SNOEK FEVER: Durban KZN – After months of no spearfishing and having had to move back to JHB in 2022, I thought my diving days are finally over. Until November of 2023 when me and my hubby decided it’s time to catch a break. And we also had the Umhlanga Spearfishing Club End Year Function that was coming up so this would be the perfect time to go to Durban.
Arriving in Durban the weather caught us by surprise, it was raining almost every day. It wasn’t the rain that kept us from diving but the big swells that came through with the rain. I kept thinking to myself was I even going to get a chance to get in the water or was it all for nothing? So we decided to wait for the weather to clear and hopefully see if there were any diveable water around. And then one morning when the sun came out my hubby said to me it’s time to pack our dive gear and drive up coast to go look for diveable water hopefully the swell would’ve dropped too.
As we drove up coast all you could see was rivers that had popped and dirty water pouring into the ocean. We drove past Tinley Manor and the water started looking a lot better. We then went to this one isolated beach and my hubby said to me this is it. It’s now or never. As we were gearing up the tide started rising and you could see some clean water about 2 kilometers from the beach pushing in. We swam out past backline and the reefs were quiet, just the local small reef fishies hanging around. We then drifted with the current to this one ledge where the water colour changed to a blue 7m. This was as clean as it could get. We reef hooked on the ledge and waited.
Then suddenly my eyes caught a flash coming in from the side, at first I thought it was my hubby’s fins or something and then I saw it. A big shoal of Natal Snoek (Queen Mackerel) came cruising past me. I dove down and was amazed to see such a healthy shoal of fish, lined up my gun as best as I could and took a shot. As I surfaced I thought I had missed and then my reel went crazy, adrenaline kicked in and I knew I had Snoek Fever.
I slowly pulled the line giving the fish enough slack to tire itself out. It quickly got tired and was easy to pull in towards me. When I grabbed him by the gills and was so stoked to have finally shot my first Natal Snoek. I then euthanized it and put it on the stringer. We drifted for a couple more hours and another shoal passed, at this point I was already exhausted and ready to get out.
My hubby also got a snoek and he could see that I was getting tired so we decided to swim back to the beach. I could feel that I was unfit from not being able to dive in such a long time but it was all worth it in the end, this fish had been on my bucketlist for so long and I was overly grateful for it. As we got to our guesthouse I immediately filleted my fish and put it in the freezer.
When we got back home in JHB I knew that my kids were going to be so happy to have some fresh fish for dinner, so I prepared some battered fish for them and they ate all of it. I can’t wait to get back in Durban again.
by Christal Botes
MYDO Queen MackerelLooks like queen mackeral!
“Whoohooo Christal what a lekka article! Plus you can read it to your kids every night as their best bedtime story too!” – Xona
Must see FILM ‘Becoming Visible’ by Janet Solomon: heeding the call! Of the whales, dolphins and all other marine life subject to the horrors of massive sonar arrays used to speculate for oil and gas. Right here in our very own waters.
The Story
Highlights how politics and poli’tricks’ are the ocean and its inhabitants’ biggest threat. Threat to their survival. And the absolute threat of extinction. If we damage but a few generations of our slow-growing cetaceans, we can easily bring that population to its knees.
Follow the link below to learn a whole of the reality going on behind the scenes. At government level. That allows this kind of tragic loss of marine life to happen. Click the following link to watch the movie on their website.
Having never met this wonderfully talented and inspired person, I can only shower my praises upon her. And the masterful work she has put together.
This stuff takes years. Not hours. And the extreme levels of pure journalism that Janet went to, to record all the relevant in-depth information shines through.
Share
This work needs to be shared far and wide. And only we can do this. Please share this movie with whatever button you can find…on your phone or computer.
And let’s not allow this to happen to the marine life depending on us to stop the government right now…
Humpbacks are intimately affected by powerful sonar pulses used to find oil and gas in this movie by Janet SolomonHumpbacks are intimately affected by powerful sonar pulses used to find oil and gas in this movie by Janet SolomonHumpbacks are intimately affected by powerful sonar pulses used to find oil and gas in this movie by Janet SolomonWhale Sharks are also high on the victim listJuvenile humpback whale with mother at Sunwich Port
Third wave of sardines have hit the beach in Durban!
Third wave of sardines have hit the beach in Durban! Adam Kamdar has his finger right on the pulse of each and every sardine as they try to get past Durban. Adam reports for a number of media outlets that count on him daily for sardine, and fishing updates.
And just yesterday Adam sent in the following pics…
Pics by Adam Kamdar
Third wave of sardines hit Durban
Adam Kamdar reporting right from the beach at Durban. As the third wave of sardines hit.
Adam (who has been in Durban his entire life) has been through a number of sardine runs. Many of us have. And we all sit comfortably on the sidelines as the chaos of sardine fever first hits. Knowing full well that the sards come in many waves.
Starting with the pilot shoals – usually being hounded by gamefish and cetaceans. Birds.
Then come the bigger shoals and these are normally being herded by all of the above plus the entire shark population of Africa. Millions of seabirds check-in now too. The cetaceans become more numerous and varied. Seals even pull in from the Cape. These shoals seem to just get bigger and bigger until…they vanish!
Sometimes for a week. Sometimes a month. Even two months. But there is always a far more calm and controlled third wave of sardines to chase.
Fishing Roundup during this third wave of sardines
Garrick and kob time. Obviously, the Port St. Johns fiasco continues as a powerless DAFF grapple with the immense and dangerous task at hand – stopping the jiggers.
There are very many small, er, tiny kob around too. Not to be confused with little snappers or snotties. Snotties, which are delicious and only grow to about 2 or 3kgs, have THREE distinct teeth. Sharp ones. These are the ONLY small salmon/kob/whatever, that you can catch.
Put ALL the rest back please!
Some large grunter have been on the menu, it’s all about the bait though. Very fussy fish those guys.
There are some shad about too, again, nobody checking so it’s still a free-for-all. Phone DAFF if you see any criminal activity or bag limits being exceeded. DAFF need all the help they can get.
There are lots of blacktails in the gulleys and in the shorebreaks. Zebra fish too.
Border Spearfishing Event
Every year, every spearo in Southern Africa eagerly seeks out one of the coveted invites to the Border annual spearfishing event. Held in the Transkei, the event is limited to limit the ecological damage an open spearfishing compo could cause.
But hell they got some nice fish…Jason Heyne penned up the story.
All Systems Go for 2021 Ballito Pro Presented By O’Neill7TH – 18TH JULY 2021
Events: Men – 2021 Ballito Pro Pres. By O’Neill ( WSL – QS5000) Women – Ballito Pro Pres. By O’Neill ( WSL – QS1000) Juniors – O’Neill SS Smth Shapes Rookie Rippers Pro Juniors (WSL – JQS1000 Men and Women) 55th O’Neill Ballito South African Surfing Championships
The Ballito Pro Presented By O’Neill, the world’s longest-running professional surfing event, will become the premier event for South Africa and the African continent on the World Surf League (WSL) and Surfing South Africa (SSA) calendar for 2021, showcasing the best Men, Women and Juniors surfing at Willard Beach in KwaDukuza from 7-18 July 2021. Within the ambit of the current global pandemic, the 52nd edition of the Ballito Pro Pres. By O’Neill will be a Qualifying Series (QS) 5,000 rated event. Athletes from all over the African continent are expected to participate including Morocco, Senegal, Cote d’Ivoire, Namibia, Mozambique and Zimbabwe, Covid-19 travel restrictions dependent.
The 96-strong entry field provides local WSL Africa members with coveted ranking points, in addition to earning well-deserved prize money. This world-class competition will have a notable impact on the QS rankings and presents an opportunity for the top five South Africans to qualify for the Challenger Series campaign in 2022. The Ballito Pro Pres. By O’Neill will retain its high season and favourable surf conditions within the South African school holiday period of July 2021. Competitors in the Ballito Women’s Pro pres. By O’Neill QS1,000 will be awarded prize money and points on the WSL Africa regional rankings. Surfers in the U18 Division of the O’Neill SS Smth Shapes Rookie Junior Pro (JQS1,000) will be striving for the prestigious WSL title. These surfers will aim for a strong start to the season as a good result could see them competing in the WSL World Junior Championships at the end of 2021. The U12 to U16 surfers will compete in the event as part of the SA Surf Tour and will earn prize money and ratings points for their efforts.
“As the KwaDukuza Municipality we are very pleased to implement one of our key Tourism Recovery element by supporting the retention of Ballito Pro presented by our partners O’Neill. The adopted 2020 KwaDukuza Socio-Economic Recovery Plan identified the retention of this event in the new normal, as the launching pad for our digital destination marketing strategy focusing in attracting domestic and international tourism. The livestreaming of this event local and international will contribute immensely in reminding and keeping KwaDukuza Tourism Brand in the mind of would be tourist.
The KwaDukuza Municipality calls all our private sector partners and our tourism establishments to embraces the 2021 Pro Ballito event which will be delivered strictly in line with the COVID 19 Health and Safety Protocols, whilst ensuring that it remains one of the top 5 KZN prime sports tourism event. We thank our sponsors and partners who continue to provide their support and resources to making this event a successful event for the region and the whole country. We look forward to hosting the prestigious 55th Surfing South Africa Championships for the first time in KwaDukuza and wish welcome all districts to our region for this completion.” – Mayor of KwaDukuza. “On behalf of O’Neill, we are extremely proud and honoured to be involved in the Ballito Pro again this year. It has been an extremely tough two years for all competitive surfers and I am very excited to see such a prestigious and integral event on the South African Surfing calendar go ahead once again. I would also like to extend a huge thank you to the KwaDukuza Municipality for their continued support of the Ballito Pro and surfing in South Africa.” – Brand Director Paul Canning (Sector Group). “With the disappointment of no events in 2020 behind us, we are excited to be able to host a world class event like the Ballito Pro Pres. By O’Neill.
South Africa’s young surfers are hungry to make an impact on the QS and a good result at this prestigious event could catapult you into the big league. We look forward to another spectacular event. Our sincere thanks and praise to the KwaDukuza Municipality, the sponsors and all the residents of Ballito for welcoming us back to their wonderful town and magnificent beaches.” – WSL Africa Regional Manager Colin Fitch. This year will also welcome the South African Surfing Championships, being hosted on the shores of Ballito for the first time in history. Ninety-six South African men and women representing eight Districts will compete for the prestigious Men’s and Women’s titles and the historic Presidents Cup at the O’Neill Ballito 55th South African Surfing Championships. The annual competition is the longest running surfing tournament in South Africa and Africa, and one of the longest running National Championships in the world. First held in 1965 at Kommetjie in Cape Town, the contest attracted a handful of surfers from Durban, Cape Town and Port Elizabeth. It was won by Natal, with the iconic Durban surfer George Thompson clinching the first of his four National titles.
As surfing in South Africa grew, more surfers and teams participated in the SA Championships, hosted by different venues each year. The event included an Open division for Men and Women, as well as a Junior and Masters Division. Up until 2001, the KZN team dominated the SA Championship, winning the Presidents Cup 30 times with Western Province winning it on six occasions. In 2002 Border/Buffalo City won the Presidents Cup for the first time and repeated this feat seven times, and they are the current defending champions. Since 2002 KZN/eThekweni have won the Presidents Cup five more times with WP/Cape Town and EP/Nelson Mandela Bay each winning it twice. KZN/Ugu have only tasted victory once. The South African Surfing Championships has been held in Durban, Cape Town, East London, Jeffreys Bay, Seal Point, St Michaels on Sea, Victoria Bay, Mossel Bay, Trafalgar and Richards Bay.
2021 will see this event for the first time on the shores of Ballito, KwaDukuza. Heather Clark of Ugu Surfriders is the overall individual South African title holder with eight National titles and Greg Emslie of Buffalo City holds the record in the Men’s Division with five National titles. Most of South Africa’s top surfers have won at least one South African Championship title. The most notable exceptions are 1977 ASP world Champion and five time Gunston 500 winner Shaun Tomson and 1978 ISA World Champion Ant Brodowicz. This year’s event will feature eight District teams, six men and four women, featuring a total of 96 competitors. These surfers would have competed in a series of trials within their Districts in order to be selected to represent their District at the national level. The Western Cape Districts are Cape Town Surfriders, Cape Winelands Surfriders and Eden Surfriders. Nelson Mandela Bay Surfriders and Buffalo City Surfriders will represent the Eastern Cape and the KZN Province will feature host district Ilembe Surfriders as well as eThekweni Surfriders and Ugu Surfriders. “Surfing South Africa is stoked to be associated with the Ballito Pro in the form of our annual South African Surfing Championships.
The 55th edition of this iconic event is particularly important as it determines the South African Men and Women’s Champions and decides which District will take home the coveted Presidents Cup. Surfing South Africa is proud that despite the tough year the World and South Africa has endured, we are able to celebrate our 55th National Championship in Ballito for the first time. We are grateful to the KwaDukuza Municipality for putting their faith in us and we are confident that the athletes who have been competing in selection trials in order to be included in their District teams will embrace the opportunity to sample Ballito’s famous surf.” Robin de Kock – General Manager, Surfing South Africa.
The Ballito Pro Pres. By O’Neill 2021 will continue to host developmental surf contests and invitational showcases, not only celebrating the legacy of the sport, but to create a platform and opportunities for all communities within our region and country as a whole. The surfing competitions will be supported by a tailor-made festival programme within the Ballito and KwaDukuza region presenting the region’s best experiences and entertainment programme featuring music, arts, recreational activities and hospitality within the beautiful natural environment of the North Coast.
Image from 2019 of O’Neill surfer Dylan Lightfoot. Credit: WSL/Ryan Janssens
About Surfing South Africa
Surfing South Africa is the official National Federation for surfing in South Africa. SSA is a member of the South African Confederation of Sport and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) and is recognised as the governing body by the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture.
Surfing South Africa is responsible for the development of the sport, the hosting of National tournaments, the sanctioning of International events and the selection of National teams in all the disciplines that are part of SSA.
SSA is one of the 146 members of the International Surfing Association (ISA), the World governing body for the sport.
About the WSL
Established in 1976, the World Surf League (WSL) is the home of the world’s best surfing.
A global sports, media and entertainment company, the WSL oversees international tours and competitions, a studios division creating over 500+ hours of live and on-demand content, and via affiliate WaveCo, the home of the world’s largest high performance, human-made wave. Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, the WSL has regional offices in North America, Latin America, Asia Pacific, and EMEA.
The WSL annually crowns the men’s and women’s surfing World Champions. The global Tours and Competition division oversees and operates more than 180 global contests each year across the Championship Tour, the development tiers, including the Challenger, Qualifying and Junior Series, as well as longboard and big wave properties.
Launched in 2019, WSL Studios is an independent producer of unscripted television projects, including documentaries and series, which provide unprecedented access to athletes, events, and locations around the world. WSL events and content are distributed on linear television in over 743M+ homes worldwide and across digital and social media platforms around the world, including WorldSurfLeague.com.
WaveCo includes the Surf Ranch Lemoore facility and the utilizing and licensing of the Kelly Slater Wave System.
The WSL is dedicated to changing the world through the inspirational power of surfing by creating authentic events, experiences, and storytelling to inspire a growing, global community to live with purpose, originality, and stoke.
For more information, please visit WorldSurfLeague.com.
Issued on behalf of: The 2021 Ballito Pro Presented By O’Neill Disseminated by: Olivia Jones Communications
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The ‘Cuda have made their annual pilgrimage to down south and some great catches are filtering through.
The first real action was by Happy Hooker who got two proper fish, nice and early on. Way down off Seaprk somewhere. Then the Niteshift got one in the same place the following weekend. Story and video here.
Matt Wainwright then got a live mackerel down the gullet of a nice fish. His fish came in at 15kgs.
But Dave Phillips off Durban has been having the most fun. On his ski. On his first submission he flashed us his first ‘Cuda of the season. A really nice fish seen below. Then a few fays later, Dave banged it out there for another ‘Cuda and three Natal Snoek! The Snoekies couldn’t resist Dave’s little Mydo SS Shad spoon.
Hopefully this weather will improve and we can expect some more ‘cuda action this April.
And then over to the spearos, who have also been seeing a few.
‘Couta in the news underwater too…report by Jason Heyne
The diving conditions have average this week with one or two day’s being excellent. Wahoo, ‘couta and snoek are the main fish on the menu this week and rumours have it that the garrick are off the kei. Well done Wickus on getting fish of the week a new HUC club record Queen Fish at 10.47kg. As always dive safe and straight spears
Send your catch photos and stories to The Sardine News and contribute to the collection of goings on fishing, surfing and diving wise up and down our coast. Click here to submit online, or email umzimkulu@gmail.com anytime.
