Posted on Leave a comment

Sardines Analysis: in-depth with Windy.com #sardinerun2025 #sardinemigration

Sardines Analysis 28 May 2025 with Windy

Sardines Analysis: in-depth with Windy.com #sardinerun2025 #sardinemigration

Sardines Analysis: in-depth with Windy.com: our meteorological partner – Windy.com – are endowed with a set of tools that make detailed analyses of what is going on with the sardines this year, so much more fun!

Weather

Let’s start with the weather…we have another whole week of low-pressure systems battling it out with any high-pressures they can find. And that big high off Durban (lives there most of the time) has been doing a great job fending off the cold fronts so far. But this next week has a lot of red and orange in it. And many, many close-together lines on the charts. These close-together lines mean big swell is on the way. And the prevailing low-pressures will produce nice big rolling swells from the south (just like the sardines like it) painted with an early morning offshore, delivered with coffee each day.

Sardines Analysis with Windy.com
Sardines Analysis with Windy.com

Currents

The ocean currents analysis from Windy.com tells a few secrets. You can clearly see that the normal straight-driving Agulhas Current has lost attention and is now meandering all over the place. Looks like it is trying to avoid potholes. It’s causing vortexes and counter currents in all the weirdest places. There are two easily identifiable warm-water barriers playing havoc with the already panicked sardines. Of which there are plenty. In that slightly colder patch from Coffee Bay to Port St Johns, there are pilot shoals. And some much bigger shoals coming up behind them. South of that, however, is warm water right to the coastline. And this extends right past Kevin in Qora towards Kei Mouth and Morgans Bay. Then it gets cold again and this is the water in which the GoDive operators are having so much fun. Further south, there is another warm water barrier that might be keeping some of the sardines down there for longer than they would like.

Sardines Analysis with Windy.com - currents and sea temps.
Is the Agulhas trying to avoid the KZN potholes or what? You can see where it veers out to sea from about Port Shepstone and then back in again at Kevin in Qora, bouncing off from there and making contact with land again at Port Alfred.

A huge thank you to Windy.com! And to all of our readers here on The Sardine News.

And as per programme…Adam on the ball in the Township Hyper Crows Nest, this early morning…

Sardines and Sightings

Join the Sardine News HOTLINE for 2025 and Neva Miss a Single Sardine! We first upload to YouTube, and then progressively up to the rest of the social platforms (Facey, X, etc) as the bandwidth allows.

CLICK HERE TO JOIN as a Member on YouTube, and receive all these perks too…

Member of WhatsApp Sardine News HOTLINE, access to restricted content on thesardine.co.za, LIVE Broadcasts from the Beach during the sardine run. And direct contact with the Sardine Spy network team.

You can also get around the season in a real fun way by checking out our annual Sardine Run Maps. This is a real groovy way to follow the progress of the sardines each year.

You can even download our app to your phone or device, accept notifications, and you will never miss a single sardine.

Here are the links to existing and past  Sardine Sighting Maps…

2025 Sardine Map

2024 Sardine Map

2023 Sardine Map

2022 Sardine Map

2021 Sardine Map

Channels

Brucifire Surf Retorts – highly entertaining  surf reporting

Master Watermen – news from way down deep

The Sardine News – neva miss a single  sardine

FishBazaruto – 1000 pounds plus

MYDO Tackle Talk – highly technical  sport fishing

Surf Launching Southern Africa – getting out there safely

Share
Posted on Leave a comment

Quiksilver Surf Series Heads To Port Alfred For Final Event Of 2015 Series

Quiksilver Surf Series Heads To Port Alfred For Final Event Of 2015 Series  

Diran Zakarian (Melkbosstrand, Cape Town) will be one of the favourites in the U20 junior boys and open men's division going into the final leg of the Quiksilver Get Free Series 2015 in Port Alfred. Photo by Luke Patterson.
Diran Zakarian (Melkbosstrand, Cape Town) will be one of the favourites in the U20 junior boys and open men’s division going into the final leg of the Quiksilver Get Free Series 2015 in Port Alfred.
Photo by Luke Patterson.

Port Alfred – The Quiksilver Get Free Surf Series will, at the end of August, head to the town of Port Alfred on the Sunshine Coast for the final event of this three-part series. On the 29th and 30th of August South Africa’s best open men and junior surfers will make their way to the pristine beaches of Port Alfred, just an hour and a half’s drive south of East London to compete for over R30 000 in prize money and the final Quiksilver Get Free titles.

 

All three events in the series are sanctioned by Surfing South Africa and carry 3A PST (Pro Surf Tour) ratings points with a total prize purse of R108 000 on the line. Divisions in the series and final event include open mens, U20 junior boys and U16 junior boys. Port Alfred’s East Beach is a highly regarded surf break, given favourable conditions and swell it could make for the perfect amphitheatre for a high performance showdown. “Port Alfred is definitely a top venue for an event of this nature, when the waves are on, they are on! I can’t wait to surf a heat there, the contest should be great,” said Shane Sykes, the winner of the U20 junior boys division at the second leg of the series which was held in Umhlanga Rocks, KZN.

 

In the open men’s division, favourites for the win include Umhlanga’s Beyrick de Vries who recently placed 9th in the US Open of Surfing in Huntington Beach and is currently on top form, Capetonian Michael February who was runner up to de Vries in the second leg of the series as well as the duo of experienced veterans Daniel Redman and Brandon Jackson, both of Durban North. Jeffreys Bay locals Matt McGillivray and Dylan Lightfoot will be strong contenders in the U20 junior boys division but other previous junior winners Shane Sykes (Salt Rock) and Diran Zakarian (Melkbosstrand) will also be serious contenders in the point-like conditions. There will be stiff competition in the U16 boys division with the likes of Sebastian Williams (Durban), Adin Masencamp (Strand) and Faulkner brothers Joshe and Angelo (Jeffreys Bay) all on top form and hungry for the final win.

 

Quiksilver Marketing and Sales Manager Dane Patterson has been very happy with the 2015 series and anticipates that the final event in Port Alfred will deliver great surf conditions, “I think that the series we’ve put on this year has been very well received, good for the South African surfers and for our domestic surf tour, we’re hoping that it will encourage other brands to invest more in the sport and the local surf scene. Port Alfred can be a very good venue and make for a top event when the ocean delivers, so we’re hoping that mother nature comes to the party for the final event of the series.”

 

Supporting sponsors to the series include Zigzag Surfing Magazine, Techniblock sunscreen, Drift action camera’s, Skullcandy, Neff and Red Bull.

 

For more information, videos, photos and entry details go to www.quiksilver.co.za/getfree.

Share
Posted on Leave a comment

The Wild Coast to Port Alfred by Panorama

wpid-wp-1435734718796.jpeg
Our first panorama of the trip was taken by Johnny van Biljon, very early, at Mdumbi, in the Transkei. The shad never materialised this morning, but the evening before, 47 in total were pulled out.

The Wild Coast to Port Alfred by Panorama

Having Johnny van Biljon along on this trip (distributing Mydo’s and gathering news), with his iPhone 5, has opened up a whole new way of capturing the moment. Johnny, who has had many years experience in the film and tv industries, has an eye for a great scene a good shot.

Our dear friends Warren and Noli enjoy the view down to Umtata Mouth and beyond, from their stoep.
Our Mdumbi friends Warren and Noli enjoy the view down to Umtata Mouth and beyond, from their stoep.

Johnny is currently dabbling in panoramic photography such as what has made the iPhone (Ok and Android) smartphones so nifty.

As we drove through the Transkei, we stopped for a few more spectacular vistas.

wpid-wp-1435734807921.jpeg
The bridge over the Umtata River as shot by Johnny van Biljon and his handy iPhone 5, in panorama mode.

And then finally into the spectacular scene that was Port Alfred on an upcoming moon and an outgoing tide.

wpid-wp-1435734769382.jpeg
The Royal Alfred Marina as viewed from Willows Camping on the south bank. Millionaire’s view for a song (R130 per night). And garrick (leeries around here) swimming up and down out front, in the crystal clear water.

Although the fish were easily seen, they were very shy in the crystal clear water. The visibility must have been 10 metres or more. We threw all sorts at them, and were not alone as local spinning mad anglers lined the jetties and hot spots. Very nice fishing. One guy got a strong pull on a live mullet right in front of us, but garrick are highly suspicious and this one must have felt something because he let go after a good 10 meter screaming run.

wpid-wp-1435734790246.jpeg
The office set up, the lines out, and the braai on the go. All we need now are some garrick to get hungry as us.

Local veteran of these waters, and our fishing host Peter, gave us the rundown on what fish are here right now and its Silver Steenbras / Pignose Grunter / Steenies / White Steenbras that are causing the scene. The biggest so far this season, in the canals, was 14kg’s.

wpid-wp-1435736389554.jpeg
Kelly’s Beach is a Blue Flag spot a few kms south of the Port Alfred piers. Safe looking.

Kelly’s Beach offers much safer bathing and even surfing (on the right tides and swells), and half way between Port Alfred and Kelly’s, is Halfway – another ominous resemblance to a surf spot.

More panoramas to follow, as we tour back to KZN. And here, our parting shot…saying good bye to the attractive coastal town, of Port Alfred. Thanks Johhny van Biljon for stepping up as photographer/DOP.

wpid-wp-1435857567180.jpeg
Good night and good bye Port Alfred…panoramas by Johnny van Biljon

Newsflash: Sports n All in Port Alfred, officially stock Mydo Lures.

 

Share