PROJECT 204
How Project 204 Began
From a simple shark-filming idea to a platform for conservation storytelling.
The original plan was much simpler. I wanted to travel around Southern Africa, find as many different shark species as possible, film them, and post the clips on social media to show people that sharks weren't the monsters they had been taught to fear.
That was it.
But as I started looking deeper into the logistics, I realised that a feed full of shark reels wasn’t actually going to change much. Social media is great for attention, but it is often shallow. I started hearing stories from researchers and local divers about species that no one was talking about, and conservation challenges that were being ignored because they weren’t ‘viral’ enough.
So the idea changed.
I wanted to find a way to use my background in diving and marine biology to bridge the gap between scientific conservation and the general public. I wanted to talk about the 204 species of sharks and rays found in Southern African waters—many of which are endemic, many of which are threatened, and almost all of which are unknown to the average person.
“Rather than pretending I had arrived to save the ocean with a GoPro and an Instagram account, I realised Project 204 could be more useful in a different way.”
Then I ran into another small problem.
I am just one person with a camera. I can’t be everywhere at once, and I shouldn’t be. There are already people on the ground—vets, scientists, local community leaders—who are doing incredible work to protect these species. They have the knowledge, but they don’t always have the time or tools to tell the story of what they are doing.
Because good conservation work is already happening.
“Because good conservation work is already happening. Sometimes, it just needs a bigger audience.”
Sometimes, it just needs a bigger audience.
That is the purpose of Project 204: to find the species, tell their stories and help shine a light on the people fighting to protect them.