Coastal conservation · Cape Town since 2014
Tide Foundation restores the beaches, rock pools and kelp forests of the Cape Peninsula, with volunteers, divers, scientists and schools who love this coastline as much as we do.
Our mission
We believe a healthy coast is built by the people who live on it. So we clean it, replant it and teach it, side by side with the communities of the Cape, until caring for the sea is simply what neighbours do.
Programmes three tides
Three connected programmes, each run with local partners and measured every season, so we know what’s working and can change what isn’t.
Every second Saturday we meet on a different beach, from Muizenberg to Monwabisi and up to Blouberg, with gloves, bags and tea. Everything we collect is sorted, counted and logged, and the data goes to researchers tracing where plastic enters the sea.
Our dive team grows young sea bamboo on lines in sheltered water, then transplants it onto reefs where the forest has thinned. Qualified volunteer divers help monitor growth, urchin numbers and fish life each month, alongside marine scientists.
A free, curriculum-linked programme for Grade 4–7 learners: four lessons in class, then a day on the rocks at low tide. Taught in English, isiXhosa and Afrikaans by our educators, many of whom grew up on the Cape Flats.
Impact 2025 in numbers
Figures independently reviewed and published in our 2025 annual report.
Stories from the coast
What we’re seeing, learning and celebrating, written by our team, volunteers and the scientists we work with.
In 2022 the reef was bare rock and urchins. This winter our divers counted 1,140 adult kelp plants and the first returning shoal of red roman. Here is how it happened.
Educator Siphokazi Mbeki on the day 60 Grade 5 learners from Khayelitsha saw their first octopus.
Our tideline data is helping the city target stormwater outlets, and the results are already showing.
A retired fisherman, two students and a surf coach on why they keep turning up at 7 am.
Volunteer bring a friend
No experience needed for most roles, just sunscreen and a good attitude. Tell us what you’d like to do using the form below and our volunteer coordinator, Liam, will get in touch with dates and details.
Collect, sort and log waste on our fortnightly beach mornings. Great for families, friends and first-timers.
Join monthly survey dives. Needs a current open-water certification and your own logbook; we provide training on the survey method.
Support our educators on rock-pool days: helping learners, keeping groups together and counting heads. Police clearance required.
Photography, data, design, legal or fundraising skills? A few hours a month from home makes a huge difference to a small team.
Working alongside our partners
Get involved every hand helps
Whether you want to volunteer, bring your company or school on board, or support our work financially, start here. We read every message and reply within three working days.
We don’t take payments online. If you’d like to donate, choose “Donate” in the form and we’ll send you our banking details for an EFT, or you’re welcome to visit us at the Boathouse in Kalk Bay. As a registered PBO, we issue Section 18A tax certificates for South African donors.
Our full programme results, audited financial statements and plans for 2026. Ask for a printed or PDF copy using the form, and we’ll send it to you.