15/05/2024
Sardine Run 2024
I've just completed an amazing week at sea in the East London area, and the timing could not have been better. On the 5th of May, the first massive shoals of sardines arrived, shimmering on the surface as we snorkeled with them, and the fish kept coming through all week. Between the 6th of May onwards, the predators arrived en-mass with a peak in Cape gannet activity on the 12th of May as a Southwesterly wind picked up and brought them in. I have never, in 15 seasons, seen such numbers of gannets feeding at one time. Iโve seen impressive white waterfalls and tornadoes of these bird in action before, but this day was ridiculous with up to 8 massive swirling tornadoes of birds diving us at any one time. It felt like all the gannets on Bird Island had arrived and were feeding. The next day last the North Easterly arrived the gannets had dispersed.
As the week progressed we saw more and more Dusky and Copper sharks active on the sardine baitballs. Often we find a mixture of bait fish being eaten (Round-Herring, Anchovy and Saury) but not this year, all the fish we found had spotted sides and spotted dorsal flanks, the poor lost terrified sardine.
This year Sardine Run has kicked off with an amazing start, I can't wait for the northerly seconding of the Run to kick off, and we will be there at Mdumbi from the 16th of June, you should join us, we still have a few places.
https://www.animalocean.co.za/sardine-run
16-23 June - 6 places left
2-9 July - 3 places left
