Categories: Report

Shoal of Sardines off Mazeppa

Which Way to Mazeppa Bay

Shoal of Sardines off Mazeppa

3km Shoal of Sardines off Mazeppa: Kevin in Qora Mouth, deep south Transkei, Wild Coast, is perfectly situated to give us the heads up we need this 2024 Sardine Run.

In this video, Kevin explains the interactions that go on between whales and sardines each year.

And then we get to chat about all the different whales we will be seeing at the Greatest Show on Earth this year and every year into the future.

Enjoy the report from just north of Mazeppa Bay, way down in the Transkei

Humpbacks

Contradictory to common belief, these guys eat a lot of sardines. They team up, surround the shoals, and force them together. Then take turns in taking mouthfuls, gorging themselves.

There are three distinct populations. B2 Humpback Whales: Dr. Oz Goffman (Head dolphin project of Haifa University -IMMRAC – The Recanati Institute for Maritime Studies/School of Marine Sciences) spends his life stalking and saving cetaceans of all kinds and in all places. But specifically these guys. The B2 population. And the C1 guys. These are the ever-entertaining humpback whale communities that visit us, and Mozambique, this time each year. (see graphic by Dr. Oz and colleagues below).

These guys even know the whales by name…

Brydes Whale

And be careful of these sardine gluttons. They have been known to take the odd diver by mistake. Luckily neoprene seems to turn them off and they regurgitate the snorkelers each time.

I am pretty sure that this is the guy that got Jonah.

Southern Right

These guys are also stated to be zoo-plankton feeders almost exclusively. But they love the sardine run too! Not nearly as common as the Humpback populations.

Minke

These little guys only get about 10m long or so. But they also love sardines! You’d be lucky to spot one or two of these rare cetaceans in amongst the more common Humpbacks.