In a concerted effort to create greater accessibility, several first-timers joined snorkel enthusiasts for a morning of guided ocean exploration at the Windmill Beach in Simon’s Town on Sunday.
The Rise From The Cape Flats: Open Day Snorkel event was initiated by underwater documentary filmmaker and ocean conservationist, freediver and scuba diver, Mogamat Shamier Magmoet in partnership with Argonaut Science, Trail Freedivers and Apnea Addicts Freediving.
Mogamat says: “I have been diving for seven years now, but when I started, I didn’t see anyone who looked or sounded like me in these ocean spaces.
“I also saw the need for ocean education and experiences within our communities. So for the last five years I have been trying to change that.”
Magmoet is also the co-founder of Sea The Bigger Picture Ocean Initiative and a Nature Environmental Wildlife Filmmaker (NEWF) Fellow. Last year he was recognised as a 2023 National Geographic Explorer.
The event, the third of its kind, saw over 100 people joining, many snorkelling for the very first time. The on-site professionals assisted those with how to use the equipment and guided participants through the shallow kelp forests just off our coast.
Mogamat explains: “My Open Day Snorkel event under my brand ‘Rise From The Cape Flats’ was started with the hopes of affording anyone the access and opportunity to come and learn how to snorkel and to learn more about the ocean, free of charge.
“It’s an event where people can overcome their fears in safety in numbers.
“But above all, it is a day when children can come and meet dive professionals, filmmakers, conservationists and storytellers so they can learn more about different careers – a day where we try to grow and connect our communities.”
“Rise From The Cape Flats” is also the name of the documentary produced and directed by Magmoet, which premiered in 2020 and can be viewed on Youtube.
Argonaut Science CEO Nelson Miranda said the event was all about community-building, creating greater accessibility and feeling safe in the ocean.
For Kensington resident Jill Levenberg, 46, it was the first time snorkelling: “I had absolutely no reservations. So I’m always keen to experience more of the ocean and this was just on such a deeper level.
“Going in there and being on your own and being able to really look at what’s amongst the kelp and just the rhythm of the ocean, how the seaweed moves and all these different fish.
“There’s this whole kingdom of fish that I just saw. What an incredibly emotional experience. It's such a gift.”
Lee-Nomtha Sipamla, 13, says prior to her first snorkelling experience, she did not think she would be snorkelling one day.
The teen adds: “At first I thought I'm going to drown here and then I got used to it and felt very light and very excited.
“I saw little fishes and I saw the thin fish and I saw sea urchins and different kinds of shells and starfish. It was really good, I was really excited. I would definitely do it again.”
Luba-Balo Sipamla, 11, says: “I was nervous, scared if anything should bite me.
“I was with two people, they were guiding me and it was very fun and exciting.
“I would do it again, it was very exciting. I was nervous from the start and then I realised, it was good.”