friend of ours, and is a man who wears many different hoodies. He is the CEO of the NSRI, he performs all the medicals for our commercial divers, and ... he's a total diving gear fanatic! 

Dr Cleeve will be bringing some of his very old, very heavy, vintage scuba gear to the Aquarium on 7 March for a show and tell activation. Let's just say it's going to involve a lot of copper... 

Bright Weights

Our bodies are naturally buoyant in the water - that means, we float - but when diving you want to go deep so you can see more animals and get into hard to reach places. That's where extra weight comes in - in the form of weight belts. Come and learn more about buoyancy at Diver24 - our partners Bright Weights will be there to answer all of your questions.

Bright Weights provides Aquarium divers with innovative weight belts for use in the exhibits, on collection and research trips and for our Adventure Dive Programme.

Ralph Watson

For Ralph Watson, a marine biologist and PhD candidate who works for Marine Dynamics Shark, Whale and Eco Marine Tours in Gansbaai, seeing sharks in the wild is crucial for the survival of this species. Scuba diving, of course, is just one of many ways to do that. 

Ralph has spent a lot of time with sharks - all kinds of sharks - to conduct research about these graceful, awesome creatures. Come to Diver24 to learn about sharks from one of the experts on our frontlines.