Big South Swells on the March in May #kzn #ocean #conditions #sardinerun2025
BIG South Swells Marching In May: That was a really decent cold front – whipping up quite a big open ocean swell. That doesn’t ever really get in at Durban or even the north and south coasts.
This big old rolling swell is angled parallel to the coast. Not so good for surfers at all. But marvelous for the ‘Surfing Sardines’. You can watch that video by Kevin Touhy by following the thumbnail in the end screen section of the video.
Sardines and Sightings
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HUGE GT at Tongaat PLUS KZN Sea Conditions: WOW what a fish! And the fishing is getting hotter and hotter all over the place. This time of the year, gamefish and others make the pilgrimage to KZN and the Eastern Cape from all over the place. In anticipation of the coming sardine run.
Thank you Adam Kamdar for the Durban timelapse…and congratulations to the stoked angler on his trophy GT…
Good morning & thank you Adam in Durban for doing another time lapse showing us clearly that the southwest is pomping pomping through it’s gonna blow it’s been blowing already it’s even rained last night here a little bit in the south coast today we’ve got a 1 0 1 6 and rising barometer so we have got a east coming later sometime anyway it’s quite cold 16 to 19 and the swell is reasonable at the moment check Durban’s cooking actually and then um later on the swell goes to south south west off the south east angle that Durban likes and check at those clouds moving thanks Adam alright we’re in Tongaat this is a funny funny clip you’re gonna enjoy this guy I’m gonna tell you as I take you through the tides quickly as high tide in the morning and low tide at lunchtime and and high tide in the evening again okay don’t forget to like and subscribe and possibly join if you wanna catch the sardines OUT! Kiki grab it grab it wait wait wait wait yeah put it put it out of the rock here pull pull pull pull you’re a big fatt boy hey yes yes yes yes yes hey oh oh oh oh oh boss boy what boss boy yes yes oh oh oh hey hey hey hey hey yes hahaha
GT Gallery
Sardines and Sightings
Join the Sardine News HOTLINE for 2025 and Neva Miss a Single Sardine!
CLICK HERE TO JOIN as a Member on YouTube, and receive all these perks…
Member of WhatsApp Sardine News HOTLINE, access to restricted content on thesardine.co.za, LIVE from the Beach and direct contact with the Sardine Spy network.
Check out our annual Sardine Run Map too. This is a real groovy way to follow the progress of the sardines each year.
You can also 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…
MayDay Report by Alan at The Block: HAPPY MAYDAY! The first day of May is filled with promise as a big south-west cold front is dropping the barometer hard right now. The BIG blow we expect could come at any time and Robbie down in Coffee Bay reckons yesterday was wild and wooly as it gets. Gale force gusts and pouring rain to boot.
Over to Alan in the calm before the storm…down the coast in Port Shepstone.
“Guys at The Block again water colours not bad hey not bad but there’s no fish coming out at the moment all the fish and more fish and more fish and more believe the bit of a swirling action going on in the water so I’m not sure but anyway starting to improve it’s really looking a little bit better we’ll see what happens there should be some snappers around one of these days and maybe a shed or two enjoy your day a few moments later..”
Thanks Alan!
Sardines and Sightings
Join the Sardine News HOTLINE for 2025 and Neva Miss a Single Sardine!
CLICK HERE TO JOIN as a Member on YouTube, giving all these perks
Member of WhatsApp Sardine News HOTLINE, access to restricted content on thesardine.co.za, LIVE from the Beach and direct contact with the Sardine Spy network.
Check out our annual Sardine Run Map too. This is a real groovy way to follow the progress of the sardines each year.
And 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…
GoDive Following The Sardines to Cintsa Today: the sardines are on the move. They are still busy congregating and as we move north, tighter and tighter shoals and baitballs will form. As the predators line up and set their ambush strategies. Lotsa co-operation between the sharks, dolphins and gannets as these main players jockey and jostle the sardines into order.
Over to GoDive Dive Master checking in with Elton…following the sardines today…
“How’s it Elton um so winds picking up today um I don’t think we’re gonna gonna launch today um so we’ll be doing uh wheel bearings brakes everything get the cars and trailers uh ready for for Cintsa um yeah it was it was a lekka PE trip but uh just wish we had some stable bait balls um yeah sardines were quite scattered um I think going up to Cintsa is gonna be a good idea have them funneled funneled into a smaller search area that would help a lot as well um but yeah we had some brydes whales uh humpback dolphins uh common dolphins bottlenose dolphins and uh actually first time that I’ve ever seen uh two pilot whales um so we’ve spoken to the other guys around here sometimes they they do come into the into the bay um so yeah my first time um and I’m pretty sure quite of a quite a few of our clients first time ever seeing one as well um so yeah that was quite awesome but I do think uh since it’s gonna be a bit better um just hoping for some some stable bait balls that stay inside instead of the the kind of scattered deeper sardines so just a quick update thanks man”
Thanks for the update, team, and we are so looking forward to hearing about your first dive in the Cintsa area!
First Garrick of the 2025 Season!
And we got our first Garrick of the season I’m pretty sure you get them before April and I’ve shot them in February by mistake once but the main thing is this is the beginning April the 30th it’s a lovely Garrick caught at Port Edward Splash Rock I think Port Edward Splash Rock that’s what the source told me and I haven’t got a name but it was definitely today so gear up it’s on it’s on there are sardines at Cintsa it’s all happening don’t forget to like and subscribe and check out the membership offer join the hotline Ciao Ciao
Sardines and Sightings
Join the Sardine News HOTLINE for 2025 and Neva Miss a Single Sardine!
CLICK HERE TO JOIN as a Member on YouTube, giving all these perks including the HOTLINE and direct contact with the Sardine Spy network.
Check out our annual Sardine Run Map! 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…
Humpback Whales in Durban Already for Sardine Run 2025
Humpback Whales in Durban Already for Sardine Run 2025: after all the excitement of the Durban Skiboat Club Festival, we then had a brace of humpback whales enter the fray.
The following diagram I got whilst working with the erstwhile Dr. Oz Goffman, as he maps out the family trees and DNA sequences of these mighty ocean roamers. As you can see, there are distinct separate populations hanging down south. Dr. Oz knows most of these guys by name, and he has been tailing them around the southern and Indian oceans for decades.
What you can deduce from this diagram and its relevance today is that these whales do not necessarily have to go to Hermanus first to start their migration up north to Mozambique and Madagascar. Nope, they can hit the coast anywhere, coming in at a square ninety degrees to the coast.
Interestingly, Durban got them first this year! They must have been reading that Sardine News and getting way too excited way too early in the game!
Humpback Whales arriving Durban very early this 2025Durban Sunrise in April with Cold Front Clouds Looming as the Ocean RecoversHumpback Whales in Durban
These whales are on a migration up this way to give birth and nurture their young in the safety of the bland tropical waters as opposed to the predator-filled southern oceans where they normally hang out. Adults teaching their whale pups to smash the water with their fins and tails can be observed through the delightful wintertime time that the humpbacks are here for.
But they also eat sardines! Read all about that right here. Or watch the movie right here…featuring sardine aficionado Kevin Touhy right on the sardine scene down in the deep Transkei Wild Coast. Get in touch with Kevin to check in to his lovely cottages and rondavels over this coming sardine season. I am heading down there soon too!
Sardines and Sightings
Check out our annual Sardine Run Map! 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…
