A phenomenon that will thrill any ocean enthusiast! I experienced the sardine run for the first time in 2021 and am completely addicted and counting down the days for the 2024 season. If this excites you, keep reading for what it enTALES (pun intended!)
Sardine Run in South Africa
Why is the sardine run called the greatest shoal on Earth?
Due to its shear size or biomass of sardines and being one of the biggest underwater migrations, therefore referred to as the greatest shoal on Earth.
What does the sardine run action consist of?
The typical and most talked about sardine run action consists of Sardine shoals, whether by themselves or with some sort of predator feeding on the bait ball.
But the beauty of the sardine run to me is that you just never know what you are going to experience. Just being out on the boat for the day and taking in the beautiful Transkei coastline is completely under rated in my opinion.
Other sightings on the boat which are always incredible to witness are the whales breaching, whales tail / fin slapping the surface, the massive super pods of dolphins moving past the boat and birds diving into the water to get their share of fish.
This year there were multiple sightings of Orca’s / killer whales on the surface which was incredible. They don’t call this area the wild coast for nothing!
The apex’s predators of the Sardine Run
The predators work together to round up the sardines into a bait ball allowing them to all get their share of sardines.
They each play a crucial role in keeping the sardines in a tight packed ball (referred to as the bait ball) and keeping that ball static for all to enjoy! (especially us divers :p )
The Sharks
The most commonly spotted sharks on the sardine run are the dusky sharks, bronze whaler and black tip sharks.
These sharks play a very important role in pushing the bait ball of sardines up towards the surface.
From there they feed by opening their mouths and swimming upwards into the ball to hopefully get a mouthful of yummy sardines.
The Whales Of The Sardine Run
We get the opportunity of spotting three different kinds of whales;
1. The Humpback whales:
These whales are definitely the performers of the sardine run. Always putting on an incredible show by breaching out the water and slapping their tails or fins on the surface.
My personal favorite humpback sighting this year was one lying with her belly up on the surface with her fins sticking out the water towards the sky, almost like she was inviting us for a hug.
2. The Southern right whales:
These gentle giants are a bit more rare to spot on the sardine run, and when spotted are usually very docile and slow moving (great for photographs!)
3. The Brydes whales:
Out of the three whales the Brydes whale is the most common to be spotted feeding on a bait ball and are known as the bait ball finishers.
They come from below, open their massive mouths and swim up through the bait ball to feed on the sardines.
Due to the size of their mouths, they can gobble up a whole bait ball with just one or two mouth fulls (hence the name bait ball finishers)
Majority of the sardine run occurs on snorkel due to how fast pace the shoals of sardines and action moves. That being said (rather written) if a static bait ball forms; meaning that the shoal of sardines have been rounded up into a ball that is no longer moving, which usually occurs with the help of our apex’s predators, then the skipper and dive master will give the okay for the group to get in on scuba.
The Dolphins
Both the common and bottlenose dolphins can be spotted on the sardine run and usually appear in bigger pods than the sharks.
They are responsible for rounding the sardine up into a tight static ball, working with the sharks to keep the bait ball close to the surface.
One of the highlights of this year’s run was getting to freedive with a pod of around 60-80 very playful dolphins in a small bay for 40minutes. They circle swam in and around us and was an experience I will never forget!
The Cape Gannets
These birds work the top of the bait ball by diving at high speeds into the water to get their share of sardines.
They are one of our first indications of the size of a bait ball as they swarm together (up to 30m above the water) in the sky over the bait ball and as soon as the ball gets close enough to the surface, they start diving headfirst into the water at such a speed it sounds like little bombs hitting the water.
The sound of them hitting the water mixed with their cackling call is really a heart racing experience to witness.
A few facts that blew my mind was that the speed in which they hit the water is around 100 km/h and they can dive up to 10m deep.
It is incredible to be on snorkel on a bait ball and see these birds diving into the water right before your eyes.
The Orca / Killer Whale
The past few years there have been incredible sightings of the orcas (also called killer whales) on the sardine run.
Most sightings have been of them moving on the surface and some lucky divers have had them popping up next to the boat.
Each year is different, the past two years (2020 & 2021) there was an incredible number of sardines that spawned! It usually occurs between June and July each year. This past year action was spotted in early May and is still going on now in August 2021.
A Typical Few Day On The Sardine Run
The above video is from our expedition trip in 2021.
The days are usually an early start with having a light breakfast and coffee around 7am with the plan to launch at 8am.
After coffee and breakfast its time to get into your wetsuits and head on down to the launch site!
The boats that are used in South Africa are the zodiac (also known as the rubber duck) boats and have a nice comfy pontoon to sit on.
Once through the surf the search for the action starts! After that you will be jumping in and out the boat mostly on snorkel to experiencing the magic.
And with the boats fully equipped with food and beverages, you can comfortably spend the day out on the water.
The Transkei cliff faces and scenery are truly breathtaking. Some days if the action is a bit quiet the team will take you touring the area to see some of the famous viewpoints.
Most of the day will be spend on the boat, depending on conditions and the action for that day.
However, you usually get home around 3 / 4 pm for a relaxing afternoon of sorting through everyone’s epic footage taken.
Sardine Run 2024 Packages
Due to the popularity of this event, one can imagine all the different types packages and itineraries available.
But which one is suited to you?
Do not worry! We work with the best of the best to be able to offer multiple options and is completely customizable.
Therefore our expert Sardine Run team can custom build a package to suit your friends, families or even singles!
