Bayworld Museum Marine Mammals, Corner Beach Road and Brookes Hill Drive, Humewood, Port Elizabeth (2026)

Q: What is the address?

Corner Beach Road And Brookes Hill Drive, Humewood

01/06/2026

🪸🐬 Marine Mammal Monday:
Happy World Reef Day 🌊💙

Today we celebrate World Reef Day — a reminder that healthy oceans depend on healthy habitats.

When people think of reefs, they often picture colourful fish and coral. But reefs are also incredibly important for many of the marine mammals found along South Africa's coastline.

Along the Eastern Cape coast, rocky reefs and kelp forests create underwater cities that support an amazing diversity of life. 🪸🌿

These habitats provide food and shelter for countless marine species, including fish, squid, octopus, crustaceans, and many other animals that form part of the ocean food web.

And at the top of that food web are some of our favourite marine mammals:

🐬 Dolphins that hunt fish around reefs and reef edges

🦭 Cape fur seals that feed on fish and squid supported by productive coastal ecosystems

🐋 Whales that rely on healthy oceans throughout their long migrations

Every species is connected.

When reefs are damaged by pollution, litter, climate change, or unsustainable human activities, the effects can ripple through the entire ecosystem.

Protecting reefs means protecting the animals that depend on them — from the smallest invertebrates to the largest whales. 💙

So this World Reef Day, let's remember that conservation starts beneath the waves.

🌊 Reduce litter
🌊 Respect marine habitats
🌊 Leave only footprints on our beaches
🌊 Help keep our oceans healthy for future generations

Because healthy reefs help create healthy oceans and healthy oceans help support incredible marine mammals. 🪸🐬🦭🐋

25/05/2026

🦭💙 Marine Mammal Monday: Porky starts his Journey Home 🌊

Sometimes the ocean sends us visitors we never forget.

Meet Porky — a young southern elephant seal with a huge personality and an even bigger determination to get home. 👑🦭

Porky first stranded in KwaZulu-Natal and was rescued by the incredible team at uShaka Sea World on 19 May 2026. After receiving care and monitoring, he began an important journey south to Bayworld in Gqeberha on 22 May.

Travelling in style inside a large crate with the air conditioning keeping him cool and comfortable, Porky made the long trip accompanied by Bilal and Quillen — who may have been freezing in the van while their Antarctic passenger enjoyed luxury transport conditions. ❄️🚐

After arriving safely at Bayworld, Porky settled into a comfortable pen for the night. The following morning, the combined teams from Bayworld and uShaka worked together to tag him and prepare him for release back into the wild.

Then came the moment everyone had been waiting for. 🌊

The team travelled to an isolated section of coastline in the Eastern Cape— where Porky would finally begin his journey home.

And true to his personality… Porky made it clear he was ready.

Despite his young age, he was strong, feisty, stubborn, and full of confidence — constantly pushing against fences, barriers, and anything else in his way as if reminding everyone who was in charge. 🦭✨

The moment his crate opened, Porky galumphed straight toward the ocean with determination and purpose. Watching him disappear back into the sea was emotional, unforgettable, and a beautiful reminder of why marine mammal rescue matters.

Swim south, Porky — you’ve got this! 🌊🦭💙

Thank you for the wonderful visit, Porky. It was an honour to meet such a special little ocean traveller.

After the release, both teams shared a picnic together in Porky’s honour — celebrating not only his successful release to start his return home, but also the incredible teamwork, dedication, and friendships that make rescues like this possible.

A huge thank you to everyone involved in Porky’s rescue and release, including:
✨ Bilal
✨ Quillen
✨ Lungisani
✨ Greg
✨ Leone
✨ Lisa
✨ Mike
✨ SANPARKS
✨ The teams at uShaka Sea World and Bayworld
✨ And all the others who assisted behind the scenes

Every rescue takes compassion, teamwork, patience, and people willing to answer the call when marine animals need help most.

📞 If you ever see a stranded seal, dolphin, or whale, please report it to the Bayworld Stranding Hotline:
071 724 2122

Because one call can help save a life. 🦭🌊💙

18/05/2026

🦭🐋✨ Marine Mammal Monday: Winter Wildlife Visitors 🌊❄️

As the weather cools and winter approaches, our coastline begins to welcome some truly incredible marine mammal visitors. 💙

Over the coming months, beachgoers and ocean lovers may start spotting more seals and whales along the South African coast — especially after periods of rough weather and big ocean swells.

🦭 Subantarctic fur seals (“subbies”)
Every winter, some of these Southern Ocean travellers journey thousands of kilometres north from remote Subantarctic islands and may haul out along our coastline to rest.

👑 Southern elephant seals
Occasionally, these giant visitors also arrive on our shores during moulting season — just like Lady Rita and Talhado. These enormous seals may spend weeks resting ashore while replacing their fur.

🐋 Humpback whales
As winter progresses, humpback whales begin their annual migration along the South African coast — one of the ocean’s most spectacular natural events.

🌊 Southern right whales
Another iconic winter visitor, southern right whales migrate to our coastline each year to mate and calve in calmer coastal waters. Their slow movements and surface behaviours often make them easier to spot from shore. 💙

🌊 Increased haulouts after storms
Rough seas and winter storms can also leave seals exhausted, leading to more animals resting on beaches, rocks, and harbours along the coast.

If you do spot a marine mammal ashore: ✨ Please keep your distance
✨ Keep dogs away
✨ Never try to push the animal back into the water
✨ Observe quietly from afar

And please contact the Bayworld Stranding Hotline:
📞 071 724 2122

Winter is one of the most exciting seasons for marine mammal sightings along our coastline… so keep your eyes on the ocean. 🦭🐋💙

11/05/2026

🦭❄️ Marine Mammal Monday: Subbie Season Has Begun 🌊

Our first winter visitor of the season has arrived… 💙

With colder weather and rough seas moving along our coastline, the first Subantarctic fur seal (“subbie”) of the season has officially been spotted.

While Cape fur seals are the species most commonly seen along South Africa’s coastline, winter sometimes brings very special visitors from the Southern Ocean… 🦭❄️

Subantarctic fur seals normally haul out on remote islands such as Marion Island, but every year some individuals — especially adult or subadult males, and occasionally juveniles — travel over 2,000 km north and end up right here on our beaches. 🌊🌍

Even though they are also fur seals, subbies look slightly different from Cape fur seals:
✔️ Smaller in size
✔️ Shorter face with large round eyes 👀
✔️ Dark brown back with a pale chest, belly, and face
✔️ Adult males often develop a crest on the head 👑

And their behaviour is often very different too.

Unlike Cape fur seals, subbies are not instinctively afraid of humans. In fact, they often seem to view us as little more than oversized penguins. 🐧

Cute? Absolutely.

But it’s important to remember:
They are still wild animals.

Subantarctic fur seals are strong, fast, and equipped with long sharp teeth. Even calm-looking seals can bite if stressed or approached too closely.

As stormy weather continues, we may begin seeing more seals resting along beaches and rocky shorelines over the coming weeks. Many are simply exhausted after rough ocean conditions and need a safe place to recover.

🦭 If you see a seal ashore:
✨ Please keep your distance
✨ Keep dogs away and on leash
✨ Never try to push the animal back into the water
✨ Observe quietly from afar

⚠️ Even though rabies has never been recorded in Subantarctic fur seals, they can look very similar to Cape fur seals, so for public safety and animal welfare it is safest to avoid approaching all seals ashore.

📞 If you see a seal on the beach, please report it to the Bayworld Stranding Hotline:
071 724 2122

From the icy Southern Ocean to our shores…
Welcome back, subbies. 🦭❄️💙

05/05/2026

🦭🐬🐢 Belated Marine Mammal Monday (technical difficulties): Small Trash, Big Danger 🌊💔

It’s easy to walk past a piece of rubbish on the beach and think… “It’s only one small item.”

But in the ocean, that “small item” can become a death sentence.

Every year, marine animals suffer because of litter left behind by people. Seals are found with fishing line cutting deep into their necks. Dolphins become tangled in rope and netting. Seabirds swallow hooks or plastic. Turtles mistake floating bags and balloons for food.

And the heartbreaking part?

Many of these injuries happen slowly.

An animal may swim for days, weeks, or even months with plastic tightening around its body as it grows. Some slowly starve because they can no longer hunt properly. Others drown, become exhausted, or die from infection and severe injuries.

All because of something that was dropped, forgotten, or thrown away.

Some of the most dangerous items found on our beaches include:

🎣 Fishing line
🪝 Hooks and lures
🧵 Rope and netting
📦 Plastic packaging straps and loops
🥤 Plastic bags and packaging
🎈 Balloons and ribbon
🧃 Hard plastics and small debris

These items can wrap around flippers, fins, necks, wings, beaks, and mouths — turning the ocean into a dangerous place for the animals that call it home.

But this is something we can help change. 💙

Before throwing rubbish away:
✂️ Cut plastic loops and straps
🗑️ Dispose of fishing gear responsibly
♻️ Pick up litter when you see it
🚫 Never leave rope, bait boxes, or hooks behind
🗑️ Throw plastic packaging and bags in a bin
🐾 Report injured or entangled animals immediately

One small action from a person can save an animal’s life.

The beach belongs to all of us but especially to the wildlife that cannot speak for itself.

Let’s make sure the only thing we leave behind are footprints. 🌊🦭💙

Put up our printable poster to help educate others and spread awareness about the dangers marine animals face from litter pollution. 🐬♻️

📞 Bayworld Stranding Hotline: 071 724 2122

27/04/2026

Marine Mammal Monday 🦭
🐋🦭🐬 Marine Mammal Rescue Day 💙

Behind every rescue call… is a story.

Over the past year, the Bayworld Stranding Network has responded to countless marine mammal events along our coastline — from tiny seal pups to ocean giants.
Some had happy endings.
Some didn’t.

But every single one mattered.

From April last year to now, our team has:
✨ Responded to stranded Cape fur seals and Subantarctic fur seals
✨ Carried out translocations and disentanglements
✨ Rescued and rehabilitated yearlings like Zoe, Josie and Kosie — and celebrated their return to the ocean
✨ Assisted with stranded dolphins, including multiple live rescues in the Port Alfred area
✨ Monitored unusual mortality events and responded to several suspected and three confirmed rabies cases in the Eastern Cape
✨ Supported unforgettable times like a team coming together for the protection of Lady Rita 🦭👑

And through it all…

There were also losses — animals that could not be saved, despite every effort.

Because marine mammal rescue isn’t always about saving every animal.

It’s about doing everything we can, when it matters most.

📞 If you ever see a stranded seal, dolphin, or whale:
Contact the Bayworld Stranding Hotline: 071 724 2122
Because one call can make all the difference.

💙 Thank you to every responder, researcher, and supporter who makes this work possible — in all weather, at all hours, for animals that need a voice.

20/04/2026

🐬✨ Marine Mammal Monday: Sharing the Ocean, Respecting the Wild ✨🌊

The Ironman event this past weekend allowed many people to enjoy the ocean — and some even experienced something truly magical… dolphins swimming alongside them. 🐬💙

Moments like these remind us just how special our coastline is, and how lucky we are to share it with these incredible animals.
But with these encounters comes an important responsibility.

Dolphins are wild animals — not pets.
While they may seem playful and curious, it’s important that we do not try to touch, chase, feed, or interact with them.
🐬 Approaching dolphins can disturb their natural behaviour
🐬 It can cause stress or confusion
🐬 And it may put both people and dolphins at risk
The most meaningful encounters are often the ones where we simply observe — and allow them to choose the moment. 💙

By keeping a respectful distance, we allow dolphins to continue behaving naturally — feeding, socialising, and navigating their environment without interference.

So if you are ever lucky enough to share the water with dolphins…
✨ Stay calm
✨ Keep your distance
✨ And enjoy the moment for what it is — a rare and beautiful connection with the wild

⚠️ A gentle but important reminder
Bottlenose dolphins are powerful wild animals — sometimes even called the “gangsters of the sea.”
It is illegal to feed, touch, or harass dolphins, or to attract them to boats in any way.

Because protecting them starts with understanding them. 🐬💙

13/04/2026

🐬✨ Marine Mammal Monday: Celebrating Our Dolphins ✨🌊

With International Dolphin Day on the 14th of April, we’re celebrating some of the incredible dolphin species found along the South African coast💙

From the inshore favourites like the Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin to the tiny and elusive Heaviside’s dolphin, our waters are home to a remarkable diversity of these intelligent and social animals 🐬

Some travel in massive offshore superpods, while others prefer quiet, shallow coastal habitats. Some are bold and playful, while others are shy and endangered — each species playing an important role in maintaining healthy marine ecosystems 🌊

Dolphins are more than just beautiful to watch — they are indicators of ocean health, reminding us how important it is to protect the environments they depend on 💙

✨ Watch to meet the 7 species you’re most likely to encounter along our coast

Let us know — which one is your favourite? 🐬👇

30/03/2026

🦭✨ Marine Mammal Monday: How Do Seals Stay Warm in Cold Water? ✨🌊

With winter around the corner, you may be wondering how seals cope in cold ocean environments ❄️

Seals spend much of their lives in icy waters, yet they are perfectly adapted to stay warm — true insulation experts of the ocean!

🦭 A Thick Layer of Blubber
Seals have a thick layer of blubber beneath their skin that helps retain body heat. This layer isn’t just fat — it’s rich in blood vessels, allowing seals to release excess heat when needed.

🦭 Dense Fur
Some species have dense fur with longer guard hairs that get wet at the tips while keeping the undercoat dry. This traps a layer of air close to the skin for extra insulation.

🦭 Smart Circulation
Seals can reduce blood flow to their flippers and extremities, minimising heat loss in cold water.

🦭 Reduced Extremities
Their ears are either absent or very small, reducing surface area and limiting heat loss.

🦭 Counter-Current Heat Exchange
Specialised blood vessels allow warm blood flowing to the flippers to transfer heat to colder blood returning to the body — conserving energy and warmth.

🦭 Large Body Size
A larger body means a smaller surface area relative to volume, helping seals retain heat more effectively.

These incredible adaptations allow seals to thrive in environments that would be far too cold for most animals 🧊

Next time you spot a seal along the coast, remember — it’s perfectly built for life in the ocean, no matter how cold it gets 🦭💙

Bayworld Museum Marine Mammals

01/06/2026

25/05/2026

18/05/2026

11/05/2026

05/05/2026

27/04/2026

20/04/2026

13/04/2026

30/03/2026

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