• The SA Navy on Wednesday went ahead with its underwater explosives training exercise despite weeks of protests and an agreement by ministers to move it outside a Marine Protected Area.
• The blasts took place in False Bay, close to Boulders Beach, where a sizable colony of endangered African penguins nest.
• A resident says that five explosions took place over the space of three hours – and caused strong vibrations that could be felt in buildings and rattled windows.
• For climate change news and analysis, go to News24 Climate Future.

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On Sunday there was a breakthrough: the ministers of the Department of Defence and Military Veterans and the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) came to an agreement that, after weeks of public protests, the SA Navy’s explosives exercises needed to be moved outside of a Marine Protected Area in False Bay.

This development rippled out further and SANParks, which manages Boulders Beach, as well as the DFFE and the Navy met on Monday to talk about possible alternate locations for the blasting, the two departments said in a joint statement late on Thursday.

But on Wednesday at noon, two SA Navy boats went out into False Bay in front of Simon’s Town and detonated explosives in the Marine Protected Area as part of its diver training programme.

The blasts took place around 1.5km from Boulders Beach, where a sizeable colony of endangered African penguins nest. The explosions below the surface of the ocean were so powerful that they shot up spouts of water, and residents of Simon’s Town could feel their impact, according to eyewitness accounts, videos and photos.

It’s back to the beginning for the DFFE. In the statement, it said that following reports of activities on Wednesday, the two ministers agreed to continue discussions for an alternate location for these exercises:

Windows rattled

On Wednesday there were about five explosions over the space of three hours, according to Katerina Sonntagova, a Simon’s Town resident who was present and captured footage when the blasting took place.

Sonntagova, who is actively trying to lobby for the Navy’s ocean exercises to be stopped, said the bombs caused very strong vibrations, which were felt in buildings and rattled windows.

While sound isn’t amplified under water, it travels further and about four times faster than it does in air.

This has raised concerns about the possible damage and deadliness of the blasts for marine creatures in False Bay, and those further away. Many use sound to communicate, find food, avoid predators, mate and navigate.

SANParks previously told News24 that it was engaging with senior leadership in the SA Navy and that its marine biologists were planning to track the impacts of the exercises. News24 has reached out to SANParks on the outcome of the engagements and whether data had been tracked as planned. This article will be updated if responses are received.

In the meantime, the fact that change is afoot has been met with excitement.

“This is wonderful news and a dream come true for me,” Lisa Garson, a Simon’s Town resident, said on Thursday following the government statement.

“I have been agitating for the past 10 years to get the Navy to stop shooting into False Bay and finally there has been enough support from many quarters to make it happen. Yes, we will be vigilant and I am sure the Navy will find it very difficult to give up their shooting displays into False Bay, but at least we have enough clout to take action.”

A biodiversity hotspot

False Bay is rich in biodiversity and has many endemic marine species. Spotted in the bay recently, according to a marine expert, there have been Dusky dolphins, Bryde’s whales and Southern Right whales.

“Underwater blasts in one area of False Bay could well have an impact on marine life far and wide across this marine system. The Great African Seaforest, now recognised as one of the eight natural wonders of the world, lies on the edge of the area,” Sea Search, a research and conservation organisation set up by marine scientists Simon Elwen and Tess Gridley, said in a statement.

They added:

Since the SA Navy announced its explosives exercises in the middle of January, a diverse range of people and organisations from the Democratic Alliance to Extinction Rebellion, the Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa (Wessa), BirdlLife SA, the Two Oceans Aquarium, the Green Connection and more have spoken out, with many calling for environmental impact assessments to be conducted. And not only does the City of Cape Town want an assessment, it wants these exercises moved.

READ | City of Cape Town wants SA Navy’s False Bay explosives exercises studied and moved

Little response

The SA Navy’s response to two sets of questions sent previously has been the same.

It said in its statements that the training exercises take place in a designated and charted Shallow Water Demolitions Range Military Practice Area.

“The range’s limit for underwater demolitions is 5kg, which has been in effect since its inception in the 1980s,” the Navy said, without answering specific questions about the impact on the marine environment.

As Sea Seach and Wessa have pointed out, the Navy’s exercises could be seen to go against certain international laws and treaties that SA has signed up to. Sea Change said it advocates for the application of the precautionary principle by the Navy.

The precautionary principle means that steps should taken to prevent harmful effects, even if there is not yet scientific proof or certainty of environmental damage.

“This principle is contained in numerous international conventions, including the Rio Declaration and the Law of the Sea Convention. SA is a signatory to both of these treaties and is therefore bound by them in law,” it said.

READ | SEE | 14 young sea turtles released from Cape Point to track their ‘lost years’

Not surprised

In response to Wednesday’s explosions, Extinction Rebellion’s Cassi Goodman said the environmental activist group was disappointed but not surprised. Goodman helped to coordinate protests outside of the naval precinct in Simon’s Town every morning in the lead-up to the deadline for the demolitions exercise.

“The Navy seems to operate with impunity, considering themselves above the law,” she said.

“We renew our call for the underwater blasting and firing of live munitions into the bay to be stopped immediately, and for the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment to compel the navy to have a comprehensive environmental impact assessment done by independent scientists, of all their marine-related activities in Simon’s Town.”

This story was updated at 19:00 on 1 February 2024 to include a statement from the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment and the Department of Defence and Military Veterans.

Renée Bonorchis was contracted to the Two Oceans Aquarium Foundation to manage its African penguin survival campaign in 2023. She also volunteers for its turtle conservation programme and is a marine sciences student with the aquarium. Her views do not necessarily represent those of the Two Oceans Aquarium, the Two Oceans Aquarium Foundation or any of their affiliates.