Sardine Update 21 June 2022: another beautiful KZN south coast winter day! And the sardines just keep coming! Net after net. Day after day. And it’s only just begun.
Presumably, the foul ocean conditions that were holding them back, have given way, and the sardines jumped at the chance to head north. Without doubt, these are just the first shoals. The ‘pilot shoals’ as they are affectionately known.
Are not usually with these first appearances. Except for shad obviously! Who absolutely annihilate these cute little shoals. The predators normally come in the second wave of sardines. The bigger shoals. And it’s the sharks that are first most times.
And they are definitely here right now – check the video above! They would have been waiting here a while already. They certainly don’t mind the dirty water either.
So far this week already, we’ve had killer whales (more affectionately known as Orcas), chasing some poor little dolphins all over the place. Humpbacks were here already a month ago. A few seals have beached for a break at some beaches too. Gannets, terns and all sorts of feathered sardine hunters are earnestly patrolling north and south.
The entire marine food chain is here.
Including the garrick. Nobody caught any yet really. I only saw one pic so far. But make no mistake, they are here.
North or South?
Durban’s main beaches must surely be on the itinerary for the current wave of pilot shoals. Although the really big shoals are still lumbering through the Transkei Wild Coast.
Luckily all conditions are met. The water is chilly at 19 degrees celsius or so. The ocean is lumpy with swell but well-useable. The only deterrent is the remaining and quite persistent poison soup water inshore. Still hanging about from the flood and sewage runoff recently. Although some places are definitely showing signs of clarity – just not enough to jump in yet.
Gallery
If you do come sardine hunting down the lower south coast of KZN in South Africa, pop in at the Umzimkulu Adrenalin building. Right in Port Shepstone down on the Umzimkulu River. Where you can eat at our Egyptian Restaurant. Stay over at the Umzimkulu Marina.
It’s been another cracking sardine season for the sardine run operators down in the Transkei and Natal. These guys have encountered bait balls daily and have been getting some spectacular video material, which we will get to see soon enough.
To make sure we are on top of things, we headed south on sardine patrol, and have the following to report.
July Sardine Report 2019
Port St Johns
Arriving in Port St Johns, we could already feel the buzz. The Umzimvubu was looking delightfully clean and there were boats everywhere. Anglers anchored in the channels, we saw one guy boat a 12kg class Garrick and a little Kob. Sardine safari boats moored at the line of jetties, all prepared for the mornings adventures.
We visited Offshore Africa down on the river, who run sardine run trips for two months through the season. Rob Nettleton and Debbie Smith (The Shark Lady), the operators, live in Port St. Johns and are consummate professionals in what they do. They chuck you right in with the sardines and sharks!
Chatting to Richie O’Connell who leads one of the boats, “You don’t even need a baitball to find and swim with sharks. They’re everywhere!”.
Rob showed me some of this year’s footage, the cameras are dressed up with much better and wider lenses making it possible to really capture all that is going on down there. Stay posted for this material when it comes out, it is truly work of underwater art.
Through the three days we spent scouring the views around Port St. Johns, we saw lots birds running south still. Some just sitting on the water too full to fly. And the odd dive bomber as sporadic shoals moved through under the surface. But the sardine spotters travelled north and south and every day out they have jumped in with sardines. Rob was on day 33!
Mpande
Great views and nice swells greeted us here. But again, we never saw any real hot action from the shore. Lots of birds. Oil slicks from previous sorties. Crystal clear water. Very fishy looking.
21 July Sardine Report 2019
Coffee Bay
We stayed at the pretty Coffee Shack where they installed us in the King’s House. A delightful cottage overlooking the entire bay flanked by the Sugarloaf and the Mbomvu point. Four delicious shad for breakfast.
The action was absolutely wild!
Shoals of sardines were being driven to the surface. Mainly it was dolphins but we also saw sharks breaching and some outsized yellowfin tuna. The gannets were raining down like bombs. And this was just the first shoal. They just kept coming through sporadically throughout the entire day. The huge waves, well ok 2 to 3m, were kind of keeping the action on the backline and only one occasion did they come right into the white water where they were obliterated.
The view from Kings House at the Coffee Shack in Coffee Bay
Mbomvu River Mouth
When the red hot pokers bloom…
Mdumbi
When we came over the hill, the vista was unexpected. Waves were reeling down the point, the sand was connecting across the entire bay! There were a bunch of guys on it but the waves were plentiful and everyone was mellow.
There were birds diving and some dolphins were hunting but the water never smelled fishy and the surf continued even better the next day. When a fabulous Berg wind kicked mid-morning and painted the prettiest surfing picture I have seen for a while. Then the huge west that is currently blowing a gale at about 40 knots hit hard and so we moved on to the other side of the river to Freedom O’ Clock to catch up a bit.
And we got to throw a little video together quick…
Get in touch via umzimkulu@gmail.com if you would like to join us for The Sardine Run next year.
Shark and Sardine Chaos with Offshore Africa: Rob Nettleton and Debbie Smith (aka The Shark Lady), are the team that head up Offshore Africa Port St. Johns…and this is their specialty…the chaos of the Sardine Run.
The sharks kind of dominate but you can’t really be sure as hundreds of marine animals vie for top dog spot. The gannets are just like fighter jets as they swoop down on their enemy and blast them to pieces. They don’t just shoot one either, they can dog fight with the best…turning and veering and swerving…destroying the enemy.
The dolphins are so fast that Rob had to slow the video down in some places. And the seals! Well they seem to be the most aggressive!
Enjoy the video, it plays in up to 480p quality…
Bookings for The Sardine Run 2018, with all it’s shark and sardine action…are open now.
Head on over to Offshore Africa’s website, for more crazy imagery and action…and to get in touch.
Things are swinging again at Jungle Monkey in PSJ!
After a devastating fire that literally ate the Monkey whole last year, the new Jungle Monkey is born. Many buckets of effort and lots of thought have produced an airy new vibe with views near to 360. Glass and local material have been blended atrium style. With different levels and chilling zones spread out all over – it’s also gonna be the ultimate party venue all over again.
Take a hike out the back off Port St. Johns to find a bit of real African magic.
Port St. Johns (PSJ as it’s affectionately called by locals), is a very interesting place. Steeped in old timer stories, this was and still is, the wild west of Africa. Planted at the base of a magnificent chasm of rock on a huge African river mouth, tales of shipwrecks, tribal factions and war, political unrest and social turmoil are behind every rock. It’s wild! Wild enough to be graced as the epi-centre of the Transkei “Wild Coast”.
And it’s out here on the edge, that real rewards are to be found. Indelible sunrises. Trippy cloud formations. Views that put you in an aeroplane. Hikes that will make you lost in a real good way. Much of the surrounds of PSJ are still completely untouched. Almost impossible to access. This is where Jungle Monkey can hook you up with the very best local tour operators.
Going into the wild accompanied by a local guide – just ask at reception. It’s real affordable and so much fun when you have a connection to the community through the guide. Do not ever go alone! Local knowledge is crucial anywhere in Africa.
Out to sea in the annual sardine run to swim with sharks and all sorts? Click on over to Offshore Port St. Johns (http://offshoreportstjohns.com). These guys have been in PSJ for ages, and have a wealth of experience in these waters, and vested in the activities they do. Completely safe, well, errr – “Keep your arms tucked in!” is one of my favourites! But it is the biggest shoal on earth and David Attenborough loved the spectacle. Bryde’s Whale is another favourite sighting – but I’m sure that’s the one got Jonah by mistake! Dolphins are the most plentiful, and all the animals in the water with you, are far too focused on the sardines to be a real threat. The sharks are just gorging themselves and the whole lot of them actually work together. Even the birds! Gannets become underwater fighter planes as they zap down from the sky using all their momentum to get as deep as they can, and then start swimming around between the sharks and dophins nailing plenty sardines in one sortie.
SeaCandyMedia by Anthony Kobrowisky
Then when that store of adrenalin runs out after the season in August, Offshore can be seen bobbing up and down the wild Umzimvubu on Bobalong – on their huge party boat. It’s so big it even has a bathroom at the back. Music. Chairs and tables?! Ask at Jungle Monkey reception to hook you up with a sunset booze cruise or a champagne breakfast. It’s also the time when some of the Offshore team head out to other waters to swim with sharks. If you are this crazy then Diving with Sharks can get you in with tigers, zambezis, hammers – even a white if you ask nicely! http://divingwithsharks.co.za is where you get your toes properly wet.
And now we can finally mention the fishing. Jungle Monkey is 200 metres from the favourite kob and garrick spinning spot – under the cliff as the river pours in from the sea at the incoming high tide, and fills the deep basin a cast away. It would be called catching if we caught every time. And would become down right boring. But if you really want to raise your chances of encountering your trophy fish, come to PSJ. We practise catch and release. But if you get a nice shad on your spoon, bring it home! Licenses and restrictions apply, if you’re new to the game!
You only need to catch one of these magnificent fish – in your whole life! This fish caught just out front of Jungle Monkey – the Rasta Priests from Ethiopia staying here at the time, were eveer so slightly impressed!
The most fun is to have a medium spinning stick with casting braid, and a Mydo Luck Shot or SS Spoon. Weighing in from 0.7 Ounces up to 3, choose your weapon that works best with your rod. Then work out your retrieve to mimic whatever baitfish are around (usually mullet or sardine), and cast to the horizon. Nothing will prepare you for when that garrick, or two or three of them charge in at your lure, turning away at the very last moment. Metres from where you are standing. This can go on over and over – you got to change your retrieve, change the tempo – until bang! Eish these garrick are much bigger in this area too. Real dogfighters as they jam you left and right and up and down the rocks.
And that’s just the garrick! Wait til you spot a shoal of huge daga salmon, or kob as they are known further south. Spawning in the estuary. 30kgs plus. So many of them. But they will not bite whilst so preoccupied with the job at hand. In full view they loll and flop around eachother in a cloud of white. A miracle to see. Then straight after, they belt it back out to sea, and this is when they are so vulnerable. To replace spent energy they must feed, and feed fast. Stories of absolute slaughter are recorded each year. You can do your bit by returning your fish. And reporting anyone who takes more than their allowed two. DAFF details can be clicked here.
Unfortunately swimming and surfing is a big no-no anywhere around PSJ. This is where you come to encounter sharks, prepared for them and under the protection of your team – and on some of your terms at least. Not flailing about or paddling and splashing right where every Zambezi in the local ecology has to swim past to get into the river. They go up far to drop pups. Little zambezis that become huge zambezis. And they all live in the area. The real locals. The great news for swimmers is that there are whispers that the long overdue tidal pool at 2nd beach (between Shark Point and Shark Point), is gonna be built soonish. Africa time. Surfers just go somewhere else rather or come with a Shark Shield at least. Jet ski or boat another requirement. Coffee Bay a little further on has a mild reputation for safe surfing and periodic good waves.
Jungle Monkey puts you right in the middle of all this action. It’s well serviced and has cheerful staff always ready with a huge smile. There are many accommodation options. Singles, doubles, dorms, chalets…the place is actually huge. And a fantastic kitchen producing a delicious menu. African fusion? Veg meals too.
There you have it. Sitting atop a little hill. Overlooking the ocean out front, and up the mountains out back. Enjoying a meal from the excellent new kitchen (fire-proof). A golden coldie. And…
We are now in touch with the right people – Senior Marine Conservation Inspectors with DAFF, to whom any sightings of suspected trawlers, can be reported.
But there is some procedure to follow, that filters out any legitimate vessels.
SO, when you see a suspected trawler…
Log onto http://marinetraffic.com on the internet, or onto your AIS cellphone App. Click here to choose one if you need one still.
Locate the area where your suspect ship is, and see if there a corresponding ship icon, for your suspect
If there is no AIS icon visible, please report to…
The DAFF vessel operating in that area – The Ruth First, is in the area off the Transkei, where most of the suspect activity has been noted lately. Their number is 079 773 6514 and Inspector Teyise is on board right now.
Our contacts, Senior Marine Conservation Inspector Mr. Bongani Pitoyi is on 071 765 2533, and is extremely helpful.
Another number you can call is deputy director Mr Moshani on 076 780 5049.
SO, please keep your eyes on your horizon, and help us iron out what is actually going on out there.
On Trawler Watch 2017!
EXTRA: Check the following video documentary, to see how much mechanisation is used by commercial fishing trawlers…slow and shaky, but you get the picture fair enough. And it is in Iceland. But the same technology can be deployed against fish anywhere in the world. Including our waters. And why we need to be on the lookout. Next thing we buying our own mackerel and sardines in tins marked Made in China!
