The Ninth Expedition explored the Natal Bight and Transkei Coast in considerable detail, building up a dataset which is contributing to our understanding of how that region of the Western Indian Ocean functions. At the same time, our Environmental Education team organised a busy schedule of ship visits and "Educator on board" programmes.

The cruise focussed on oceanography and education.

As part of a programme to monitor the complex currents that run along the East Coast of South Africa, oceanographers serviced existing ADCP equipment near Port Alfred and deployed an additional mooring at Port Edward. They also undertook detailed surveys of the Natal Bight and Transkei coastlines, both of which are showing even more complex oceanographic processes than we expected. Repeated cruises to this part of the world should help us to better understand these processes and their effects on the environment. It is likely they have a significant impact upon South Africa's fisheries along the East and South coasts.  

The Environmental Education section undertook a busy programme of ship visits in Cape Town and Port Elizabeth, where members of the public from schools invited to visit the Algoa for an educational tour of the vessel. Resource packs were distributed to the educators who accompanied each group, giving them a useful base upon which to expand the educational potential of the ship visit amongst their learners. Thirteen learners had lunch aboard the Algoa as part of a prize offered for a competition held in Port Elizabeth.

Prior to the Port Elizabeth ship visit, a three day workshop was help. The educators attending the workshop at Bayworld, both from the Eastern Cape and further afield were introduced to the ACEP learning materials and watched presentations on educational material development, port visit organistation, sustainable seafood initiatives, the Marine and Coastal Educators Network and SAIAB's work. The educators then joined the ship for a leg to experience and better understand the process of marine research and communicate it with their learners and broader community.

Two educators, two learners and five university students took part in the cruise, working alongside researchers and gaining a valuable insight into the programme, and in the case of the students, valuable data for their projects.