The University of the Third Age (U3A) is an organisation for retired people (mostly), providing opportunities for further education, creativity and socialising. In August last year Tony and I gave a talk to the False Bay chapter on what can be seen underwater in Cape Town – we amazed ourselves (and hopefully didn’t bore the audience) because neither of us are comfortable public speakers, but we managed to talk for nearly an hour to an audience of about 250 people.
U3A is a wonderful organisation whose members are curious, wise and founts of local knowledge. (For example, before I get to the point of this post, I can tell you that two or three members of the audience at the talk Tony and I gave actually served on board the SAS Good Hope and SAS Pietermaritzburg – they were moved to see what these wrecks look like now, underwater.)
Local shark scientist Alison Kock gave a talk (that I’d have loved to have heard) to the False Bay U3A Natural Science group in May. The indefatigable Viv von der Heyden, who curates the Scenic South website, attended the talk and wrote it up for the Scenic South. It’s a fantastic summation of what we know about white sharks in False Bay, the latest research that has been done, and the efforts by the Shark Spotters to create an environment where white sharks and humans can live harmoniously.
Read the full article here. If you’re unfamiliar with the white sharks of False Bay, this is a good start. If you know the subject backwards, this is an excellent update on the latest research that has been conducted. Go!
