We are delighted to announce that Yamaha Marine Southern Africa have officially pledged their support for Shark Spotters by coming on board as Gold sponsors of the programme!

Yamaha Marine donated R36,000 for the 2021/2022 financial year, specifically to support the spotters operating at Caves, Kogel Bay. General Manager, Melvin Victor, explained his personal motivation behind their support:

‘’As a local body boarder at Caves since the 80’s, it feels great to be able to give back through my company Yamaha in supporting the Shark Spotters initiative to keep our local body boarding and surfing community safe. Yamaha is glad to be part of this and the ongoing work and research Shark Spotters are doing! ‘’

Spotting services started at Caves back in May 2012 after the tragic death of Boland bodyboarder David Lillienfeld. David lost his life due to a shark bite at the popular surf spot in April 2012, following which the surfing community made a special request and motivation to the City of Cape Town to expand shark spotting operations to the area.

Despite its remote location and significant distance from the rest of our operating beaches, we were able to quickly set up operations in the area and have now been spotting at Caves for over 9 years. The spotters have recorded over 100 shark sightings during that time, and have also borne witness to some astounding marine fauna sightings including orcas hunting dolphins and a large aggregation of more than 17 bronze whaler sharks that stayed in the area for three weeks earlier this year.

 

The donation from Yamaha Marine Southern Africa will be used to support the salaries, equipment and infrastructure needs for the spotters at Caves, ensuring that they can continue providing the best possible service to the surfing and bodyboarding communities that frequent the popular surf spot.

”We are incredibly grateful to Yamaha Marine Southern Africa for this generous contribution to our team at Caves.” says Sarah Waries, CEO of Shark Spotters. “The local water-user community in the area has always been strong supporters of the programme and we are really grateful to have a corporate partner on board that has a personal connection to the site. We look forward to working in together with Yamaha Marine to help protect both people and sharks at Caves.”

With 40 staff operating at between 6 and 8 beaches, and our expanding education and research programs, Shark Spotters relies heavily on public support to ensure we can provide an effective and uninterrupted safety service to the ocean loving community in Cape Town. We receive 70% of our funding from the City of Cape Town and 20% from the Save Our Seas Foundation, leaving an annual operating shortfall of 10% that need to be raised through corporate and individual donations as well as fundraising events and merchandise sales.

As a SARS section 18a registered NPO (060-390) and PBO (930037421) and a Level 1 BBBEE contributor there are considerable CSI/SED benefits to donating to Shark Spotters, including tax deductions and improvement of BEE ratings. To find out more about the benefits of becoming a Shark Spotters supporter/partner please email sarah@sharkspotters.org.za.

 

About Yamaha Marine: Yamaha has always been at the forefront of innovation and reliability from the respect of the brand’s renowned product categories. With the innovative range of Yamaha Marine products used worldwide, on both waterways and the oceans, it is Yamaha’s responsibility to give back and support organizations that keep the public safe when enjoying the waters and their respective product range. As a South African market leader, Yamaha is proud to be part of the Shark Spotter initiative.

See www.yamaha.co.za/category/marine for more details or follow us on social media @YamahaMarineSouthAfrica

 

About Shark Spotters: Shark Spotters improves beach safety by applying innovative and responsible shark safety solutions that reduce the spatial overlap between people and sharks, thereby reducing the risk of a shark bite. We also provide emergency response in the event of a shark incident, as well as conduct cutting-edge applied research on shark behaviour and ecology, raise awareness about shark safety and conservation issues, and provide employment opportunities and skills development for shark spotters.

See www.sharkspotters.org.za for more details.

Like us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @SharkSpotters

Download the Shark Spotters app for free: https://sharkspotters.org.za/safety/shark-sightings/beach-status/#section

SMS the word shark to 38021 to donate R10 to Shark Spotters (network fees kindly sponsored by BulkSMS).