Cadets off on Antarctic adventure

IT WAS an emotional day for 20 young cadets who will participate in an international Antarctic research expedition with foreign scientists for three months.

The cadets will be travelling on the SA Agulhas, which is under the command of the SA Maritime Safety Authority (Samsa).

The vessel will be leaving today and will cross the Indian Ocean, with its first stop being Mauritius, to fetch the group of scientists.

From there they will head to the Antarctic to conduct oceanic research.

The students are fresh from their academic studies at CPUT and Durban University of Technology.

They couldn’t be more excited to be on this journey despite only being told about it 10 days prior to departure.

“I am very excited. We’re going to be experiencing new things. This is going to be such an amazing journey,” said Sikelelwa Ndgabhe.

She is from Paarl and said it was rare for someone from there to be doing maritime studies. “So for me it was something new that I had to try. Everyone was doing teaching and nursing and I just wanted to do something different,” she said.

Her parents were extremely sceptical sending her. “My mother was like ‘Are you sure my baby this is what you want to do?’ I told her that I am going to be safe.

“I had to convince her that everything is going to be okay,” she said.

Among the other cadets is 20-year old Saluse Tsengiwe, from Khayelitsha.

He will be the first maritime cadet in his family and his sister is extremely excited for him.

“My parents are very happy for me as well. (The rest of my) family is not taking it well because I know that they are worried,” he said. He is the youngest of four children.

“It’s absolutely fantastic! I believe that we should be doing much more like this. This has been a collaborate effort from various stakeholders,” Maritime Special Projects of Samsa executive manager Ian Calvert said.

He added that the field of maritime studies was extremely tough. “It’s very rewarding, despite it being a field that keeps you away from your family for a very long time. It is one of the fewer qualifications that is worldwide.”

They are expected to reach the Antarctic in approximately four weeks.

SAIL AWAY: Cadets trying out some of the life jackets on board of the SA Agulhas. The vessel heads back to Antarctica with scientists and the 20 new cadets on board. The SA Agulhas leaves today, on yet another scientific research and cadet training...