Visitors will have the opportunity to learn answers to questions about where sea turtles go under the waves, what they eat, and how far they travel, as part of a special nature conservation lecture organized by Crocworld Adventure & Conservation Centre.
The event will take place on Saturday, October 31st, at the Fish Eagle cafe in Scottburgh. Participants can review research conducted along the KwaZulu-Natal coast while enjoying breakfast and hot coffee.
The lecture will be presented by Natalie Dos Santos, a postgraduate student at Nelson Mandela University, who has been studying sea turtles for the past eight years. Dos Santos began her work at nesting beaches in the iSimangaliso Wetland Park in northern Zululand, and later shifted her focus to the less studied waters of the eastern coast of South Africa.
Her current PhD research focuses on the ecological role of sea turtles on reefs, including their origins, population size, movements, and feeding behavior. One aspect that will interest visitors is viewing underwater footage demonstrating the work of researchers who capture, tag, and track turtles as part of an acoustic telemetry study.
The research specifically concentrates on green turtles and hawksbill turtles within the Aliwal Shoal Marine Protected Area on the southern coast of KZN. Dos Santos reported that while she will share some background information during the lecture, the main emphasis will be on the current work studying their migrations.
The morning event is part of Crocworld's ongoing conservation lecture program, which aims to introduce visitors to the biodiversity found along and beyond the southern coast of KZN. Susan Badat, manager of Crocworld Adventure & Conservation Centre, notes that these lectures are designed to make conservation activities both educational and engaging.
Badat emphasized that Natalie's work provides an exciting opportunity to learn more deeply about sea turtles and the important scientific work being done right next to them. The lecture offers those who have watched a turtle head into the ocean a chance to understand the amazing journey that continues long after the animal disappears from sight.
The sea turtle lecture will take place on Saturday, October 31, 2026, at 10 am at the Fish Eagle cafe in the Crocworld Adventure & Conservation Centre in Scottburgh. Advance registration is required and should be made via email at crocworld@cbl.co.za by October 26th. In addition, Crocworld offers visitors various other experiences, including animal encounters, educational talks, and the Jikaleza Outdoor Adventures hiking trail network and the Fish Eagle cafe.