SARDINES in the TRANSKEI, UFOs, KZN Conditions and more aerial surveillance
SARDINES in the TRANSKEI, UFOs, KZN Conditions and more aerial surveillance: it wasn’t only us that got caught by sardine surprise today. The gannets also hit a miss and were nowhere to be seen. A rare occurrence given that the gannets absoliuteoy live for these tasty fishies.
“Well that sure looks like sardines to me thank you very much to the okes who sent that in so we I chat it to the Bear and he verifies that conditions etcetera and the Kevin says he’s quite convinced as well so we decided to give it a stamp of approval and say that there are definitely sardines in the Transkei Umtata Mouth and they’re definitely moving north I don’t know how come the gannets lost them ha ha ha they’re gonna find them later today it’s gonna be a bit of a show boy OK lekker thank you don’t forget to like and subscribe and join the channel if you want to get this information first because it already has gone to the Sardine HOTLINE and then it goes to YouTube members then goes to Youtubers and then it goes to the other platforms as we can upload so very big mission alright but thank you very much for watching Ciao Ciao”
UFOs vs Sardines
UFOs vs. Sardines: Well, there has been zero news from the sardine spy network since Kevin was tracking a large shoal on its way to Hole in the Wall and Port St Johns from his base in the very southern Transkei.
Aerial contributor Rogan Brent was up in the air in that area all day yesterday and here are the fruits of his efforts.
Mgazana Aerial Gallery by Rogan Brent
Sardines and Sightings
Join the Sardine News HOTLINE
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…
6pm LATE Edition: 5 reports in 1 Ballistic Diving and Fishing Conditions for KZN
Ballistic Diving and Fishing Conditions for KZN sa reported from the North Coast by The Bear: a full day of reports coming it looks like it. Starting with The Bear up North.
North Coast
The Bear kicks the day off at dawn with his report of ballistic conditions from up on the sunny north coast. Right at sunrise! Thank you to The Bear for thinking of us mortal souls as you swim out there into your playground!
KZN North Coast Report 6am by The Bear
Looking forward to your catch report later! And the controversy that always follows!
Coffee Bay
The next report is all the way from the cold Wild Coast. Mannie Jorreiro has joined The Sardine Team as Pro Fishing Guide and Chief of the Wild Coast Sardine News desk. He is right in the thick of it at Coffee Bay. Which is where Mannie strikes out from with his clients. Guiding them to the most beautiful fishing spots on planet Earth. And getting fish!
Coffee Bay at Sunrise 4 Oct 24 by Mannie Jorreiro – Pro Fishing Guide with MYDO Fishing Welcome to Pro Fishing Guide Mannie Jorreiro deep down in Eastern Cape. The Transkei Wild Coast to be exact.
Mannie reports in at sunrise from Mbomvu Mouth in Coffee Bay with only the current high pressure and a north-easterly to contend with. Kob are lively at the moment. Thank you Mannie.
If you want to catch fish like Mannie does, please get in touch with me Sean on umzimkulu@gmail.com or +27793269672.
South Coast
11am Scottburgh Beach 4 Oct 24 Fri by Cliff Bamber Cliff checks in next with his 11am Scottburgh Beach Report. The North East winds are up. But it is a characteristically clear day for a high-pressure system.
Not a bad day at the beach if you can handle the wind! Scottburgh Beach Report by Cliff Bamber.
2pm Fri 4 Oct 24 Estuary Report from the Umzimkulu in Port Shepstone
Matt Wainright was considering coming back down to the swampies to continue his quest to tame every fish in the Umzimkulu estuary. So far he has been doing a good job. Matt has had a spectacular year fishing for winter estuary gamefish species in this system.
This weekend’s target. Garrick. Estuary or the Sandspit, Matt is coming to get a garrick this weekend!
Stay posted!
And finally…we have The Bear, awakened from his afternoon slumber from chasing brusher…
PM Friday 4 Oct 24 Spearfishing Report all about Rudi by The Bear in Durban KZN
A message to you Rudi! Leave some fish for us other mortals! Hey nice going Rudi, unbelievable in fact.
LATE Edition Report Compilation 5 videos in 1 Durban, Coffee Bay, North Coast, South Coast
The culmination of the day’s efforts wind up here. As the LATE Edition Sardine News. This is a LOT of fun and we would like to thank any and all who watch, like and subscribe.
Turns out though, that you need to hit the Notifications Bell icon if you would like to receive these reports in real time. Otherwise YouTube decides to serve this content up anytime it likes.
Too late Kate!
Subscribe and hit Notifications!
Sardines n Sighting Maps
It has been a fantastic sardine run this memorable 2024. And all the action has been logged right here on The Sardine News. This year’s map has been viewed 185,000 times and keeps growing.
Which led us to decide to keep the map live. And keep adding unique marine animal sightings and events. That occurs non-stop all year round. This year we started to log more whale and dolphin sightings. And we even had a shipwreck! And a freaking tornado!
These events will from now on be included in the Sardine News Sightings Map for 2024. And on the 1 January 2025, we shall start all over again.
Here are the links to existing and past Sardine Sighting Maps. Great for chilly day like today to research. With instructions to install The Sardine News right on your phone or desktop.
Kevin in Qora Flabbergasted by HUGE Shoal of Sardines TODAY 30 May 2024
Kevin in Qora Flabbergasted by HUGE Shoal of Sardines TODAY 30 May 2024: listen to this very exciting voice note from Kevin in Qora as he reports being flabbergasted by the size of the shoal of sardines out front of his cottage in Qora today.
Words like motherload and early season show the severity of Kevin’s sardine fever-laden report. Makes me want to jump in a vehicle and head south right now!
? “Morning, everyone. This is Kevin from Qora Mouth. Just north of Mazepa Bay in the southern Transkei. Well, we’ve had those pilot shoals that came through over the last couple weeks. Which was a very good indicator that we’re going to have a wonderful sardine run again then we had a bit of a hold-up where sardines washed up in Haga Haga and we heard of a bigger shoal that was off of Sinsa And the water had warmed up a bit.
So that’s why I think that that shoal got held up and Now, today, there are literally thousands of birds out in front of me. I’m also seeing lots of predator activity whales breaching and I wouldn’t say it’s a super pod of dolphins, but plenty, plenty dolphin activity. But I’m talking thousands of birds stretched over probably a two-kilometer stretch lots of separate diving action So, what I’m going to say now is that this is a much larger shoal.
This just isn’t a little pilot shoal fractured off. This is something big. And being end of May, this is extremely unusual, but This is Big Chaps coming through here now, unfortunately my iPhone camera doesn’t do much justice to action that’s a couple kilometers out same as taking a full moon photo and all you see is a little yellow dot in the sky, but The evidence is here right in front of me.
It’s a very, very big shawl movement. I mean, this is on par with like the mother load that comes once a year and it’s way too early for the mother load unless it is the mother load. I don’t know. But Yeah, all I can say is I’m actually sitting here flabbergasted by the amount of activity and feeding going on.
I mean, I can’t even reiterate it more. Thousands and thousands of gannets big rafts everywhere where they’ve gorged themselves full and just others taking to the wing and diving. It’s just, you know, 20, 30 peeling off at a time, boiling the water. So yeah, this is good. This is good. Let’s see how fast they move.
This is the kind of shoal that definitely will reach KZN. So, yeah, keep your fingers crossed. Port St. John’s is the next port of call. There’s not much between here and there. There is Navaja where there’s some cottages. But it’s generally a quiet area, so the next major sighting and confirmation of this shoal is going to be Port St.
John’s Coffee Bay area, and that depending on how fast they move, let’s say we give them five to six days to get to Port St. John’s. But this is a big one. Cool buzz. Over and out. I’ll keep you updated. Cheers.”
Port St Johns
Is the next major port-of-call is gonna be Port St Johns. However, our sardine spies in Mdumbi might be up for some excitement this afternoon and in the morning.
The fishing has been rocking in Port St Johns the last few days.
Shoal sized kob on paddletail near Port St Johns
KZN
Fishing in KZN water and other nearby spots however has been dismal. When the sardines shoal northwards from the deep south like this, it causes chaos with the local fish populations. They also follow the food around the place.
Even the shad have been really slow up in KZN.
The exception being the couta up on the north coast at the moment. They are also here for the sardines but don’t dig the cold water down south at all. Port Edward is roughly their southern limit. And at the limits of the couta’s range here like this, these are the big fish. Only the really big couta make it this far south.
All if these fish were caught down that way, over the years…during the sardine season.
Louis Posthumous and team have been using Mydos for decades. Port Edward.Another huge couta catch down on the KZN South CoastAnd a beautiful healthy looking 28kg crocodile couta by Mark SnymanMark Snyman in Port EdwardKing Mackerel – 8 of, plus a hefty GTKarine van Rensburg of MYDO gives us some perspective standing next to Andre Laubschers magnificent 36.9kg ‘Couta taken off Port Edward
3km Shoal of Sardines off Mazeppa: Kevin in Qora Mouth, deep south Transkei, Wild Coast, is perfectly situated to give us the heads up we need this 2024 Sardine Run.
In this video, Kevin explains the interactions that go on between whales and sardines each year.
And then we get to chat about all the different whales we will be seeing at the Greatest Show on Earth this year and every year into the future.
Enjoy the report from just north of Mazeppa Bay, way down in the Transkei
Humpbacks
Contradictory to common belief, these guys eat a lot of sardines. They team up, surround the shoals, and force them together. Then take turns in taking mouthfuls, gorging themselves.
There are three distinct populations. B2 Humpback Whales: Dr. Oz Goffman (Head dolphin project of Haifa University -IMMRAC – The Recanati Institute for Maritime Studies/School of Marine Sciences) spends his life stalking and saving cetaceans of all kinds and in all places. But specifically these guys. The B2 population. And the C1 guys. These are the ever-entertaining humpback whale communities that visit us, and Mozambique, this time each year. (see graphic by Dr. Oz and colleagues below).
These guys even know the whales by name…
Brydes Whale
And be careful of these sardine gluttons. They have been known to take the odd diver by mistake. Luckily neoprene seems to turn them off and they regurgitate the snorkelers each time.
I am pretty sure that this is the guy that got Jonah.
Southern Right
These guys are also stated to be zoo-plankton feeders almost exclusively. But they love the sardine run too! Not nearly as common as the Humpback populations.
Minke
These little guys only get about 10m long or so. But they also love sardines! You’d be lucky to spot one or two of these rare cetaceans in amongst the more common Humpbacks.
1000s of Cape Gannets dive-bombing in Qora, Deep Transkei
1000s of Cape Gannets dive-bombing in Qora, Deep Transkei: the iconic and beautifully choreographed gannet population descends on the sardine run first. Every time. These are our main indicators. That along with the cetaceans, sharks, fish and other marine mega-fauna, make up all the predators that are chasing after the sardines each year.
When all these guys come together, you are guaranteed a front-row seat at The Greatest Shoal on Earth.
CLICK HERE for the Sardine Run 2024 Sightings Map Page.
Enjoy the report and thank you Kevin in Qora, deep Transkei…
More about Gannets
Cape gannets (Morus capensis) possess several remarkable features that set them apart:
Colonial Nesting: These seabirds breed in large colonies, often on remote islands or rocky cliffs. Their communal nesting behaviour is a spectacle to behold.
Distinct Appearance: Cape gannets have striking plumage, with snowy white bodies, black wingtips, and a golden-yellow crown. Their eyes are surrounded by a distinctive blue ring.
Precise Diving Skills: When hunting for sardines, they perform spectacular plunges from great heights, folding their wings and torpedoing into the water. Their streamlined bodies and keen eyesight aid in precise targeting.
Monogamous Pairs: Cape gannets form monogamous pairs during the breeding season. They engage in elaborate courtship displays, reinforcing their bond through synchronized head movements and calls.
Diet: Their diet consists of small fish, especially sardines and anchovies. They rely on the annual sardine run off the South African coast for abundant food.
Conservation Concerns: Unfortunately, Cape gannets face threats such as overfishing, pollution, and habitat disturbance. Conservation efforts are crucial to protect these magnificent birds.
In summary, Cape gannets combine elegance, precision, and ecological significance, making them a celebrated and vital part of South Africa’s marine ecosystem.
Cape gannets are attentive parents, and their chick-rearing process involves several key steps:
Nesting Sites: Cape gannets breed in large colonies on rocky cliffs or remote islands. They choose nesting sites carefully to avoid predators and ensure proximity to food-rich waters.
Courtship and Pair Bonding: During the breeding season, male and female gannets engage in courtship displays. They perform synchronized head movements and calls to strengthen their pair bond.
Egg Laying: After courtship, the female lays a single egg. Both parents take turns incubating the egg, which typically lasts around 44 days.
Incubation Shifts: The parents alternate incubation duties. While one incubates, the other forages for food. Their precise shifts ensure constant warmth for the developing chick.
Hatching and Chick Care: Once the egg hatches, the chick emerges. It is initially covered in soft down feathers. The parents feed the chick regurgitated fish, providing essential nutrients.
Growth and Development: Over the next few weeks, the chick grows rapidly. It develops waterproof feathers and gains strength. The parents continue to feed it until it becomes independent.
Fledging: Around 90 days after hatching, the chick is ready to fledge. It takes its first flight, leaving the nest. The parents continue to provide food during this transition.
Post-Fledging Period: After fledging, young gannets spend several years at sea, honing their fishing skills. Eventually, they return to the colony to breed, continuing the cycle.
