Welcome to our exciting Sea World website!
This website will introduce you to some of the exiting exhibits and animals that we have waiting for you at Sea World at uShaka Marine World.

Latest News:

NATIONAL SCIENCE WEEK 10 to 17 MAY 2008
Sea World is going to be showcasing a number of marine biological careers with the assistance of the South African Association for Science and Technology Advancement (SAASTA). We will be using the different staff and divisions of our organisation to highlight marine biological research, aquarium care and development, marine education and marine mammal care. Parents and learners over 13 On Saturday 17th May 2007 parents will have an opportunity to attend a presentation on marine careers and participate in a below-ground, behind the scenes tour of the aquarium. Numbers are limited so booking is essential. Please phone 031 328 8195/6 Teachers Workshops – Marine Careers Wednesday 14 May 14h00 – 16h00 or Thursday 15 May 15h00 – 17h00 This workshop will expose teachers to the different career options in the marine environment, the school subjects needed and qualifications available. Numbers are limited so booking is essential. Please phone 031 328 8195/6
 
TIGER SHARK RELEASE
Sea World at uShaka Marine World released their female tiger shark, Isabella. This female shark has just completed her second visit to uShaka Sea World. She was first exhibited in early 2007. After being tagged, she was released a few months later. Interestingly, she returned to the exact site from which she had come, showing that these sharks adapt well after their time on exhibit. In December 2007 she again joined the Sea World shark exhibit and has spent the Christmas season delighting guests and helping to dispel some of the myths surrounding sharks. The time at Sea World also gave her an opportunity to recover from an injury to her tail, which may have been caused by entanglement in a net or though a bite from another shark.
 
The shark was darted with a tranquilising drug and, once calm, was loaded into a specially designed transport tank. She was then taken to a waiting boat, for transport out to sea, where she was released off the Bluff. She swam away strongly, most probably to return to her territory on the South coast.
 
The tiger shark was tagged with a plastic tag, to ensure that if she is caught by an angler that she can be identified. She was tagged prior to her last release, which is how Sea World could identify her.
 
This beautiful shark, with her large eyes, is the perfect antidote to the 'sharks as monsters' myth. Many of the thousands of people who come to Sea World to see the sharks, have a negative impression of these animals. It is hoped that through an encounter with this tiger shark, Sea World guests will see the animals as perfectly adapted top predators of the ocean. They have an important role to play in the ecology of the ocean and are as important to the sea, as lions and other predators are on land.
 
Tiger sharks are seasonally found off the KwaZulu-Natal coast, especially during the warmer summer months. They can reach 5.5m in length and are easily identified by their bluntly rounded snout and the stripes on the back. Although their cockscomb shaped teeth are not easily visible when the mouth is closed, the serrated teeth are extremely sharp and are used to feed on a wide variety of prey items including other sharks, fish, birds, seals, turtles and crabs. They have also been known to feed on dead whales and trash dumped overboard. This species of shark is potentially dangerous to humans and has been implicated in a number of attacks, especially in tropical waters.
 
Dr Mark Penning, CEO of SAAMBR, who coordinated the release, said "She responded really well to the drug, as well as to the antidote. We expect her to now make her way down the coast."

 
TWO OCEANS SEALS ARRIVE AT SEA WORLD uSHAKA
Wednesday, 31 October 2007 was a big day for the four Cape Fur seals from the Two Oceans Aquarium in Cape Town. They made the big move to their new home at Sea World at uShaka Marine World in Durban. Accompanied by their Two Oceans Aquarium trainers, the seals made the move successfully and arrived safely, without incident. They are settling into life in Durban extremely well and have surprised their trainers with their enthusiasm to respond in their new home. They are being housed in the seal exhibit pool and their feeding sessions are attracting lots of attention.
 
All of the new seals are female and are about twelve and a half years old. Their names are Dosy, Daisy, Tee and Mullet and each seal has such a unique personality.
 
Dosy is the largest seal at the moment. She is the dominant seal amongst the four, is extremely confident and usually leads the other seals. She is very brave and is always willing to explore new things.
 
Daisy, with a light caramel colour and a whisker that sticks out on the left side of her face, is a very inquisitive seal and is usually the first to come and investigate what you have brought into the pool area. She loves playing, and really enjoys enrichment activities. She is normally the first seal to figure out how the enrichment toy works.
 
Tee is very enthusiastic when it comes to training sessions, because she learns things very quickly. She takes the part of being the "watch dog" amongst the girls, because she always keeps her eyes on everything that's happening around her.
 
Mullet is a very shy seal and she can be easily recognized as she is the smallest seal with the longest whiskers. Being a shy seal, she takes a little longer than the others in learning new behaviours and therefore takes the role of being the baby in the group (even though they are all the same age).
 
Now that you have an idea of who the four new seals are, we hope that you come and meet them soon.
 
A STUNNING MANTA RAY
A magnificent Manta ray is on display at Sea World at uShaka. She was found in a shark net off the south coast in April 2007 and quick thinking Natal Sharks Board personnel rushed her to Sea World for veterinary treatment, where she was seen on arrival by Dr Mark Penning. Rays are generally pretty tough creatures, who respond well to treatment but as they are plankton feeders Sea World staff knew that feeding her would present a challenge.
 
As no other aquarium in Africa had ever successfully housed a Manta ray, within an hour of her arrival aquarium curator, Mr Simon Chater, set about consulting with aquaria abroad who had been successful in keeping Manta's on the different feeding methods. Soon after she went into the Open Ocean exhibit divers started offering her food but she did not respond well as she needed time to settle into her new home. They then started target training her and she responded so well to this training that we are now feeding her a whopping 12kg's per day.
 
Target training entails placing a marker (in this case a steel bucket) in the same place at the same time each day. The animals then learns to associate the target with food and once they have this right the challenge is over. Then its just a matter of the Sea World staff keeping up the heavy demands of a 113 kg baby who's culinary delights include imported krill, prawns and roe.
 
At present we are feeding her three times a day and visitors to the Aquarium should enquire on arrival from staff in the aquarium what time her feeds are scheduled that day.
 

 
CARING FOR OUR OCEANS
One of the best ways to conserve marine life is to set aside marine protected areas (MPAs). These provide a safe place where marine plants and animals can grow and breed without disturbance. Mobile animals and the larvae of fish can move out of the protected areas and help to stock adjacent areas. South Africa has a network of large and small protected areas around the coast. These precious places help to conserve South Africa's amazing marine biodiversity.
 
Learn more about our oceans
Aquarium Mammals and Birds Education Centre About Us