Sardine Run from a spearo’s POV: video by Breathless

Sardine Run from a spearo’s POV: video by Breathless

Featured image by Ryan Daly.

The Sardine Run from a spearo’s POV: video by Breathless. In as much as this year has been really good (so far anyway ha ha), during all the many years gone by, where pundits have mourned the lack of sardines on the beach – what they don’t realise, is that the sardine run actually takes place beyond the backline.

For real. They only come into the channels, then the shorebreak, and finally the beach – when all the stars line up. But out behind the breakers, that’s where it all actually goes down.

Breathless is a new Vlog on the old YouTube and they are doing a fantastic job! This video is filled with action right from the outset. Launching out through under the bridge at Hibberdene. KZN South Coast. Being dragged into the shorebreak by tractor, negotiating the surf launch – and finally – sardines!

And sharks!

And gamefish. The first of which was a sardine crammed snoek who just never paid any attention and caught a spear for it. Then the sharks come into the scene. With one particularly cheeky looking guy – see if you can spot him in amongst all the other more peaceful players. This is the one that will bite you by mistake. Or maybe even on purpose. But the video is a great study in overall and general shark behaviour during the sardine run. It is probably, to me anyway, about 95% of the zambies, blacktips and coppers, are cool. But, and this is a big but, that 5% are testosterone addled zombies and do not play by the rules. Those are the ones you got to keep actively looking for. They swim different. And their fins point down. That’s the one to watch.

As for tigers, whites and makos – well luckily there ain’t none of them in this line-up. Nor that real punk – the oceanic white tip. And the really stupid blue shark. It seems there are a lot less of these open ocean travelers getting in amongst the sardines these days. Because back when I first jumped in with fins and a mask (holding tightly onto Darrell Hattinghs coat tails – late 80s), we had these morons to deal with a lot more. Perhaps this is ANOTHER contributing factor to the abundance of sardines this year – that all those commercial ships way out deep during lockdown, were actually, as said by Greg Christy, catching sharks and tuna. By the shipload. Lets chalk up yet another theory amongst the many sardine theories floating about these days. The truth is out there! (thank you Prof Simon).

But ok, enjoy the really cool video by Breathless, and don’t forget to Like and Subscribe to their channel. It’s one trillion times better than ANYTHING on TV (box of lies).

And there you have it. If you hear someone complaining that the sardines never swam up the beach this year – tell them to swim out a couple hundred metres and see what happens!

Breathless. Keep up the damn good work pal!

And Ryan Daly, thank you for your amazing chronicling by camera…this Sardine Run 2020. What a sardine run actually looks like.

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