Category: Port St. Johns

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Diving With Sharks!

Diving With Sharks!

Diving With Sharks! Debbie Smith aka The Shark Lady, has recently launched her brand new website and online campaign at http://divingwithsharks.co.za.

Incredible imagery leads to Debbie’s underwater options – the current favourite being The Sardine Run as we move into the sardine migration season – when they swim up the East Coast of Africa.

Millions of sardines head north on a kamikaze mission as they are hammered to pieces by all kinds of underwater predators. Dolphins. Seals. Gannets. Whales. And sharks. Plenty!

The Sardine Run trips by Diving With Sharks, in association with Offshore Africa Port St. Johns, are run from out of the Uzmzimvubu River on the Transkei Wild Coast. Rob Nettleton and Debbie Smith have been operating in this area – the best place to get to the sardine shoals and baitballs, as they come up from the southern ocean, for a decade now.

Diving With Sharks also operate up north in KZN waters – Aliwal Shoal and Protea Reef being hot spots, and where Debbie learned her skills as shark tamer. That’s her in the picture below! Note how Debbie holds her hands and arms close to her body – less to bite onto for the odd curious shark, that come in so close.

Click on over to Diving With  Sharks for more info or to book a Sardine Run experience – accommodation and all, with Debbie and Rob.

A taste of what can be found on http://divingwithsharks.co.za…

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KZN Spearfishing in Wintertime – by Jason Heyne

KZN Spearfishing in Wintertime – by Jason Heyne

And we have Jason Heyne delivering the news every spearo is gasping for! It’s ON! KZN Spearfishing in Wintertime is what we live for! Winter conditions are gonna blanket our beautiful east coastline with idyllic conditions – offshores every morning, clean water  and calm surf…and coming soon to a beach near you – sardines!

Ok, over to Jason Heyne, telling it like it is…

“Sea conditions have really improved this week especially along the south coast the problem is cold water has moved in in places so finding warmer water is key. The weather conditions this weekend are great with a light north east on Saturday and 1.4m swell running and a light south west blowing Sunday with a 1.2m swell running. Wahoo are on the Aliwal shoal with big tropical yellow tail on the deeper pinnacles. Queen mackerel are inshore in the warmer water with daga salmon and blood snapper out deeper. White mussel cracker have arrived on the south coast. Best viz is on the south coast from Umkomaas down. Both Saturday and Sunday are looking really good for a dive. As always dive safe and straight spears. ”

A brace of wahoo
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Assassination of aMadiba Crisis Committee Chairperson Sikhosiphi “Bazooka” Rhadebe

Assassination of aMadiba Crisis Committee Chairperson Sikhosiphi “Bazooka” Rhadebe

 

Coastwatch KwaZulu-Natal is a NPO committed to promoting best practice in coastal management.  We wish to express our horror at the shooting of Mr. Rhadebe, another anti-mining activist to lose his life.  We would like to convey our sadness and condolences to his family, community and colleagues.  He will be sorely missed.

 

We have participated in the public participation processes that were required as part of the EIA application to mine the Xolobeni mineral sands.

 

We have consistently advocated that the paramount concern should be the sustainability of the project in the interests of the people of the area. The hollow arguments advanced by the proponents of the mining project and their local beneficiaries, about the supposed social benefits, have not impressed us. We have consistently supported the right of the local people to form their own opinion and to have that opinion not only heard but respected.

 

The lure of personal riches for a few has trumped the community’s expressed preference for sustainable development. The violence that has been intensifying in the area since 2013 is an inevitable outcome, evidenced by a rash of unprosecuted attacks on local communities such as the Mdatya, Mtolani and Sigidi villagers and their chosen spokespeople over the past few years. The assassination of aMadiba Crisis Committee Chairperson Sikhosiphi Rhadebe is just the latest incident in this escalating war on the people and their livelihoods.

 

Coastwatch firmly believes that it is now time for the South African Government to provide the leadership that has been lacking in the matter by denying environmental authorisation and vigorously pursuing and prosecuting Sikhosiphi “Bazooka” Rhadebe’s murderers.

 

It is not too late to make a decision that places the choices of South African citizens ahead of those of predatory foreign business whose short term profits are being prioritised ahead of the sustainability of the communities.

 

ENDS/

 

For more information please contact:

 

Roderick Bulman

Coastwatch KZN 135-408 NPO

Chairperson

8 Pepworth Road, Pietermaritzburg, 3201

T: 033 386 4465 | C: 082 900 8589

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Offshore Africa Port St John’s wins Service Excellence Award for Eastern Cape

Offshore Africa Port St John’s have just won Service Excellence of the Year for Eastern Cape in the 2016 Holiday & Tour Specialist Awards!

Offshore Africa in action down in beautiful Port St Johns
Offshore Africa in action down in beautiful Port St Johns

The following excerpt was taken from the announcement by Luxury Travel guide.

 

“Congratulations Rob & Debbie, you have won Service Excellence of the Year for Eastern Cape in the 2016 Holiday & Tour Specialist Awards!

 

The Luxury Travel Guide awards program selects winners based on their achievements and strengths in the travel industry. We received an overwhelming number of superb nominations this year and the judging panel had the unenviable task of selecting those firms, teams and individuals within each category most worthy of an award.

 

All winners of the 2016 Holiday & Tour Specialist Awards are subject to the same rigorous assessment criteria, carried out by our experienced in-house professionals as well as a number of celebrity guest judges. This ensures that only the most deserving teams, businesses and individuals walk away with one of these prestigious accolades.  Award winners that have demonstrated success and innovation will gain a place in our soon-to-be published award winners’ guide, which will be distributed to over 500,000 readers.

 

All of Luxury Travel Guide Award programs represent the pinnacle of achievement, championing the best in their respective fields, therefore to come out as a clear winner is an achievement to be proud of.”

Click on over to Offshore Africa in Port St. Johns, right here.

smaller logo Luxury Travel guide

 

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2016 Sardine Run in Port St Johns

2016 Sardine Run in Port St Johns

Offshore Africa have slots available for the 2016 Sardine Run in Port St Johns.

Enjoy this 15 second clip to get the vibe and see what its all about…

Book your Sardine Run in Port St Johns with Offshore Africa…

Rob Nettleton and Debbie Smith are gearing up for another action packed sardine run, as the season for the migration nears.

Sardines can often be seen as early as April or May, but it is in June that things really hot up. The huge shoals of the little fish stick around until late July and even August.

Offshore Africa are rigged and ready to make sure you are right in the middle of the action, as and when it happens.

Their packages are flexible with a list of options for accommodation and meals.

Click here to check it all out, and make a booking…

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