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Half price on everything in Tofo

Everything in Tofo

Half price on everything in Tofo

Mercado do Tofo - half price everything in Tofo right now
Mercado do Tofo – half price everything in Tofo right now

Yip, it’s a half price on everything in Tofo this year…

Let me elaborate.

This exact time last year – R1 could get you 2.8 Meticals.

This time this year – R1 gets you 5.4 Meticals.

Click this link to see it as a graph…http://www.xe.com/currencycharts/?from=ZAR&to=MZN&view=1Y

In fact it was 5.7 a few weeks before Praveen Ghordan was almost lynched by the mob.

And it ain’t gonna change anytime soon, except for the metical worsening as our two governments vie for the title of worst performing currencies on the entire modern world, against the ever climbing US dollar.

Firstly, Praveen is back in, so the Rand looks to stabilise.

Secondly, and most importantly, the subterfuge deals thrown together by the Russians and the French for Mozambique, er Frelimo, to squander (read steal) BILLIONS, will never really be undone. There will always be a dark shadow over the metical thrown by these giants who slay small vulnerable countries like Mozambique, for breakfast.

So a bleak outlook for a bunch of innocent people here in Mozambique. Whilst Gubueza, the architect of the mess he left conveniently in time for Nyuse to wallow in, heads up corporates now, without batting en eyelid in recognition of what he has done to the people of Mozambique.

Prices have started to rise – but how can the people afford them? Electricity was hiked 20% lately. But for now, prices are staying the same. A 2M still costs 60 Mets in the market, even 50 in some shops. That’s uh, R10!

The two countries, the two beautiful and once prosperous countries, have gone to the dogs. Well, the ruling parties, at least. Who have pissed on every lamp post.

But without wondering if it was our fault for giving it all away to the multitudes – led once by the leader of all time, our Mandela, but now by errant puppies – just go on holiday and milk the situation for while it lasts.

Or before the Metical is replaced by the Yen, and the Rand by the Dollar.

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Skippers needed by The Sardine Team

We were contracted to sea and surf trial this boat from Maputo to Pomene and back. 14 Hours each way by The Sardine crew.

Skippers needed by The Sardine Team

The Sardine Chandling and Charter operation has been experiencing a busy run which looks to continue, and so we would like to build our database of skippers and guides, in time for next year.

We are only looking for highly experienced and capable operators, completely competent and confident in the surf zone. Safety and thoroughness are our strong points as a company, we need people to fly these flags, high!

The jobs are varied and challenging:

  • Boats, people, equipment, materials, fuel transfers. Sometimes hundreds of miles. Sometimes around the corner.
  • Fishing and cruising charters. All over the place.
  • Safety and security projects
  • Events and exhibitions

Boats run from tenders to tugs. Most of the work is done on boats less than 10 metres, so your Category C and better will work in most instances.

If you are freelance or contractor, please click on over to here, to fill out the preliminary form, and we will be in touch.

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Bad Brad’s Kingfish at Pomene

Greenspot Kingfish at Pomene Estuary

Bad Brad’s Kingfish at Pomene

The legendary kingfish at Pomene have been under threat from overfishing and nets the last few decades, but this last trip we were there, they came alive! Bus loads of them!

I am not sure if they are Big-eye Kingfish, or juvenile GT’s – they look so similair at the size we were catching them – up to about 3 or 4 kg’s.

But the big ones were in there too!

In the mellee we saw at least a dozen metre long GT’s and yellowfin kingfish smashing along with the juveniles – teaching them how to be a proper bad mooded kingfish.

It was late afternoon when Bad Brad of Durban cast his luminous pink popper in the right place, and soon we had out first little trophy. The pink popper thing was hot to trot and it wasn’t half an hour later when he had his bigger fish of the two. They both swam away completely unharmed, and more experienced in life.

The fish were in hunting shoals, moving with the tide and creating a fracas in the deep channel on the far side of the estuary. We would position ourselves up towards the mouth, and drift in with the current – much the same tactic that the kingfish were using. Then as the kingfish cornered the baitfish they attacked from all sides, whipping the water wild, and making a sound like a live Rodriguez concert.

There were fish just everywhere!

And then as soon as they had started, they stopped. Completely. And disappeared. Gone. Silence. In the sunset.

Back to base, where whilst staying in the water chalets, we could hear the very same kingfish attacking right outside our door, intermittently through the night!

The aggressive and intelligent locals – the humpback dolphins, who have been patrolling the Pomene estuary for as long as I have been frequenting it, came to visit. And one time, when I wasn’t looking, a massive explosion of sound and water got me turned around just in time to see a huge black fin slicing the water in a patch of foam and blood as big as a kombi. Now what that could have been? Shark? Huge GT?

This story is not meant to be one telling of the Pomene estuary’s fantastic fishing. No, no. That is long gone. What is left, can be roughly estimated, at about 10% of it’s former glory. When little sailfish were caught right up in the mangroves. Huge yellowfin tuna beaching themselves as they miscalculate the tides and shallows. Brindle Bass would shy you away whilst snorkeling the reefs. Seahorses bouncing around all over. All this in the estuary! Never mind how good the ocean was back then. Couta off the rocks. Huge GT’s in the shallows…

And then the saddest thing, is even after all the effort to protect this prime fish nursery, there come some prospective investors in the area, from South Africa, rent a boat from the lodge, and come back with three little dead kingfish.

Mmmmm.

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Inhaca Island with The Frenzy

Salad fish on Inhaca Island

Inhaca Island with The Frenzy

The Frenzy is back in the show, appearing here in a quick video on Inhaca Island…

The Sardine team have been marooned on Inhaca Island off Maputo in Southern Mozambique for 8 full days now. As you can see, The Frenzy is making the most of it all, whilst the rest of the team are fixing outboards!

We have been able to get out to sea a few times…Santa Maria is like a fairyland, and The Lighthouse is a deserted Tofo like headland with waves, and wrecks, and reef, and abundant sea life would you believe it. Crystal clear Mozambican current water laps up against the eastern seaboard and over a myriad of rich shallow reefs. Baitfish are everywhere and we even saw a shark on one trip!

Inhaca Island is certainly an overlooked jewel here right out front and in full view of Maputo. Cars can’t get here (although there is a small fleet of cars that live here), so the only traffic is by boat, and comes in and out of the little small boat mooring bay in front of the broken Pestana hotel effort on the West shore. Very limited traffic.

More Inhaca action to follow…

 

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Another No Sardine Report 30 June 2016

Another No Sardine Report 30 June 2016

Jay Steenkamp, NSB dude and undercover Sardine agent, was at sea off Margate on the KZN lower south coast this very morning.

And ,,submitted the following report:

“Margate has reverse current with good viz and sea temp is 22.5 no sardine action. Lots of dolphins around on the backline and lots of whales in the deep moving north.”

Many thanks Jay…we are hanging on every sardine sounding word!

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