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The other major consideration is where to be based if and when they to "run"? Historically the Sardines appear between the town of East London to the south and the city of Durban in the north. A distance of about 670 kilometres and they could appear anywhere and at any time along this 670 kilometre coastline. Most of this coastline is inaccessible, especially that bit between East London and Port St Johns, so I'm afraid that it's not a case of jumping into a car to follow the Sardines. You've actually got to be based at the right place and at the right time.
With this in mind we offer a Sardine Run Expedition based at Shelly Beach on the KwaZulu/Natal South Coast.
Shelly Beach is on the KwaZulu/Natal (KZN) south coast, a couple of hundred kilometres north of Mbotyi, another popular place to be based for the Sardine Run. If the sardines hit Mbotyi it usually takes a couple of days before they reach Shelly Beach. The continental shelf extends a long way out to sea off the KZN south coast so the possibilities of getting a bait-ball are not as good as at Mbotyi, but the sardine, when they run come right into shore, so all the action is in shallow waters close to shore. But all the action is there, millions of sea birds, thousands of dolphin and hundreds of sharks. If the sardines don't run there is always the local dive site, Protea Banks, on which to dive. This is why this expedition is aimed more at the recreational diver.
When based at Shelly Beach for the Sardine run we stay at Hammerheads on a bed and breakfast basis. Accommodation is in self-contained double storey wooden bungalows or "log style homes" as they like to call them. All bedrooms (4 of them) are en suite upstairs, with a communal lounge and TV room downstairs. Then there is a stand alone bungalow, also en suite that sleeps two.
The water temperatures at that time of year "should be" about 18 to 21º C. That's why the scientists believe that unless the temperatures drop below 21º C the Sardines wont run! The sardines need the colder water.
If the sardines are running there is no fixed number of dives. The shoals of sardines move up the coast from the south and usually reach the Transkei Coast at about the end of May - beginning of June and reach the KZN south coat in June. The size of the shoal differs from day to day and from week to week. They could be small pockets of fish or the shoal could be as large as 1 km wide and 5 km's long. It's not one continuous shoal but it is many different shoals that come through during the "sardine season". Mother Nature is in charge and we abide by Her rules.
We launch the boat just before sun-rise, at about 06:30, and then the waiting game begins. Because we are looking for activity that is moving, we spend most of the day out at sea, on the boat. When we find any activity - Sardines, dolphins, whales, sharks etc - a decision is made as to whether we will do a snorkel dive or a scuba dive on that particular activity. Dives on average are of a fairly short duration as the action moves past quite quickly. Often it is a matter of being in the water for 5 or 10 minutes and then quickly back on the boat to follow the activity and then jump in again. The activity, as a whole, is considered strenuous. When on snorkel, the divers are dropped in front of the "activity" and wait on the surface for the activity to reach and pass them. The emphasis of the trip is on the surface activity and being in amongst the action with all the sardines, dolphins, sharks, birds etc. Not for the feint hearted! If there are no sardines, and we'll know that they are not running as we are in continuous communication with the expeditions that are based to the south, we will dive Protea. Please note that dives on Protea are restricted to advanced divers or open water one divers with more than 25 logged dives due to the depth of the dives, in excess of 30 meters, and the strong currents that are usually present on Protea. This is adventure diving at its best, and well worth the effort!
The KZN south coast falls into our summer rainfall area and as the Sardine Run takes place in June it's normally sunny and dry. Average maximum temperatures of 23º C and an average minimum of 11º C. The mornings are normally quite calm but the wind tends to pick-up mid-morning and by noon there is normally a "fresh" breeze blowing, ideal for wind-surfing and kiteboarding. If conditions do not allow for diving there are a number of land based activities to keep the divers occupied. There is the nearby Oribi Gorge, Croc Farms, Nature Reserve, world class golf courses and the Wildcoast Casino. You won't be bored.
The boat that we use is a 8 meter RIB or "Rubber Duck" as they are commonly called, accommodating a maximum of 10 divers.
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