Sardine Run

Hi. Has anyone done the Sardine Run?

Can anyone suggest a good operator/company to go with?

Any comments appreciated as I have heard it is hit and miss, some years better than others etc etc.

So not sure to do and maybe miss out if the sardines go deep (myth?) or what to do.

The bait ball sure looks amazing. Would be an awesome spectacle.

Cheers

Jason, a member here and founder of DivePhotoGuide (and a really nice guy, too) is running a few trips. Here's a link

Sardine Run

Thank you

Will check it out

I will already be in SA doing a comm dive course so it may or may not fit in.

But cheers

You may find this link to BBC iplay interesting

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00j1...The_Great_Tide/

You may find this link to BBC iplay interesting

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00j1...The_Great_Tide/

Currently BBC iPlayer TV programmes are available to play in the UK only...

droooooool!!!! as I did...

http://wetpixel.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=24944

Hi

The sardine run is a bit fikel at best but try African Dive Adventures http://www.africandiveadventures.co.za/welcome.html

I have dived with Roland on many ocasions on Protea Banks and they are excelent and profesional.

Also try Bitten by Sharks http://www.bittenbysharks.com/ I have only dealt with them over the phone but very freindly.

Hope you see sardines

Dirkg

i have seen the bittenbysharks website as I stumbled across them checking out Gates dealers in SA so they must be pretty good.

thanks for the other tip

may leave the run till I get there and see what the locals say as a few people think its a bit hit and miss

cheers

It's only fickle for the faithless and immobile.

It's only fickle for the faithless and immobile.

not sure what that means unless you mean the good operators know what they are doing and you will get the footage/diving you pay for???

Here is some info that we sent out to some-one a while ago: We will not be at the run personally this year, as we have other big plans! But it should give you a good idea of what is happening....

The Sardine Run starts in May down in the South around Port Elizabeth. There are a few good operators that offer similar packages down there, but the sea at PE is much more rough, and quite a few degrees colder.

Then the Sardines move up to East London, where, again, a couple of good operators send out their boats to view the spectacle, but the sightings can be either extremely good or non existent.

After East London, the migration moves up the coast towards Kwazulu Natal, and for some reason (everybody has a different theory!) the best sightings and the biggest bait balls occur at Port St. Johns and surrounds. It is also MUCH easier to launch through the river mouth than the beach.

Warning: You may just have a week of limited/no sightings, or you may have a week of the most incredible action of your life. It remains a mystery and a gamble, but over-all Port St. Johns has had the most reliable action since any one can remember.

This area is not called ‘The Wild Coast’ for nothing, and cold fronts can blow in from the South and cause extremely rough and unpleasant seas, however the water temperatures remain stable at around 18 deg Celsius, perfect for the sardines.

There are between 3 and 5 experienced operators in the Port St. Johns area and we will be using two operators that we know, we trust, and have proven themselves in the last 5 – 8 years. In other words, they know what they are doing. Their boats are top-notch and the owners themselves are usually on the boats personally.

The first operator is called ‘Scuba Addicts’ and the second operator, ‘Blue Rush’. They are both extremely good and knowledgeable, and they know each other well, they even work together when encountering bait balls. (Believe it or not, in South Africa, there is a lot of politics and in fighting between operators! Last time, our boat had followed a bait ball, skipper got us kitted up and all we needed to do was drop right in. On approach, another operator spotted this and deliberately headed his boat right into the center of the baitball, scattering it and ruining our opportunity!)

One or two of the other operators employ a micro-light aircraft to go out spotting every morning at an extra charge to your bill of course; this is sometimes paid for by one of the big production companies. The thing is, all the skippers on the boats know each other, and they keenly watch the microlight: within minutes, everybody knows where the sardines are, making it unnecessary for our guys to employ a spotter plane. Most of the time, it is just a matter of following the masses of birds (cape gannets). We are never further than 5 miles offshore, and we never lose sight of land. We do have a strong cell phone signal wherever we are at sea, and the operators have GPS’s on their RIBs.

A typical day starts at around 07h00, launching in freezing cold weather; the right gear is vital: beanies, gloves, and waterproof jackets over the wetsuits. We spend the next 6-8 hours in a RIB, exposed to the sun and wind, and the rough seas. Even when the ocean is dead calm, there are huge swells coming through, making it extremely difficult even for the most hardened seaman not to feel a little queasy at times. After a couple of days, your body adjusts. Non-drowsy motion sickness tabs are recommended (tough to find them ‘non-drowsy’ in SA). Remember, you spend 6 hours in your wetsuit, and if you do not pee in wetsuits you will have to lose your inhibitions fast. Or simply have a pee zipper installed in your wetsuit, (that is what we do.) The time spent on the boat is rough and tough going, all day long. It is best to wear a 7mm hyper stretch suit (comfortable) and a hooded vest ,gloves, and grey or black fins; avoid bright colors (sharks). Bring two wetsuits and alternate. Your cold, wet wetsuit from the day’s work, will not be dry the following morning, and you will be uncomfortable.

The whole experience is extremely tough on body and mind, but somehow that makes it so much more remarkable. And afterwards you will tend to ‘forget’ the unpleasantness and remember the incredible action all around you.

There is also a lot of topside action, in fact one could spend the entire time taking fantastic topside shots, without even going in the water!

It is best to have two cameras, one in the housing, and a dry camera with 70 – 200, 80 - 400, 18 – 200 lens, or similar. There is typically space for compact camera bag, (use something as waterproof as possible, just in case); there is definitely no space for tripods, so the BIG lenses will be simply too heavy to handle, since you have to be extremely quick in certain situations with the birds and whales. You will be shooting through a 16GB card in no time, so bring enough media cards on board!

Accommodation: ‘Scuba Addicts’ – uses a place called Cremorne estate, with great food and comfortable lodging in wooden cabins. You can get more info from their website: CREMORNE .

NOTE: The ‘Scuba Addicts’ package is cheaper than the other operator, but spends fewer days out at sea, and meals are not included into their package except for breakfast. Their client base is mostly UK, and Russian and the atmosphere is easy-going and fun; the owners themselves are the skippers, extremely nice guys, knowledgeable and enthusiastic. 8-10 on a boat.

The other operator, ‘Blue Rush’ uses accommodations diagonally across the river called ‘Intaba River lodge’, a touch more up-market than Cremorne, and meals are included (breakfast and dinner). This is reflected in the package price of this operator, he also spends more time out at sea, and he allows only a maximum of 8 people on his boat, which makes it more spacious. Their clients are mostly Italian, German, Austrian, and French. On the 2008 run, we shared a boat with the president of Microsoft Italy!

The owners are on the boat themselves, husband and wife team. He is Austrian and she is Italian.

Typically the boat is back by around 4PM, shower, get warm, and then gather for a drink and image review. Most people ‘crash’ right after dinner.

There might be days (hopefully not!) when it is impossible to launch (weather), and we have to stay on land. Not to worry. We are in the middle of one of the last real traditional ‘african’ places left in South Africa. The locals are still living in the Stone Age, and are extremely friendly and accommodating. We can visit villages, drive through spectacular scenery, and much, much more. The scope for photography is unlimited. The sunrises and sunsets are out of this world, the mountains drop straight into the ocean, and there are majestic cliffs, stunning beaches and scenery, scenery, scenery…

NOTES:

It is a shock to the body when you travel east over 6 time zones, and jump into the action straight away, it is better to come one or two days early and get into the time zone first. Of course this is not always possible, due to time constraints, but strongly advisable.

When you arrive at Durban airport, the operators will have staff to transport you to Port St. Johns for a fee. It is convenient, but you also have the option to rent a vehicle (for the same price), and drive on excellent and well-marked roads, down to Port St. Johns, a scenic and interesting 5-hour journey. The advantage comes in at Port St. Johns, where you will then have a car to get around in, and this will give you complete freedom.

Depending on how much time you have, you should do a safari, before or after the Sardine run, where you can encounter the Big Five of the african bush: Elephant, Lion, Buffalo, Leopard and Rhino. There are options from budget to over the top luxury. The problem with most of the safari operators is that when they see an American coming, they get dollar signs in their eyes and charge indiscriminately. We believe in value for money, and we have found a few gems that we can recommend. Just ask around.

You can work roughly on ZAR10 per US$1, then all you have to do is get a flight out of NY to JNB, then connect to DBN (Durban) on a domestic flight.

Car rental is roughly $25 per day for a small car, through Avis, Hertz, etc.

You don’t need to bring much US$ cash with you, there are ATM’s everywhere, even in Port St Johns, where you can withdraw South African Rands cash, or you can pay most places with a credit card.

You don’t need a visa to visit SA, just your passport.

Hope this all helps a little!

Sometimes you have to close your eyes and jump right in! You never know when you will ever get another chance. The Sardine run is worth it...

The mud skippers! (Sorry private joke with Dietmar and Johnny)

Actually Leon, the politics between operators has grown much less over the last 5 years. I mean even the cousins are on speaking terms now! The biggest problem are the newbie skippers who don't understand courtesy and ethics. Then you have incorrigible customers (ask Craig and Shona about the Ukrainians last year and tell Craig he still owes me a drink for that!).

Anyhow, to add to what Leon has written in such good detail. I would definitely not recommend the drive from Durbs to PSJ if any part of the journey is at night, especially if you don't have experience driving on the left side of the road. The road to PSJ was great last year but it wasn't great the 4 years before that. The rains also caused the potholes later in Aug when I left. I think the holes were filled last year because of Madiba's b'day celebrations (which was awesome!). My buddy who has a place in 2nd beach tells me the road is back to 2006 bad just last month. Then there are the animals like goats and cattle, not to mention people walking on the main in groups. For people new to driving african roads, that particular drive is not a good one to take. You can have Avis deliver a car from Umtata if you want to drive around since both Dietmar and Craig do pickups from DUR. Just book ahead with Avis to make sure you have the car you want. Note that some rental cars have a clean return policy and muddy and sandy is synonymous with the transkei. Don't be surprised if they throw in a clean fee on your credit card AFTER you return the car. Happened to a few friends.

Thank you Leon and Claudia, great post, very helpful. Going to the sardine run on mid June and appreciate your post.

Fernando