According to the Marine Research Plan of the Department of Science and Technology (2014), coastal oceanography is still in its infancy. There exists a plethora of commercial activities and trade along the 2800 km coastline of South Africa. The Port of Durban is the biggest and busiest port in South Africa. The university needs to tap deep into the opportunities for supporting economic growth through teaching and learning, research and innovation as well as engaged scholarship, while at the same time creating awareness of how to protect our marine world from degradation.