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Video: Sardine Run 2017 – underwater whales and dolphins by Offshore Africa

Flying with Offshore Africa

Video: Sardine Run 2017 – underwater whales and dolphins by Offshore Africa

Video: Sardine Run 2017 – underwater whales and dolphins by Offshore Africa.

Check this daredevil underwater videography of cetaceans large and small, as they congregate for the annual sardine run.

The 2017 Sardine run has kicked off on schedule, with Offshore Africa bringing back and processing the world class video material shot by David Du Tigre – out at sea with Captain Rob Nettleton, just this week (early June 2017).

Offshore Africa have a few booking slots available for Sardine Run 2017. Going to sea with Rob and Debbie at this time of the year puts you in the game for all sorts of action. In amongst the patient whales and dolphins prowl the impatient sharks and gamefish. The bird flight is gathering force as they have been congregating in huge numbers – patrolling the coastline up and down, looking out for signs of sardines.

Read all about the action right here…

The Sardine Run – by Offshore Africa in Port St. Johns

and get in touch at this link…

Contact Offshore

Join and like Offshore Port St. Johns on Facebook…and get up-to-date posts as they happen…

https://www.facebook.com/offshoreafricaportstjohns/

Content by The Sardine News

Sardine Run 2017

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Transkei Sardine Report 2017: The calm before the storm

Transkei Sardine Report 2017: The calm before the storm

Transkei Sardine Report 2017: The calm before the storm – which is what does usually happen, before the sards pitch up.

Transkei Sardine Report 2017
Transkei Sardine Report 2017

Port Shepstone High School rugby star and pro fishing guide Mannie Gereiro is deep down the Wild Coast and reports good news in that the estuaries are fishing well. He is at Mgazana and will report the first sightings or action in to us.

The humpback whales have also arrived in full force, even up into Mozambique.

But at this point it’s all about the congregating birds and dolphins – and of course the plentiful other predators lying in ambush.

We also have spies at Mdumbi (pictured at left), and Offshore Africa in Port St. Johns are out there almost every day on their boats. If you would like to get really into the midst of the action, check them out at http://offshoreportstjohns.com or http://divingwithsharks.co.za

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Book your sardines now!

Book your sardines now!

Sardines! Coming fast!

Offshore Africa, The Sardine specialists down in The Transkei, have already started taking bookings, for their Sardine Run experience.

Which is…jump right in with them, sharks and all!

Make no mistake, it’s a military type operation, and Rob Nettleton and Debbie Smith, partners in the show, take it very seriously. Their combined experience adds up to decades on, and under the ocean. Heaps of this time surrounded by dangerous marine animals. It is this experience that allows the totally mind-blowing trips out to sea off Port St. Johns to happen. Coupled with reliable, fast boats, and well-trained skippers…the exhilarating ride out through the surf and up and down the awe inspiring Wild Coast, will never be forgotten.

Right from the word go, the adrenalin starts pumping. Loading up, and prepping the powerful RIBs growl into life, as the winter induced offshore wind pumps down the stupendously beautiful Umzimvubu Valley. The next thing your heart is in your mouth, as you face the most hardcore ride of your life – through the surf at the Port St. Johns river mouth! And out to sea!

Flying with Offshore
Flying with Offshore – Rob Nettleton at the helm

The sardines are easily spotted by the birds they attract. Seagulls, Gannets, Albatross, Skuas, Terns…they are all highly aware of the bounty at large. And where the sardines are, that’s where the dolphins, whales, sharks, fish…are.

Jump right in!

Yip! The next thing you are surrounded my marine wildlife. The clear blue waters reveal all. The entire food chain! Staying out of the food chain is not that difficult really, sticking together provides the single biggest advantage – confidence. Just float there calmly and observe the carefully controlled mayhem, as predators who normally are averse to each other, start to work as a Springbok team. Those poor sardines!

Enjoy this gallery from the 2015 Sardine Run…

There is more amazing imagery and video at this link…

http://offshoreportstjohns.com/?product=the-sardine-run-6-nights-5-days

 

Enjoy this cool video montage assembled from some of Rob and Debbies best footage, shot in and around Port St. Johns.

To get in touch with Offshore Africa…

http://offshoreportstjohns.com

https://web.facebook.com/offshoreafricaportstjohns/

 

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Sardine Run Report 1 July 2016

Sardines at Sunwich Port, on the lower south coast of KZN Natall

Sardine Run Report 1 July 2016

For a Sardine Run Report 1 July 2016, we have a few tidbits of encouraging information, from our undercover Sardine Agents, way down in the Transkei.

Robbie van Wijk is the deepest undercover, way down in Mdumbi. Where he has reported sporadic sardine activity, coming right into the bay at times. And then at Luandile around the bluff, and at Presley’s, sardines really put on a show for two days in a row, coming right in close, but not beaching. Shad and garrick were hammering the shoals and fishermen were hooked up all along the beach simultaneously. The staple breakfast of fresh shad has not stopped in the Mdumbi area for a while now. Robbie has also noted some great garrick and kob catches being made by locals and visitors alike.

Then moving up the coast, we have Debbie Smith and Rob Nettleton of Offshore Africa, in Port St. Johns. They are out to sea and in the water every day possible, and are having a great Sardine Run once again. It pays to be so far down the coast – getting in on the action so much earlier. Debbie reports that there are many, many shoals of sardines, but that they are scattered far and wide – all over the ocean. The predators seem not to be too interested, so maybe it’s that moon again. It’s not ideal for fish activity right now, but as the moon disappears this weekend – the stars may line up. She also reports 22 degrees water, with visibility varying between 6 and 10 metres, on their dives with sharks.

Then Jay Steenkamp works the area from Margate into the Transkei, connecting the dots for us. He has reported the usual shoals and shoals of baitfish. Mackerel, red eyes, and maasbanker, big and small, just everywhere. He has not reported in any sightings of sardines yet, but he feels the conditions are coming right day by day. He gets to fly in the NSB plane. Nothing gets past Jay. Not even the waves.

The Roosta in Umzumbe reported also that shad fishermen up and down were having a great time breaking the law and making a mess of the beaches. And the only sardines he saw were the ones strewn about the beach and rocks, still in plastic and boxes. Sies man.

Jason Heyne in the greater Durban area, also has his ear to the reef. Check out his informing and invaluably inspiring weekly spearfishing report, right here on thesardine.co.za, every week. Nothing to report. Yet.

And there we have it, as far as the sardines are concerned, we are on it with accurate and reliable reporting from all over a wide coverage area.

Check back soon…

And in the meantime – this is how we do The Sardine News, when it all goes down…flying with Captain John Marshall…Click HERE for fun!

 

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#RebuildJungleMonkey

#RebuildJungleMonkey

JungleMonkey_Ad

Any of us who have had the sheer pleasure of eating and partying at The Jungle Monkey in Port St. Johns, will have been reeling at the news, that the place burnt down.

Yip, a fire in the kitchen brough the bar, the restaurant, and the office down in flames.

Fortunately, the main house and all accommodation survived. Nobody got injured. But the loss is devastating and all has to be rebuilt from scratch.

This is a chance to pitch in and help – a financial donation from each of us will go far in helping The Jungle Monkeys get their place of work back in order and producing the amazing food, live entertainment, cold beer, hot coffee and laughs and smiles we all get from being at The Jungle Monkey.

Please click on over to their website, to see the damages, and pitch in!

Use #rebuildjunglemonkey wherever you can please!

Thank YOU!

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