For any Event that plays out on the water
Marine Scene offers a truly accomplished, internationally recognized events management team with a world class infrastructure that ensures service excellence.
Our Marine Operations Director, Grant Spooner, is uniquely experienced and qualified in the field of Marine Events and has a safety-orientated, logistical approach with a track record that will put any Event Organiser at ease.
Grant is, in his own right, a highly accomplished specialist skipper and has pioneered extreme surf operations on a Rigid Inflatable Boat. In the Big Wave Surfing community, locally and internationally, his name is synonymous with boat-based surf operations, and there is nobody more experienced at piloting a boat into position in the huge seas off our infamous Cape of Storms coastline.
Over the last 15 years marine events such as surf contests, triathlons, long distance swims and yacht races, have all benefited tremendously from our involvement and expertise.
To date Marine Scene has provided the technical marine support to the Cape Town Boat Show, the SCUBA Pro Dive Festival, the Pelagic Birds Conference and Red Bull's Cape Town Man. Not to mention 16 yacht races including 6 Volvo Ocean Races, 5 Cape To Rio's, The Global Challenge, Lipton Cup and more; 8 long distance swim's; and 19 surf contests including the World Surf League's 2015 WCT JBay Open in Jeffereys Bay, which was a memorable success due to the fact that our water safety team was able to positively manage an encounter between Mick Fanning and a Great White shark in the final heat of the contest.
As Marine Operations Director for the 2nd longest running big wave event in the world, the international Red Bull Big Wave Africa contest, Grant managed the Disaster Management planning and infrastructure for the event, formulating Sea-Based Event Disaster Management Plans for a variety of situations.
Working closely with all the relevant jurisdictional authorities; M.C.M, S.A.M.S.A, SANParks, S.A.P.S, N.P.A and N.S.R.I; and coordinating entities such as Law Enforcement, N.S.R.I and SANParks on the water has given him a wealth of knowledge and experience in Risk Management at sea. His Water Safety Team has been rated as "the best in the world" by American water safety expert Shawn Alladio, who trains the US Coast Guard and Navy SEALS amongst others.
In December 2012 we provided the marine logistics at the Redbull Flugtag in the V&A Waterfront. The event was the first of a kind in South Africa and drew crowds of up to 220 000 to the show. Grant, again as the Water Safety Coordinator, and his legendary team out did themselves and were generously praised by the V&A Harbour Master, disaster management personnel and the organisers.
