Sardine Maps
2025 Sardine Run: Late, or On Time? Well, it only takes a quick look at our Sardine Sightings Maps, which go all the way back to 2021. They are a perfect reference to see what is happening and the answer to the big question…
Are the sardines late, or on time this year?
PS this page loads incredibly slow because there are 5 Google Maps embedded into it…please be patient to get the whole experience…
Ok, starting way back in 2021…we can see that the first bona fide sardines were sighted on 5 May.
5 May 2021 – Coffee Bay – Scattered shoals of confirmed sardines all over the place. Extremely cold water reported as low as 11 degrees could explain this early sighting.
These are confirmed settings by the Sardine News Network sardine spotters. Bona fide and we check and double-check each and every sighting that is reported. Or in some cases, thrown out there. False News probably originated with the beginning of each sardine run! So many people reporting sardines falsely (for the attention?), or mistakenly (they don’t check the date when an algorithm chucks a video from last year into the feed!).
A week later in May 2021…
11 May – Kei Mouth – Many sardines, some together in a long stripe, passed here. Three separate reports confirmed this early sighting. Birds, gamefish and cetaceans were present.
May is a rather ambitious month to be looking for sardines in KZN and even the Transkei. But it does happen! As you will see in the next few years’ maps below.
And in 2022, the first sighting was on the 5 June by Kevin in Qora…
5 June – Qora Mouth – Plenty sardine activity offshore with multiple small shoals moving past. Lots of birds, dolphins and whales. Definitely not the motherload yet….more at https://thesardine.co.za.
The next day they were sighted all the way from East London to Mazeppa. By aerial spotter pilot. And a huge shoal was moving past Port Elizabeth heading north at this same time.
In 2023, the 12th of May saw sardines in Port Alfred, with video of the shoals by dive operators. Then over the next 10 days the sards pitched up in many spots between East London and Mazeppa Bay.
And in 2024…sardines were at Morgans Bay on the 3 May already! Last year was an early run, as it was spectacular. Over the next ten days, sardines were spotted at Qora and Coffee Bay, and in between.
https://www.google.com/maps/d/embed?mid=1DWAHMyAbY4TCV3qJ2KgcESZM6EWNIeo&ehbc=2E312F
And now we are in real time. Here is the Sardine Sightings Map for 2025. There is already an entry in which Dean Dickinson and Garry Hook made my jaw drop when they educated me on how much I don’t know about these sardines!
Because these guys were catching sardines in the shorebreak in November and December! BUT, all the way down in Port Elizabeth. Which is where the Natal Sardine Run actually kicks off. From this flurry of sardine activity, the fish move north and ultimately become the sardine run over the next few months into May and beyond.
Up until now in 2025, we really don’t have any confirmed sightings of sardines, anywhere north of Port Elizabeth. The GoDive guys have been jumping into the action off Cintsa over the last few great weather days, and they reckon there is so much baitfish around, but mainly red-eye sardines.
Kevin in Qora has his eyes on the ocean all the way down there too. And he never lets the sardines pass his place without a stamp.
https://www.google.com/maps/d/embed?mid=1BvCH-j4b-dsOG_posDLDPIB8Gb6ByEE&ehbc=2E312F
In 2025, we added extra layers to the map. There are now whales and dolphins and all other megafauna all in their own layer. There are fishing and weather incidents. And even boating and shipwrecks have started featuring. The maps are actually a wonderful interface to get through all The Sardine News.
And if you have any contributions, video, still or a news story, please use the big old WhatsApp button floating around somewhere on this website. Or you can email to Sean on umzimkulu@gmail.com anytime!
From the archive of years gone by…
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 to always get The Sardine News first – and then 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…
2024 Sardine Map
2023 Sardine Map
2021 Sardine Map
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
Night-time is the Right-time for KZN Estuary Fishing Night-time is the Right-time for KZN Estuary…
Kevin in Qora Checks in Kevin in Qora Checks in: with not much going on…
North Coast From The Air by Rogan Brent North Coast From The Air by Rogan…
Sardine News From East London Today Sardine News From East London Today: The GoDive team…
BIG West Coming Early In The Morning BIG West Coming Early In The Morning: The…
Message from Sir David Attenborough Message from Sir David Attenborough: At 99 years young, we…
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