On Monday, January 7, the whale-watching vessel Dreamcatcher from Marine Dynamics in Kleinbaai, Gansbaai, made dreams come true!
Marlinée Fouché, former RSG 100 – 104FM presenter and current affairs producer, now a newsreader on Jacaranda FM, was left speechless when her boyfriend of two years, teacher Tiaan de Jager, proposed to her after an hour-long marine safari in Shark Alley, surrounded by 64,000 Cape fur seals!
“I couldn’t understand why Tiaan kept going to stand on Dreamcatcher’s rear platform, away from the people and the seals,” Marlinée said. “I couldn’t believe he wasn’t interested in looking at the baby seals on the island, but when I saw the look in his eyes, I knew: this was it!”
The Marine Dynamics team had been secretly planning with Tiaan for weeks to make the moment perfect, said Christine Wessels, spokesperson for Marine Dynamics and a friend of the couple.
Marlinée and Tiaan are based in Johannesburg but frequently visit her 89-year-old grandfather, Daan Fouché, who has lived in Pearly Beach, about 30 minutes from Kleinbaai, for many years. Here, she developed a close friendship with Wilfred Chivell, CEO of Marine Dynamics and founder of the Dyer Island Conservation Trust.
“Marlinée often covered news stories about our conservation work and the African Penguin and Seabird Sanctuary for RSG and Jacaranda FM,” Chivell explained. “Her contributions have greatly helped raise awareness about the crisis facing marine conservation: 99% of our African penguins have already been wiped out, threatened by predators, a lack of food sources, and habitat destruction. Meanwhile, shark populations are also plummeting – they are being caught by legal longline fishing vessels, among other threats.
People need to understand that without healthy oceans, we cannot survive. At Marine Dynamics, we expose people to the marine environment and the creatures that call it home through our unique five-star eco-tourism experiences on our shark and whale boats.”
Marlinée and Tiaan were radiant with happiness. “What makes this moment so special is that it happened in a part of the world I love so much,” Marlinée said.
Tiaan added: “I know how much this environment means to her, so proposing here was a no-brainer – it would have felt wrong to do it anywhere else. We’d love to tie the knot in Pearly Beach,” he said with a smile. “As long as there’s space to dance!”
The tourists on board, from all over the world, experienced a day they will never forget. According to Christine, the 30 visitors had the rare chance to see the Marine Big 6: sharks, seals, penguins, dolphins, whales – and, of course, love!
For more information about Marine Dynamics’ shark and whale boat trips, as well as a visit to the African Penguin and Seabird Sanctuary, visit www.marinedynamics.co.za and www.dict.org.za.
Christine Wessels
pa@marinedynamicstravel.com
