Island Students Help Identify Previously Unrecorded Whale Shark During African School Trip

Isle of Wight students have helped identify a previously undocumented whale shark during a three-week expedition to southern Africa.

Students from Medina College, The Island VI Form and Carisbrooke College took part in the World Challenge expedition to Eswatini, South Africa and Mozambique.

While carrying out marine conservation work in Mozambique, the group photographed a whale shark during an ocean safari.

The distinctive markings were compared with existing records and confirmed the shark had not previously been identified.

It's now been officially registered as MZ-915 Medina.

The students also took part in beach clean-ups, microplastic surveys and humpback whale monitoring, as well as community and conservation projects elsewhere during the trip.