Author Archives: oceanlifeeducation

Celebrate Ocean Events in 2022

ocean events

 

Ocean Life Education is all about educating children about the ocean and inspiring them to want to protect it. Thousands of ocean events happen across the globe each year, where communities work together to focus on issues affecting the ocean – with children often leading the way! We have created a downloadable Ocean Events Calendar to guide you through the year, so you can celebrate ocean events in 2022 and be part of the solution. There’s a lot to celebrate and a lot to change, but little ripples make big waves!

Our Top Pick of Ocean Events in 2022

ocean decadeUN ‘Ocean Decade’ – Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030) 

The vision for the ‘Ocean Decade’ is all about the “science we need for the ocean we want”. Supporting efforts to reverse decline in ocean health and joining together ocean stakeholders to support countries in improving conditions for sustainable development of the Ocean. The Ocean Decade is a very important decade indeed!

 

 

World Whale Day 2022: 20 February

World Whale Day began in 1980 in Maui, Hawaii. It’s all about reminding us of the challenges whales face around the globe. Observed annually on the third Sunday in February, World Whale Day 2022 celebrates everything about whales.

Humpback Whale Teaching Resources – $20
Humpback Whale Online Course – $20

 

seaweek 2022SeaWeek Australia 2022: 5-13 March

This year’s theme is: Our SEArch – what will you discover? It’s based around the fact that the Ocean is largely unexplored. This is a public awareness campaign which aims to educate and encourage an appreciation of the sea. SeaWeek Australia is an annual opportunity to increase focus on the relationship we have with the ocean and how our lives are affected by the health of our oceans.

Blog: Dive into SeaWeek2022
Blog: How Schools Can Celebrate Seaweek Australia 

 

World Oceans Day 2022: 8 June

2022 Conservation Action Focus: collaborating to protect at least 30% of our blue planet for a healthy ocean and climate. World Oceans Day 2022 is on a mission to get us working together to take action to protect the ocean.

 

 

World Sea Turtle Day 2022: 16 June

World Sea Turtle Day is celebrated each year on 16 June 2022, as it is the birthday of Dr. Archie Carr, the aclaimed “father of sea turtle biology.”  His research highlighted the plight of sea turtles and has driven community support to protect them.

 

 

Many people fear sharks because of shock stories in the media and scary films like Jaws. The fact is that sharks are a crucial part of the food chain that help keep the oceans and planet healthy. Without sharks in Australian waters, many ecosystems would not be sustainable, and would die off forever. Shark Awareness Day 2022 aims to separate fact from myth and promote a positive image for these amazing creatures.

FREE Shark Teaching Resources
Amazing Sharks Online Course – $20

 

Remember to lock in the dates and get planning so you can make the most of these celebrations at your school. Little ripples make BIG waves!

Marine Education Programs Beach Clean

Why not book in an Ocean Life Education live marine education program to compliment your ocean events and bring it all to life. Our programs are delivered by qualified Marine Educators who are very passionate about the ocean and provide a lively, interactive experience with our live marine animals. Our programs are designed to educate and inspire schools and community to protect our precious marine environment.

Early Learning Programs & Resources

Primary Programs & Resources

Celebrating Coastcare Week

Rockpools

Coastcarers are marine legends. They dedicate their time and energy to protecting our beautiful coastline. Many of us will visit Queensland’s beaches over the Summer holidays. You can do your bit to celebrate Coastcare Week this summer holiday by combining your trip with a mini beach clean or simply by making little changes to your day that will make a big difference. Remember, tiny ripples make big waves!! Here is some useful information to guide you into Celebrating Coastcare Week.

What is Coastcare Week?

Coastcare are volunteer groups made up of Aussies who want to play a part in protecting our incredible coastal and marine enviroments. They are just like you and me, one person, joined together to make a significant force of 500 groups accross Australia. 500 groups that make a big difference through long-term, practical solutions for environmental issues in their local area. Coastcare week is an annual campaign celebrating these community groups around Australia.

When is Coastcare Week 

Coastcare Week runs throughout the first week of December each year.

Coastcare ProjectsBeach Clean

Coastcarers get active, tackling coastcare problems such as: dune protection, revegetation of native coastal environments, protection of endangered coastal species habitats, prevention of storm water pollution, weed and non-native plant removal, control of human access to sensitive and vulnerable areas and education programs.

Get Involved – Join Coastcare

To join a group, check out the Coastcare website

You don’t have to join a group to make a difference. Here are our top tips on how to protect Queensland’s beaches this holiday as part of your day out.

TOP TIPS…

Enjoy exploring the rockpools!

Learning all about the marine environment will inspire you to want to protect it and all that lives there.

Take a bag with you

Collect rubbish and plastic marine debris as you walk. Every piece of plastic removed from the marine environment can save an animal’s life and reduce microplastics in the ocean.

Have a competition to see who’s collected the most rubbish

It’s disappointing that the beaches are littered but there’s no harm in making cleaning them fun!

Keep to walking tracks

This protects the vegetation that provides habitat for birds and animals. It also prevents erosion.

Keep your dog on a lead

Especially on dunes with vulnerable vegetation.

Look out for birds and animals

Try not to disturb them and make sure your dog leaves them in peace too!

Avoid and reduce plastics

Plastic has a habit of blowing around. If you don’t use it or take it to the beach, it can’t go astray and harm marine animals.

Have fun and feel good!

Enjoying the beach will make you feel good…and caring for it along the way will make you feel even better.

Here’s a great guide to our local rockpools…

Sunshine Coast Rockpool Identification Guide

More useful info…

How to Get Involved in a Beachclean

Xmas Beach Activities

 

How to Organise a Sunshine Coast Beach Clean

Beach Clean

 

If you want to make a difference and take action to protect our ocean environment, why not join a Sunshine Coast beach clean? It’s sure to inspire you and make you feel great and you’ll probably learn a lot and meet some pretty amazing people too. Read on to discover how to get involved in a beach clean in Queensland and start getting active for the environment today.

What’s a Beach Clean?

Beach clean ups are community activities that happen along coastlines around the world. They are normally organised by volunteers and have a fun and lively atmosphere. Environmental groups, civic organizations and individual beach-goers join forces to collect beach rubbish in order to make the beach a nicer, safer place and to improve the health of the coastal and ocean ecosystem.

It’s an amazing feeling to be part of the solution. So, why not check out these brilliant organisations that plan these eventsbeach clean in our incredible region and find out what’s coming up….

Organise a Beach Clean on the Sunshine Coast

Click the links below to find out all about how to organise a beach clean on the Sunshine Coast.

Or Brisbane

Other organisers…

Is a Whale Shark a Shark?

whale shark

Whale sharks look quite different to how we imagine a shark to look. They are enormous, reaching 12 meters or more in length and weighing as much as 16 tons – basically, they are about the size of a bus! And they don’t have sharp teeth, in fact their teeth don’t really assist in feeding at all. So, it’s no surprise that people often ask us the question…is a whale shark a shark?

Are Whale Sharks Really Sharks?

The answer is yes, whale sharks really are sharks. They have all the 33 characteristics of a shark, such as a cartilage skeleton, five pairs of gills and unfused pectoral fins to the head. Unlike whales, they are not mammals and their young are not fed by the mother’s milk. Like sharks, whale sharks are fish. In fact they are the largest fish in the ocean. So, whale sharks really are sharks…and they get their name from the fact that they are enormous!

What Do Whale Sharks Eat? 

Whale sharks have rows of over 300 tiny teeth, but as filter feeders they do not use these teeth to eat. Instead, whale sharks (and other filter feeding sharks) swim along the ocean’s currents with their huge mouths open wide, filtering large quantities of water as they go and extracting tiny organisms called plankton & krill from the water. A whale shark’s mouth is about 1.5 meters wide, so it’s an impressive sight!

The 3 largest sharks include (in size order)

  1. Whale Shark 17 meters
  2. Basking Shark 15 m
  3. Megamouth Shark 7-8 m

All filter feeders!

Diet: Plankton (tiny organisms), krill and small fish

Ten Amazing Whale Shark Facts

  1. Largest fish and shark in the world
  2. Habitat: warm open waters of the tropical oceans 
  3. Whale sharks spend most of their time near the surface
  4. Lifespan: 70 to 100 years
  5. Average length of an adult: 9.7 meters
  6. Average weight: 9 tonnes
  7. Teeth: over 300 rows of tiny teeth – not used for eating!
  8. Whale sharks are solitary creatures
  9. Filter feeders – feeding mainly on plankton
  10. Able to process over 6,000 litres of water each hour

Why We Need Sharks

Learn more about sharks? 

online shark course

Check out our Amazing Sharks Online Shark Course

Check out our Shark Resources

 

 

Further reading…

Save Our Seas – Whale Sharks Down Under