WEI and WTSA are research partners along with the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University on the Maputaland Turtle Research and Monitoring Programme.The Maputaland turtle monitoring has taken place annually since 1963/64, making it the oldest monitoring programme of its type in the world.Sea turtles are long lived, late maturing reptiles that are under threat globally.Five species of marine turtle are found in South African waters: leatherback turtle (Dermochelyscoriacea), loggerhead turtle (Carettacaretta), hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricate), green turtle (Cheloniamydas) and olive ridley turtle (Lepidochelysolivacea).

The coral reefs at Sodwana Bay support some of the most diverse fish communities in the world and are unusual in that they are dominated by beautiful soft corals. Humpback whales move past Sodwana on their annual migration, leather back and loggerhead turtles nest on the beach each summer, whale sharks and manta rays feed along the shoreline and ragged tooth sharks gestate annually at Quarter Mile Reef. Sodwana Bay is therefore one of the world’s prime dive locations.

Since 1968 there has been active penguin rescue organisations that have been there to help with oiled sea birds in the Western Cape. These penguin rescue centre's have helped to treat over 81,000 seabirds, in particular the African Penguin, which is classified as "Vulnerable" in the Red Data Book. Recent research proves that the African Penguin population is 19% higher today than it would have been in the absence of these penguin rescue organisations.