Marine Life & Conservation

Coral Heroes: inspiration and learning fun for kids

Published

5 years ago

February 26, 2020

If you are looking to inspire your children to look after the underwater world, you can download the educational kids comic Coral Heroes for free!

Coral Heroes, by award-winning illustrator Bernhard Speh and international conservation organisation SECORE International, takes its readers on a lovingly drawn journey to the reefs of Towabonga, where they meet the mightiest builders on earth and get to know why corals need our help.

Equipping children and teenagers with knowledge about corals reefs and why they are threatened may be the foundation for the next generation of decision makers, practitioners, conservationists and environmentally conscientious citizens.

“We want to spread the word of how precious our coral reefs are, the wonderful underwater world they thrive in and how fragile their status is these days,” says Dirk Petersen, SECORE, Founder and Executive Director. “Giving coral reefs a future, the claim of our organization, includes reaching out to the young generation; the ones that will see if our joint efforts will eventually be successful.”

The comic magazine Coral Heroes aims at educating kids on coral reef ecology, mainly addressing ages 8 to 12 years, while having fun!

In the first colorful story, readers join the coral kids Al, Samy, Jo and Bran, as well as the unique Doc Kraken, whose wisdom leads the main characters through a journey into coral reef ecology – telling them what makes a coral reef and who actually builds it, why corals can sting and why they carry algae inside their bodies.

In the second story, readers will join the heroes on a mystic night dive during the night of nights: the corals’ rendezvous where they release their future offspring. Readers will learn why coral reefs need our help and how coral restoration may give them a helping hand.

The award winning illustrator, Bernhard Speh, who brilliantly brought Coral Heroes to life, has explored coral reefs as a diver himself. “I am captivated by the colorful and often bizarre inhabitants of the diverse coral community. They are alive with brilliances and stories, which we all love to marvel. The more I get to know about this spectacular and also fragile underwater world, the more fascinated I am.”

Coral Heroes can be downloaded for free at Secore in different languages and freely available for any institutional organization or just for fun. On request, even high-resolution files can be provided. They invite all kinds of teachers, zoo and aquarium trainers, scoutmasters and others to use Coral Heroes along with the provided presentation about coral reef ecology and helpful background information to compile a lively lecture about coral reefs. Please enjoy!

Find out more here: www.secore.org/site/our-work/detail/coral-heroes-comic.53.html

Marine Life & Conservation

Shark Trust launches Oceanic 31 Shark Art Auction

Published

2 weeks ago

November 1, 2024

Shark Trust

After a two-year tour of UK art galleries, community spaces and aquariums, the Shark Trust’s acclaimed Oceanic31 exhibition takes its final bow at the Royal Geographical Society later this month. And the unique collection of artwork, depicting 31 species of oceanic sharks and rays, donated by 31 artists, is now open for bids from art lovers and shark enthusiasts. The online auction, launched today, will close on the 7^th December at 8pm (BST). The money raised will support the Shark Trust Oceanics Programme.

People can now bid on 27 of the artworks by visiting this website:

https://superstars-auctions.com/sharktrustauction

It is a chance to own a beautiful piece of original art and to support the Shark Trust. The timing of the auction also means that these would make a very special Christmas gift for any shark-lover.

: Bigeye Thresher Shark by Janina Rossiter

: Carcharodon carcharias by Jimmy Higgs

: Croc VR 2030 by Tom Mead

: Oceanic Whitetip by ATM

: Silky Street by ScapaJoe

The diversity of pieces mirrors that of the sharks and rays they represent. You can bid on paintings, digital creations, sculptures, mixed media and more. You can pick your favourite artist or species of shark. Or you can select the perfect artwork to make a statement in your home or office. Whichever you choose, you will be supporting the work to protect these amazing animals.

One of the pieces of art has been selected to be auctioned live by Steve Backshall at the For the Love of Sharks event at the Royal Geographical Society in London on the 29^th November. In addition to this, two further pieces will be raffled at this event, giving people a chance to win an incredible piece of shark art. For the Love of Sharks is the Shark Trust’s flagship evening. A night to celebrate sharks. Steve Backshall is the headline speaker at this event that will see other prominent shark advocates join him on stage.

Tickets for the event can be snapped up here:

https://thesharktrust.org.uk/Event/flos24

Those that would like to see the Oceanic 31 exhibition have one final chance. It is being displayed at the Pavilion at the Royal Geographic Society from 26^th November until the 7^th December. Entry is free.

Find out more here:

https://www.rgs.org/events/upcoming-events/oceanic-31

Paul Cox, Shark Trust CEO, Said “This exhibition has given us the opportunity to reach out to a new audience. And inspire more people with the wonderful sharks and rays on which our Big Shark Pledge campaign is based. We are immensely grateful to the 31 artists who have worked so hard to create these works.”

Bid for your favourite Oceanic 31 artwork here:
https://superstars-auctions.com/sharktrustauction

Banner Image: Smooth Hammerhead by Alicia Hayden

Marine Life & Conservation

Meet Steve Backshall in the Bite-Back Prize Draw

Published

4 weeks ago

October 21, 2024

Team Scubaverse

Until 28 November, prizes worth a massive £10,000 – including experiences, products and tuition – feature in a line-up of items that can be won for £5 in an online prize draw to celebrate Bite-Back Shark & Marine Conservation’s 20^th anniversary and help generate crucial funds for the future.

Top of the list of prizes is the chance to spend time with adventurer and wildlife expert Steve Backshall, a workout session with Nat Geo star Aldo Kane, a kayaking trip alongside white-water expert and diver Sal Montgomery and a Zoom call with ‘shark whisperer’ Cristina Zenato.

On top of that, some of the most admired companies in the diving and scuba industry have been quick to support the charity with fabulous prizes that make the £5 ticket price worth more than just a flutter.

Master Liveaboards, BSAC, Midlands Diving Chamber, Go Freediving and Blue Shark Snorkel have all generously donated experience prizes, while celebrated photographer Alex Mustard has donated a print and artists Scott Gleed and Olivier Leger have donated a sculpture and illustration to help boost the fundraising pot.

Fourth Element has donated Ocean Positive gear and LA watch company Nodus has gifted the charity a stunning dive watch. For land lovers, the charity has included a five star London hotel stay at Bankside Hotel plus a family visit to Longleat Safari Park in the roster of prizes.

Campaign director for Bite-Back, Graham Buckingham, said: “We’ve been overwhelmed with support from companies and individuals that we truly admire and who have supported us on our 20 year journey and we’re truly grateful to them all. While we feel incredibly proud of our achievements over the past two decades – and we are super excited about the next chapter – this prize draw isn’t a vanity project. It represents a real lifeline to our work and important advancements in the global protection of sharks. So we hope divers, dive clubs and even bargain hunters grab some tickets to make this a massive success.”

The charity hopes that the prize draw will generate crucial funds to launch a brand new, ground-breaking, campaign to enrol the public and increase support for the protection of sharks around the world.

To enter the competition visit www.bite-back.com/prizedraw. The prize winners will be announced on 1 December 2024.