Sardine Run Dive Packages

The Wild Coast town of Port St. Johns is the world-renowned hot-spot for viewing the annual Sardine Run. Here, the continental shelf falls off a mere 2km from the land; this is where most of the action happens.

Sardine Run Dive Packages

The Sardine Run South Africa is a natural phenomenon that is not to be missed. Occurring annually, the famous Sardine Run transpires when cold water is pushed up the east coast from Port Elizabeth, moving up to Durban and funneling huge shoals of sardine up the East Coast of South Africa.

Billions of sardine migrate up along the continental shelf, triggering an incredible feeding frenzy as predators of all shapes and sizes descend on the coast to feed off the abundant sardine. The spectacle is unbelievable to witness, and attracts attention from adventure seekers, avid divers and ecologists from all corners of the globe.

Location

The Wild Coast town of Port St. Johns is the world-renowned hot-spot for viewing the Sardine Run. Here, the continental shelf falls off a mere 2km from the land; this is where most of the action happens.

Bait Balls

Due to a large number of predators circulating the area, the sardine form a tightly-packed protective ball commonly known as a ‘bait ball’. These bait balls are pushed up to the surface by predators such as the Bronze Whalers/Dusty sharks. Once at the surface, the sardine balls are at the mercy of Cape Gannet which dive bomb the bait balls like fighter planes – an incredible spectacle to behold. Dolphins will swim in and pick off the sardines with fine precision while Brydes Whales emerge from the deep to consume entire bait balls in one bite with their enormous, cavernous mouths.

Predators

Predator sightings on the 2015 Sardine Run will include:
Common dolphin, bottle nose dolphin, Cape Gannets, Brydes Whales, Humpback whales, Southern Right Whales, Dusky sharks, Copper sharks, Bull sharks, Black tip sharks, ragged tooth sharks, Cape fur seals and Sailfish.