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Sardine Run Drive and Dive

From end-May to end July, millions of sardines begin an annual migration, swimming northwards within a band of cold water trapped between the warm Agulhas current of the Indian Ocean and the coastline of Southern Africa. They pass along the Wild Coast of the Eastern Cape into KwaZulu-Natal. This natural phenomenon has been termed the Sardine Run and is unrivalled in its sheer bio mass, with its sardine shoals ranging up to 10 kilometres in length, forming an ample and extensive feeding ground for the sea's predators and a spectacle to observe.

The Sardine Run attracts the full scope of the sea's predatory creatures, led by the thousands of common dolphins who track the sardine shoals, hoarding them into bait-ball formations and preying on them. Joining the common dolphins are bottlenose dolphins, numerous species of shark, including raggedtooth, zambezi (bull), tiger, copper (bronze whaler) and other reef sharks, game fish, turtles, penguins, seals and whales. The sea's frenetic action is rivalled only by that in the air above, where huge flocks of Cape gannets, terns, albatrosses and sea gulls flock to the mass-feast, diving from the sky into the mêlée below.

The resultant activity has been likened to a marine version of the annual migration across the Serengeti and is an unforgettable experience and privilege to witness. Any scuba diver, free diver, photographer, bird watcher or simple nature lover will undoubtedly have a new highlight in their respective field of interest, one they will treasure for life.