Welcome to the Namibian Dolphin Project

The Namibian Dolphin Project conducts research on whales, dolphins and turtles in Namibia and southern Africa. We aim to promote the conservation of wildlife and the natural integrity of areas of ecological importance.

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Get Involved

There are several ways you can support the Namibian Dolphin Project: Make a donation. Sponsor equipment. Report a sighting or stranding. Become an intern. Investigate student projects. Collaborate with us.

Investment Opportunities Internship

Research Projects : Our studies

We are currently researching bottlenose dolphins, Heaviside�s dolphins, dusky dolphins, humpback whales, leatherback turtles and the Namibian Islands Marine Protected Area.

Our projects

Educational projects

Working with schools, talking to the public, interpretation and awareness. We hope to educate, inspire and promote appreciation of Namibia's diverse marine life.

Educational initiatives

Interns and Scientists : Meet the Team

We're a dynamic group of scientists, students, interns and educators. Find out more about us, who we are working with and what we are trying to achieve.

Meet the team Our Alumni

Operated by Dr Simon Elwen, in assocation with Oceans Research

The Namibian Dolphin Project is a research and conservation project working in Walvis Bay and Luderitz, Namibia

The Namibian Dolphin Project was started in 2008 and has grown from strength to strength since then. Our core focus is research on coastal dolphins and whales in Namibian waters with the ultimate aim of generating high quality data that is useful to both science and management. We work closely with local NGO’s, the marine tourism industry and the Namibian government to ensure that our results get to the right people. The Namibian Dolphin Project is now managed as part of the Sea Search Africa group.

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Research

Little is known about Namibia’s cetaceans and much of the data that exist of decades old. Our research focusses on gathering baseline population level data, including abundance, behavior and distribution of marine mammals and turtles to assess their conservation status.

Our research

Education

Our education projects fall under two main themes – working with the marine tourism industry to provide feedback about the dolphins populations and training on best practice methods for marine tourism (MarWiSe) and our work with schools within Namibia

All opportunities