Sardine Run 2016 around the corner!

“The red hot pokers have bloomed” – Louis Wolmarans (uttered every year, over and over, like a chant).

Louis, long time surfing guru on the KZN South Coast, is amping for the waves each year. When the aloes bloom in their red splendour each year, it marks the beginning of the surfing season. And the sardine run 2016 too! An odd combination of events considering their mutual denominator – sharks!

The hills through the Transkei and surrounds are covered red with the flower of the aloe. Temperatures have dropped. And the swells have been coming through huge! Few surfers made it out at the big waves spots, and it looks like more to follow as cold fronts line up across the Atlantic, marching methodically and with purpose.

But big swells and sardines do go together. The ocean in its wild eastern seaboard state, confuses the little fish as they make their way north. Often the sardines beach in the wildest conditions.

But the ocean is still very warm, and even though confirmed reports of sardines have been made deeper into the Transkei – we still have a while to go.

In a month or so, things should be really humming!

In the meantime, enjoy this spectacular underwater video clip of a bunch of gannets, completely at home underwater, swimming from aisle to aisle as they load up in the gannet supermarket, 5 metres down. They are competing with common dolphin – beautiful with their contrasting colours, and of course sharks.

If this kind of thing gets you going, hop on over to offshoreportstjohns.com or divingwithsharks.co.za and login with Rob or Debbie for some up close and personal sardine action. They do specialised sardine run diving trips and ocean safari style outings, right from where all the action is – Port St. Johns.