Select Newsletter:
SARDINE RUN 2008
The 2008 Run started with some very early reports from the Eastern Cape and all indications where that the run was going to be an early one. This kind of information is always stressful as you start fielding questions like, “We are booked in the last slot in July, are we going to see anything?” and so on, and they are always tough questions to answer. As it turned out it was one of the best runs that I have experienced and every group coming through this year got to see some excellent action.
I’ve said it in the past and this year I have to say it again – “Every year I see something “New”, and I have been doing the run for the past 8 years. You’re most probably saying to yourself … this guy spends a month on the water for the past 8 years and he still sees something new every year – hard to believe! Sure it’s hard for me to keep saying it and especially when I know that I think that I’ve seen it all, but it just keeps on delivering and boy did it deliver this year!
This years run can be divided into 2 parts – before the storm and after the storm. The storm that I’m talking about was like the proverbial 100 year storm, totally out of season and wrecked havoc on the Kwa Zulu Natal Coastline, and luckily to a lesser extent in the Transkei. But nevertheless it rained solid for 3 days with high winds and consequently kept us off the water for 4 day’s Luckily it occurred over a change over period which minimised the impact on any group not going to sea and then to compensate we stayed out longer than the allotted 5 hours every day to make up for the time lost.
The pre-storm run kicked off on the 7th day of June and on the 10th of June we discovered a shoal of sardines off Port Grovernor, right up against the backline, in clean water in the late afternoon. We found it again the next day and continued to follow it up the coast past Mkamabti for the next 5 days... This shoal was about 30m wide and some 300m long. I have never seen so many sardines in my life. Crash, our micro-light pilot said that there were literally “Thousands of sharks” feeding on this living organism. Because it was a shoal and not a bait ball we could emerce ourselves into the middle of it and it would form this perfect bubble around you – if you held your breath the bubble would seal over your head as well, perfectly encapsulating you. It was totally mesmerizing watching these sardines in their millions swim towards you and then at a distance of about a metre turn and keep you in this perfect bubble and as you moved this bubble moved with you. Of course we weren’t the only creatures swimming around in their perfect bubbles and every so often your bubble merged with a shark bubble, Bronze Whales (coppers), Duskies – huge duskies, Zambezi’s, Raggies and some I cannot identify. So you can imagine sitting there watching, waiting then this hole opens up – just like the matrix – and out the hole swims this 4 metre Dusky and its’ bubble merges with your bubble becoming this mutual double bubble as it cruises past you into the sardines behind you and as it goes past you, it’s bubble slowly closes until it just disappears and you are left in your own – little bubble again – not for the faint hearted but an experience of a lifetime. During the first 2 days we had at least 8 – 10 m in visibility and as the shoal moved up the coast the visibility deteriorated down to about 1 m and the experience was enjoyed more top side than in the water over the next 3 days. Then the storm came.
The post storm run was worrying in that the shoal of sardines had disappeared, the visibility was terrible in-shore and there were giant trees floating around everywhere, and I thought it was all over. How wrong I was. This post-storm run can only be described as the Brydes Whale Bonanza – everyone was reporting Brydes Whale’s. I saw at least 12 of these off Lupitana charging through large shoals of sardines and red eyes. Then came the encounters, people witnessing lung feeds right in front of them. I have spent a lot of time in the water but I had never experienced this myself. Sure I had seen it from the surface but not in the water. Seeing the footage and the photos I thought that it was my destiny not to be in the right place at the right time. That all changed on the 13th Day of July, where I finally got to see a Brydes Whale pass by a bait ball at least 6 times and witnessed at least 3 lunge feeds right in front of me with the viz at about 12 – 15m. I was grinning for the rest of the day as you can imagine. Samantha and Caroline who where my last 2 clients from the 10 – 16th of July experienced this with me and just when everyone thought that it was all over shared the most amazing 5 days together.
So what where the things that I saw this year that I have never seen before.
1. These early large shoals of sardines right on the backline with thousands of sharks – the diving and top side experiences where out of this world.
2. Two resting-sleeping humpbacks just lying on the surface getting in the water and swimming right up to them and lying next to them.
3. Not 1, Not 2 but 12 Brydes Whales congregating together on sardines – surface only.
4. A full on lung feed a metre in front of me in clean water from approach to finality – Out of this world.
The best thing about all these experiences was sharing them with our clients and experiencing them together that brings a comarading that comes from witnessing an event that few people in this world have experienced and seeing each other grinning and totally understanding without a word being said.
We have been given a lot of footage and will endeavour to post it on our website and share it with all of you courtesy of our clients.
Again we at African Watersports would like to thank everyone that made this year the success that it was, our Tour Agents, our staff and most of all our clients, without which it wouldn’t have been possible.
Thank you all.