Conservation, tourism and the joy of making dreams come true
In 1998, Wilfred Chivell lost everything when the multimillion-rand concrete works business he had built over the previous 15 years, went into liquidation. Everything, that is, except his little boat, his experience as a marine diver and his entrepreneurial spirit. With these ingredients Wilfred established Marine Dynamics.
From small excursions to view the seals on Dyer Island off Gansbaai in the Western Cape, Marine Dynamics has grown over the past 20 years into an award-winning ecotourism and conservation enterprise that offers shark cage diving and whale watching, employs 135 people and makes a tremendous contribution to marine conservation.
There is much that sets Marine Dynamics apart from other companies that also offer marine experiences. There are the hot showers on board after a dive, the international awards, the Fair Trade Tourism (FTT) certification and the five-star registered business premise with its fully serviced restaurant.
But the secret, really, lies in the philosophy that drives the company. “I believe that a good, strong business can fund conservation,” says Wilfred. “When you provide super service that ensures delighted guests, you can charge a good price for what you offer. With that we can look after our people and contribute to conservation.”
Wilfred says that every member of the Marine Dynamics team is an animal lover – “for us it’s a way of life” – which makes it easy to drive the conservation agenda. Excellence in tourism is underpinned by Wilfred’s mantra of “the passion of the crew and the knowledge of the guides”. His familiar pep talk centres on the privilege of being entrusted with people’s dreams. “Many of our guests have saved for years to see a whale in the wild or dive with sharks. I remind our staff that we can make that dream come true or mess it up. Millions of people do millions of jobs around the world, but very few get to work with the dreams of others.”
The tourism side of Marine Dynamics is run on well-oiled wheels, so much so that demand now justifies a second whale-watching permit that will allow Wilfred to offer exclusive, private experiences on a smaller vessel in addition to the 40-guest excursions that is the high season stock in trade.
It is on the conservation side, however, where much more can be accomplished. Right from the start, Wilfred knew that the business could only be sustainable if the wellbeing of the marine animals at its heart was a priority. To do this, he had to know more about seabirds, sharks and whales.
These days, Marine Dynamics works with marine biologists, including students, to gather data continuously, conduct a variety of studies and publish peer-reviewed papers. “Now we can have reasoned discussions with top government biologists about the conservation and protection of the animals that are our livelihood.” Wilfred and his team have also established the Dyer Island Conservation Trust and the African Penguin and Seabird Sanctuary, under whose banners impactful conservation projects are carried out.
Wilfred’s association with Business Partners Limited dates back to his concrete works business for which the financier had funded several projects. He started Marine Dynamics without “the power of Business Partners Ltd” but that changed in 2005 when the Western Cape account manager offered Wilfred a 100% loan to buy the building Marine Dynamics was renting “because we trust the jockey”. Over the years, Business Partners Ltd loans financed property improvements, the acquisition of the stand next door and Wilfred’s custom-built whale-watching vessel, known as the Whale Whisperer.
“Business Partners Ltd has played a gigantic role in the building of my business,” he says. “They were among the people who saw potential where few others did and, as a result, I get to live an incredible life that is a thousand time better than anything I could have imagined.”
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