SouthCoast Archives - Page 4 of 55

Posted on August 18, 2020August 18, 2020 by Sean Lange — Leave a comment

20kg Garrick story by The Bear

Jason Heyne of the Master Watermen and his Margate shot Garrick with the kids

20kg Garrick story by The Bear

Main question I got asked on the busy beach after the dive “How long did it take to shoot this fish?”.

Followed by ”how deep/far out?” which is the usual question besides “what about Sharks!”.

Answer to the first question if you ignore the long drive and various stops to check for right conditions and you start the dive from when I entered the water from the beach…I would say about 5 minutes to 8 minutes tops! The fight and landing (hands on the fish and the usual barb/knife to the brain) there of another 10 to 15 minutes!

But..big BUT!!

I have been looking for a Garrick/Leervis (Lichia amia) of
over 20kg since I started diving in KZN waters for just over 26 and a half years! (give or take a couple of days and hours!) So 26 and a half years and 5 minutes is the correct answer!

Lost a beast in 14m two years back North coast and missed one close to this weight 2 years before at the same spot but backline, waited too long to take the shot being greedy and checking the shoal of 20 odd fish for a bigger one first!

The swim out was quick in the rip current on the south side of the point and I had just got positioned in the 2knt SN current (4m depth to sand on my left and 3m to the slope of point bricks/structure on my right on the southern end Garrick still being on the up run so facing south). I always put Camera with head strap on first before deploying my flasher so looked down quickly to my waist to get the camera out my shuttle crayfish bag and in doing so caught sight of the single Garrick just in line with me coming past me already to my left on the sand just in visibility (6m).

Quick instinct duck dive with the fish head down and moving fast it was just out of range so two fast kicks and a grunt got him to turn slightly and pause just long enough to plant a decent long-range shot just behind the dorsal fin mid-body…shot was good but that noise (DOOF) on impact told me that the spear had not passed through (hit the spine and the spear ran up it towards the swim bladder area). So I let the fish run with the float line rig and float. The fish then decided that the horizon out to sea looked good and subbed my float and so began the fastest 300m swim of my life!

Eventually, I caught up with my float which had now returned to the surface grabbed the stringer and put the camera on whilst being towed a bit. Viz was better out deeper and when I had the spear running line in my hands I could see the spear was pulling but luckily I dive with two guns with the second gun a 130 reel gun on my belt reel and managed to plant the second shot seen in the picture.

Jason Heyne of the Master Watermen and his Margate shot 20kg Garrick

My dive mate Paul Roxburgh thought I was seriously deviating from the dive plan at first but then saw that I was doing full on Freestyle and thought maybe I had shot a big Cape yellowtail or Daga Salmon but obviously could not keep up and was 100 odd meters behind me inshore! Excellent camera work Paul…thank you!

20kg Garrick are spear destroyers of note…the brand new 7.5mm spear from Rob Allen is still exactly that…brand new no bend whatsoever! Top kit and master engineering!. Aweh!

At just over 20kg I am super stoked and the epic run and fight made it awesome to say the least…will drop a link to the footage when I edit and upload to Master Watermen YouTube channel!

As always dive safe and straight spears…

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Posted on July 2, 2020July 2, 2020 by Olivia Jones — Leave a comment

South African freediving champion films KZN South Coast’s Sardine Run

Beth Neal freediving in Sardine Run 2020

South African freediving champion films KZN South Coast’s Sardine RunBeth Neale, the four-time South African Freediving Champion, the African Continental Record Holder for no-fins freediving, renowned ocean conservationist and filmmaker, headed to the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) South Coast where she has taken to the water to experience, first-hand #thegreatestshoalonearth. Beth has captured some never-before-seen footage of the Sardine Run which will soon be released (a taste of which can be seen on the ‘South Coast Tourism’ Facebook page.) “This year’s Sardine Run has been described as one of the biggest in over a decade,” said CEO of Ugu South Coast Tourism (USCT), Phelisa Mangcu. “As well as providing food security for so many of our local fishermen and communities, the Sardine Run is a phenomenal experience to witness from both the beachside and within the ocean. We are so excited to have freediving champion, Beth Neale, on our shores, sharing footage of this incredible oceanic migration which has become synonymous with the KZN South Coast.” Originally from Johannesburg, ‘mermaid’ Beth is currently living on the KZN South Coast, having only just broken her own ‘no fins’ freediving record by diving to 50m in Bermuda last year while raising over $20,000USD (more than R340 000) to teach children ocean conservation and freediving. An avid ocean lover, adventure-seeker and passionate conservationist, Beth couldn’t miss the opportunity to experience the planet’s greatest biomass migration – the annual Sardine Run. Using a Gopro camera, drone, and Insta360 360-degree camera, Beth and her team were able to capture a completely unique all-round view of the Sardine Run which will give viewers the chance to experience it from the comfort of home. “What an incredible feeling to freedive into millions of sardines!” she said of the recent diving adventure. “I feel so fortunate, as most people only get to see the sardines as they are hauled onshore in nets, sold in crates on the roadside, or even in a can. Underwater, you get to see these fish in their true glory, shimmering with iridescence as they move, mesmerisingly, together as if one massive organism. Once you penetrate the top layer, they realign above you, blocking out the sun so everything goes dark. It’s quite intimidating!” Beth dived near Scottburgh on the KZN South Coast where she described one of the shoals as being 12 metres deep and the length of a rugby field: “I was shocked when I saw the drone footage, as I had no idea how big the shoal was. I thought it was small and I was managing to keep up with it for an hour as I swam against the current!” She said that, alongside the masses of sardines, she got to experience swimming with some of the apex predators taking advantage of the wealth of food on offer: “There were hundreds of sharks swimming through the shoal, feeding, and they nearly bump into you as they fly by. Luckily, they only have one thing on their minds – sardine snacks!” The annual Sardine Run attracts local and international attention, having featured on wildlife documentaries across the globe. Beth described it as ‘a bucket list item for international travellers and film crews – and for locals too!’. “My hope is that, through my content, others will be inspired to travel to our coasts and experience the beauty of our oceans,” she continued. “As a filmmaker, my mission since lockdown has been to document the impact of the pandemic on coastal communities and inspire others to get back to nature as lockdown restrictions lift.” Beth will also be shooting footage of the Marine Protected Area and world renowned KZN South Coast diving site, Aliwal Shoal, hoping to capture more shots of indigenous shark species and their activities. USCT is keeping everyone connected to the Sardine Run digitally during lockdown by uploading videos, images and up-to-date information. Check out the ‘South Coast Tourism’ Facebook page and @infosouthcoast on Twitter for breath-taking images, including aerial and underwater footage, such as supplied by Beth Neale. For more information about the KZN South Coast and USCT, visit www.visitkznsouthcoast.co.za or download the free ‘Explore KZN South Coast’ app to find a local supplier. To follow Beth Neale’s incredible adventures, follow @onebreathbeth on Instagram or visit www.aquasouls.com. /ENDS High resolution images are available upon request. IMAGE CREDIT: Dr Ryan Daly CAPTION: South African ‘Mermaid’ freediving champion Beth Neale has captured unique footage of this year’s bumper sardine run on the KZN South Coast. Ugu South Coast Tourism (USCT) is keeping everyone connected to the Sardine Run digitally during lockdown by uploading videos, images and up-to-date information. Check out the ‘South Coast Tourism’ Facebook page and @infosouthcoast on Twitter for breath-taking images, including aerial and underwater footage, such as supplied by Beth Neale. For more information about the KZN South Coast and USCT, visit www.visitkznsouthcoast.co.za or download the free ‘Explore KZN South Coast’ app to find a local supplier.

About Ugu South Coast Tourism Ugu South Coast Tourism (USCT) is the official destination management organisation of the Ugu District Municipality in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), South Africa. The Ugu District comprises four local municipalities that include Umdoni, Umzumbe, Umuziwabantu and Ray Nkonyeni. USCT’s mandate is to grow tourism within the KZN South Coast. This involves implementing marketing and development initiatives that are aimed at showcasing the diverse offerings and experiences of the South Coast as tourist destination. A board of directors oversees USCT, headed by CEO, Phelisa Mangcu. About KZN South Coast Known as the ‘Paradise of the Zulu Kingdom’, the KZN South Coast stretches 120 kilometres from Scottburgh to Port Edward and inland to Harding. Here, the spirit of adventure can be discovered among the many cultural experiences, as well as the 35 nature trails and 58 beaches, ideal for activities like river rafting, abseiling, suspension bridges, paintball, surfing, SUP, canoeing, beach horse rides, shark cage diving and free diving. Nicknamed ‘The Golf Coast’, there are 11 golf courses on the KZN South Coast ranging in difficulty, with endless hiking, mountain biking and 4×4 trails for more rugged excursions. Promoting sustainability, the KZN South Coast has a growing agri-tourism sector that offers world-class produce and hosts tours and excursions. The region boasts a number of permanently managed Blue Flag beaches, and is home to some of the world’s top diving sites, Aliwal Shoal and Protea Banks. The originality continues with the annual Sardine Run, coined the #GreatestShoalonEarth, which is the largest biomass migration on earth and a marvel to witness. The region’s many nature reserves are inhabited by indigenous bird and wildlife, and it holds the title for ‘smallest desert on earth’, The Red Desert in Port Edward. The KZN South Coast is a fast-emerging MICE destination which also plays host to a number of high-profile events including the The Bike Fest, Uvukile Gospel Festival, Ugu Jazz, Ugu Film Festival and the South Coast Fever MTB & Trail Run Series.

Issued on behalf of: Ugu South Coast Tourism (USCT) Disseminated by: Olivia Jones Communications For more information please contact: Olivia Jones Communications Cell: 083 653 1720 Email: media

We are on Facebook right here, we run an action-packed YouTube video channel right here. Please like and subscribe to our channel on YouTube!By The Sardine News

Posted on June 27, 2020June 27, 2020 by Sean Lange — Leave a comment

So this is where our sards go!

Hands off our Sardines! Trawler watch. Keep these destructive forces from our waters

So this is where our sards go!

I was researching a keyword clash with some of my SEO pages and I came across this post we did in June 2017. It wasn’t a particularly good year for the wards that year. And the pundits were being merrily goaded on by me as I also felt bereaved of the shoals of sards we so impatiently wait for each year. But the post is extremely pertinent as it backs up the visual evidence and AIS tracking showing Chinese and all-sorts of vessels stealing our sardines.

And selling them right back to us!!!

by Sean Lange, June 2017….

Well I don’t know how I got onto this dude’s mailing list, but every week or so, I receive a circular, offering me bulk sardines for sale? Perhaps the morons phished my details from The Sardine News – perhaps they think I deal in sardines ha ha!

I am not sure of the details of the catches either, details are sketchy to say the least, each time. But the list below sure reads two grades of sards for sale. One for bait, and one for canning. And a bunch of other forms of seafood.

Where these sardines are coming from, is anyone’s guess…but we can’t help but feel, that if fishing is going on all over the world, at the scale that reads below, no wonder we are running clean out of fish. And these just could be, our own sards?! Taken from our waters, way out deep, as they head their way towards our coastline. Way out of sight.

Never detected.

Then the fact is, that even if we spot a suspicious vessel, there is nowhere to report it?! (Read all about that here) And so speculation that foul play is underway, is rife. Many suspect our government is selling out on our quota system. Allowing foreign vessels to operate in our waters. Zuma style corruption runs deep, into every department and level of government.

And if they all thought they could hide the Gupta nuclear bullshit from us, what else did they hide already?

Enjoy the read…

Dear Sir,

Good morning.

We now have several containers’ ready products as below, please kindly advise, thanks.

#13 Agentina Squid 100-150g / pc Processing Material

Product Name: Frozen W/R Agentina Squid for Processing Material purpose

Specification: 100-150g / pc, BQF, Light Purse Seine, Sea Frozen

#12 Black Squid 80-150g / pc Processing Material

Product Name: Frozen W/R Black Squid for Processing Material purpose

Specification: 80-150g / pc, BQF, Light Purse Seine, Sea Frozen

#14 Frozen Crab Meat

Product Name: Frozen Crab Meat (Winter Crab)

Jumbo Lump, 1lb./bag; Lump, 4lb./bag

#15 Frozen Seafood Mix

Ingredients: Squid Rings/ Tentacles/ Strips/Cut/Head, Octopus Cut/Strip, Baby Octopus, Mussels meat, Shrimps, etc.

Glazing: 0-20%, Package: 24 *1 lb.

#1 Sardine 6-10 pcs/kg Market / Bait

Product Name: Frozen W/R Sardine for Market / Bait purpose

Specification: 6-10 pcs/kg, BQF, Light Purse Seine, Land Frozen

#2 Sardine 6-10 pcs/kg Canning

Product Name: Frozen W/R Sardine for Canning purpose

Specification: 6-10 pcs/kg, BQF, Trawl, Land Frozen

#3 Scad (Horse Mackerel) 8-10 pcs/kg Market

Product Name: Frozen W/R Scad (Horse Mackerel) for Market purpose

Specification: 8-10 pcs/kg, BQF, Light Purse Seine, Land Frozen

Kindly let us know the name of your destination port. More products information including pictures and price will be sent according to your respond.

Thanks and warmly regards.

And there it right there, once again, showing quite clearly, that if it were not for the Chinese boats being apprehended and sent home, there would have definitely NOT been so many sards as there are this year.

And it has only just started!!!

Sharks in the shorebreak during sards season 2020

Sards being netted on the KZN South Coast of South Africa

A bumper sardine run 2020 leaves some unanswered but relevant questions about our annual sardine migration and who gets to harvest and who are in lockdown

Mature Tiger Shark released with satellite tag swims away

A big thank you to OJ Communications and her efforts to bring us the amazing imagery of the local photographers best sardine work of 2020. Justin Klusener features prominently, their pics are all credited at original publication on The Sardine News.

We are on Facebook right here, we run an action-packed YouTube video channel right here.

By The Sardine News

Posted on June 26, 2020June 29, 2020 by Sean Lange — 4 Comments

So why do the sardine shoals not come at all some years?

So why do the sardine shoals not come at all some years?: Well I got a call from Mr Adam Kamdar of Township Hyper yesterday evening. Great dude and really in the know in the fishing scene. I had guests and dogs and things going and I could hardly hear, but his question went along the lines of…

“Sean, do you think this Covid thing was the cause of the bumper sardine run?”

Well ok that pushed just about all my buttons, so here is the full answer Adam…

AIS

AIS is the theme to this quasi-sardine report compiled as a result of the big question Adam has posed.

You can download an AIS App to your phone. There are many and they are free for the most. They show you, where the big and ugly fishing trawlers are. Right on your phone!

AIS.

Automatic Identification System. A great effort, and if everyone played along, saves lives (collision avoidance), and sealife (real-time tracking data to catch poachers fishing illegally).

BUT.

And this is a big BUT.

If you are a poacher, you can turn your AIS transponder, right the hell OFF! With a switch!

So this is how they do it then. When pair-trawling (the most destructive of all the illegal fishing methods), one of the collaborators, turns off. Easy as that. If the fleet ventures, in a group (read commercial fishing high-tech armada), then as they get near protected waters, one or two of them turns off, and enters the forbidden zone.

This happens ALL the time. The Sardine News tried to start a trawler watch to log sightings of suspect activity – but there is so much of it, that we got bogged right down right as we started. This was in Mozambique where these ugly boats are literally EVERYWHERE now.

Sardine Run 2020

Whilst we were imprisoned in lockdown thanks to our sheep governments interpretation of convid19, the Chinese/Japanese/Whoever fleets were plying the waters the whole time! Where? Slap bang on the sardine migration path. The AIS charts looked like a rugby scrum.

And if you have been in St. Francis this time of year, any year, you can smell the sardines from the harbor for miles around. Go sniffing around there for yourselves. Huge loads of sardines. Wonder where they go? And whose were they in the first place?

Whoever they are and wherever they are from, they are ALL rigged with the latest in navigation and depth-sounding equipment. Utilising sonar pulses pumped out by a high-powered transducer, they can detect and chase a shoal of sardines 12 or more miles away! And with their huge capacity and tethers to a mother ship lurking around the area somewhere, that is also a factory ship – that drops CANNED sardines off at the wharf – what chance does the public ever have of getting their share, in the usually slow years of sardine running?

So…

Did Convid19 affect the sardine run this merry 2020?

Nope. It’s a bumper sardine run like we always dream of. It’s beyond perfect. The gamefish have arrived. Sharks are getting their teeth pulled. The weather is fantastic and ecological patterns are in place. Those pundits that complain year after year are completely silent.

Only. They just don’t get it.

AIS.

Shows that there were fleets of fishing boats fishing, directly in the path that the hapless sardines take right now during this sardine run 2020. Whilst we were in lockdown, there were commercial fishermen out there loading up! Enjoying a totally illegal, totally unnecessary lockdown, and infringement of our basic human right to freedom to fish as well!

My answer then is this. These boats remove the exact amount of tonnes and tonnes of sardines missing on our beaches – with this migration – each year. Only this time, there were just so many they couldn’t catch them all.

“Our” sardines?

Another interesting question.

BUT, one thing is for sure, if not for the bumper numbers that this year has given, the sardines hardly ever make it past Port Elizabeth, before they are all netted and frozen.

So, that leaves us back at square one. We have NO voice. It’s time to get political. If not that, then at least investigative in that we need to know why these ships are allowed to be plundering our sardines.

Whilst we are in lockdown!

Almost sounds like a conspiracy in theory.

Adam, my good mate, over to you…

Stay up-to-date with The Sardine News covering the goings-on, during this bumper sardine run in year 2020!

We are on Facebook right here, we run an action-packed YouTube video channel right here. Please like and subscribe to our channel on YouTube if you would like to encourage us to pump out more and more video. We have done really well recently with some great video produced in conjunction with the Fishing Pro Shops Johan Wessels – chasing sardines down in the Port Shepstone area. We got out to sea twice and caught a bunch of gamefish in the surf zone, and in the Umzimkulu River Estuary. Click on over to our YouTube video channel right here. And please consider a Like and Subscribe. Thank you

By The Sardine News

Posted on June 15, 2020June 16, 2020 by Olivia Jones — Leave a comment

Sardine activity 2020 increases on the KZN South Coast

And it’s a big thank you to OJ Communications and UGU Tourism for penning up yet another super-informative and well-illustrated Sardine Activity 2020 report – Editor
15 June 2020

Sardine activity 2020 increases on the KZN South Coast as winter chill sets in

Ugu South Coast Tourism (USCT) is excited to report more sardine action on the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) South Coast today (Monday, 15 June), following the weekend’s cold spell. The Sardine Run is an annual attraction whereby sardine shoals move northwards along the coastline, attracting marine life and seine netters. The KZN South Coast benefits from the Sardine Run action being close to the shore, and this year the little fish have already brought a lot of ocean action.

“We’ve had great weather today with spectacular visibility in all directions,” said Noel McDonogh, pilot at World of Wings Flight School, who has been busy taking magnificent aerial shots of the Sardine Run activity. “We’ve spotted sardine shoals off Scottburgh’s Back Beach with many sharks trailing the fish, and whales breaching between Clansthal and Aliwal Shoal. There have been bull sharks, more than 3 metres in length, spotted among the fish; and a southern right whale seen just one kilometre off the Scottburgh beachfront.”

With recreational fishing and seine netting now allowed under Level 3 – with relevant permits – seine netters have been very busy catching sardines. Today, netting took place at Pennington and Scottburgh with large numbers of gannets, sharks, whales dolphins pursuing the bait balls. The sardine run, and associated ‘sardine fever’, is usually a big drawcard for tourism on the KZN South Coast, and USCT is pleased to be able to welcome recreational anglers back to its shores at this time.

Keep up-to-date with all the Sardine Run videos and details by following ‘South Coast Tourism’ on Facebook and @infosouthcoast on Twitter. For more information about the KZN South Coast and USCT, visit www.visitkznsouthcoast.co.za or download the free ‘Explore KZN South Coast’ app to find a local supplier.

High resolution images are available upon request.

IMAGE CREDIT: Noel McDonogh / Wow Flight School

CAPTION: Ugu South Coast Tourism (USCT) is excited about the return of sardine fever to the South Coast. Shoals of sardines were sighted off the KZN South Coast today with netting taking place at Pennington and Scottburgh. Dolphins, sharks and gannets were seen pursuing the bait balls. The sardine run is usually a big tourism drawcard for the South Coast and they are pleased to welcome recreational anglers back to their shores. World of Wings microlight pilot Noel McDonagh shared these images of a birds’ eye view of the action.

/ENDS

About Ugu South Coast Tourism

Ugu South Coast Tourism (USCT) is the official destination management organisation of the Ugu District Municipality in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), South Africa. The Ugu District comprises four local municipalities that include Umdoni, Umzumbe, Umuziwabantu and Ray Nkonyeni. USCT’s mandate is to grow tourism within the KZN South Coast. This involves implementing marketing and development initiatives that are aimed at showcasing the diverse offerings and experiences of the South Coast as tourist destination. A board of directors oversees USCT, headed by CEO, Phelisa Mangcu.

About KZN South Coast

Known as the ‘Paradise of the Zulu Kingdom’, the KZN South Coast stretches 120 kilometres from Scottburgh to Port Edward and inland to Harding. Here, the spirit of adventure can be discovered among the many cultural experiences, as well as the 35 nature trails and 58 beaches, ideal for activities like river rafting, abseiling, suspension bridges, paintball, surfing, SUP, canoeing, beach horse rides, shark cage diving and free diving. Nicknamed ‘The Golf Coast’, there are 11 golf courses on the KZN South Coast ranging in difficulty, with endless hiking, mountain biking and 4×4 trails for more rugged excursions. Promoting sustainability, the KZN South Coast has a growing agri-tourism sector that offers world-class produce and hosts tours and excursions. The region boasts a number of permanently managed Blue Flag beaches, and is home to some of the world’s top diving sites, Aliwal Shoal and Protea Banks. The originality continues with the annual Sardine Run, coined the #GreatestShoalonEarth, which is the largest biomass migration on earth and a marvel to witness. The region’s many nature reserves are inhabited by indigenous bird and wildlife, and it holds the title for ‘smallest desert on earth’, The Red Desert in Port Edward. The KZN South Coast is a fast-emerging MICE destination which also plays host to a number of high-profile events including the The Bike Fest, Uvukile Gospel Festival, Ugu Jazz, Ugu Film Festival and the South Coast Fever MTB & Trail Run Series.

Issued on behalf of:

Ugu South Coast Tourism (USCT)

Disseminated by:
Olivia Jones Communications

For more information please contact:
Olivia Jones Communications
Cell: 083 653 1720
Email: media@oliviajones.co.za

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

We are on Facebook right here, we run an action-packed YouTube video channel right here.

By The Sardine News

20kg Garrick story by The Bear

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So this is where our sards go!

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So why do the sardine shoals not come at all some years?

AIS

Sardine Run 2020

“Our” sardines?

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