Ocean Pancake Podcast

Brenda Cox has been running humpback whale swims for over 14 years in the pristine waters of Vava'u Tonga. In that time she has taken part in creating marine protected areas, gathering data on humpback whale numbers, and giving thousands the joy of experiencing whale encounters. Unfortunately, social media and the rise of selfies has put humpback whales in danger. The large amounts of boats and inappropriate behaviours in the water has caused a decrease in residential whales and altered migratory patterns for mothers and their calves. In this podcast we discuss proper humpback whale interaction etiquette, when things began to change, and how Covid-19 is playing a role.

How was the Covid-19 pandemic affected dive businesses? Should people still get certified online? Why is youtube such a great tool for divers? What can people do to help dive tourism thrive? Is it a good time to become a diving instructor? These some of the questions Ocean Pancake's host Katt Andryskova discusses with Azul Unlimited's Sarah Miller. Azul Unlimited is a brand, community, and dive store based in the beautiful Komodo National Park in Indonesia. Sarah shares how she transformed her passion for the ocean to a thriving dive shop, and how covid quarantines and laws have put the country at a standstill. What is diving without tourism? What kind of future can we expect? In this uncertain time, all we know is that we need to keep positive and working together for our oceans and people.

What can we do to slow the degredation of coral reefs systems? How can we get more people involved in coral restoration? Why is planting trees so easy, while planting coral so difficult? When did coral bleaching become massive issue for our oceans? How is animal agriculture connected to coral reefs? and What does climate change mean for our oceans? These are just some of the topics we dive into with Joylon from Counting Coral. Jolyon Collier is an artist, philanthropist, ocean conservationist, and founder of the non-profit Counting Coral. Merging art, engineering and a passion for reef restoration. Together with Katt Andryskova, they go on many tangents about our oceans, reef, Jacques Cousteau, vegetariasm, and more!

Why does the covid-19 vaccine require shark squalene? Can this ingredient be made out of plants? What is the goal of Shark Allies? Where did the 5,000 shark killed number come from? and How can people protect sharks? These are just some of the topics we disucss with Stefanie Brendl who is a shark advocate and the executive director of NGO Shark Allies. Through her many years of experience in the field, she shares her love of sharks through various campaigns, dedicated individuals, and fantastic imagery. Learn all about the shark fin trade, covid vaccinations, and sharks here!

What makes sunscreen reef safe? Why are some chemicals damaging coral reefs? How to spot Reef Safe Sunscreen? Are the lables on sunscreen accurate? These questions are just some of the topics we get into with Tom Hiney who is half of the duo behind Sunbutter Skincare. Tom and Sacha founded Sunbutter after finding there was no plastic-free and reef-safe sunscreen in Australia. Due to increasing demand to protect our reefs, these ocean lovers worked tirelessly to create a product to protect our skin and our reefs. Join Katt Andryskova on Ocean Pancake to learn more about chemicals in our oceans, how to best protect our skin and the difference between chemical and physical sunscreen.

Why are many large projects abandoned? Why has recycling not taken hold in the Bahamas? Why is so much plastic still entering our ocean? Is recycling a viable solution? Katt Andryskova chats to Ryan Hollinrake, the founder of Great Sea Project to answer those questions and more! The GSPs mission is to eliminate the influx of ocean plastic by providing a sustainable solution for communities that don't have a recycling program.They provide ways to use recovered plastics as a commodity, rather than contributing to landfills. Ultimately, this will change the way plastic is consumed, produced and the impact it has on the environment.

With the three Humpback Whale related injuries having occured in the past couple of weeks, the Ocean Pancake Podcast thought to speak to an expert bout why this is happening and how it could be prevented. Katt Andryskova is joined by Dr Kate Sprogis to discuss Humpback Whale interactions, the swimming with Humpback Whale reccomendations created by scientists, and what makes Ningaloo Reef at Exmouth Unique. Several Humpback Mother and swimmer incidents have occured leaving at least two women airlifted to the hospital in Perth with injuries sustained in the water. In this podcast you will learn how this is not an isolated incident, if Humpback Whales are truly gentle giants, and how we should be taking care of our Humpback Whales.

Have you heard that countless countries use or used dynamite for fishing? This destroys the ecosystems and environments around. Learn about how Coral Guardians are working to restore the natural environment. Their mission is to use innovative marine conservation methods to restore coral ecosystems. The importance of the shallow water environments are an economic resource for one-eighth of the world’s population. The current predictions say that coral reefs will have disappeared by 2050.

Did you know green sea aturtles are the only species of turtle that begin their life as omnivores and then transition to a herbivorous diet? Learn about how climate change is impacting turtle populations? Why are turtles endangered in Malaysia? Why did the leatherback turtles go locally extinct there? What are organisations doing to protect sea turtles? Learn all these things and more with Melisa Chan from the Perhentian Turtle Project Conservation.

Did you know already 4 humpback whales have been caught in the shark nets on the Gold Coast this season alone? Shark nets are killing marine life year round, and there has been no proof that they make the beaches any safer. Join Jonathan Clark from Sea Shepherd's Apex Harmony Campaign to talk about no lethal technologies to deter sharks, why Humpback Whales get caught in shark nets, what the population can do to protect our oceans, and what happened with the Tinny Man! Django is a hero who risked his life to free an entangled whale. This could have resulted in his death along with other rescuers who work in a job that should not exist. Listen to now to bring Queensland Australia to a better and more Ocean Friendly Future.