The sardine chronicles - part two

We followed the coast road up to Port St John, where Louis had booked us into the Umzimvubu Retreat, an upmarket B&B. For the next five days I would be sharing a comfy three-bedroom house perched on a hillside overlooking the river mouth. Louis gave us a quick tour of the area, including Second Beach, where a lifeguard had recently been savaged by a tiger shark. We were all about to jump into a sea boiling with predators, including big sharks. Maybe ‘food for thought’ was a wrong choice of words?
We had been joined by Marius and Celeste from PE, Joseph and Roger from Jo’burg and Devon and Gary from Plettenburg Bay. A Braai supper put us all in fine spirits (South African meat is definitely the best). Louis then gave a briefing on Sardine Run etiquette. This spectacular natural event takes place every year between June and July. In Louis’s experience mid-June was the best time to visit. Apart from migrating humpbacks, we were likely to see a variety of seabirds, dolphins, seals and, of course, sharks. Louis said that although bronze whalers or copper sharks (Carcharhinus brachyurus) were the predominant species, there was a good chance of bumping into tigers, bulls and possibly a great white. We might even get to see a killer whale.
Louis said that the sardines had already been sighted, but they were still too deep. Dolphins push the sardines closer to the surface and then baitballs form. This is where the action normally takes place. The best baitballs are around ten metres in diameter and at a depth of between 6-10m. Louis also advised us that it was best to approach using a snorkel. We could then go on scuba once a baitball had formed. This was quite a shock to me. Snorkelling is not my favourite pastime, especially when there are big predators swimming below.
Louis also covered the standard boat drills. Getting through the surf zone was always a concern. If Louis didn’t read the waves right we could easily capsize. As an added precaution we all had to wear safety vests.
Our daily routine started with breakfast at 8am. This was a full English breakfast with tea, toast and, of course, Rice Krispies. Boat launch at 9am returning to shore around 3pm. As this was winter time it started to get dark at 5pm. I’ve put our daily exploits into a diary just to show how hectic each day really was.

Day one
Our Sardine Run was very nearly over before it had even started. Louis’s boat and trailer jack-knifed around a tight corner, pushing the truck over the edge of a ravine. Louis was lucky, the truck escaped with a few dents and scratches but otherwise a well-positioned tree saved the day.
We had already seen a mass of activity from our vantage point at the house. Within 20 minutes of launching we were all snorkelling with thousands of dolphins corralling a giant, black slick of sardines. The dolphins were moving very fast blowing bubbles to fence in the small fish. Visibility was only a few metres so all I could hear was the high-pitched ‘clicks’ and then flashes of dolphins sprinting in and out of view.
Louis said it was better to stay on snorkels until a proper baitball formed otherwise we would be forever jumping in and out of the boat. The sardines were moving around so quickly that by the time we had got in the water they had moved 100 metres away.
On our first attempt at diving we encountered two bronze whalers and a very inquisitive bull shark. As Jaco, our dive guide, was untangling his SMB line, a bull shark appeared out of the murky green depths and nosed the bright orange buoy. We all stayed at around 10m. I could see dark shapes swimming below me but didn’t go any deeper. After 20 minutes we all got back onboard and raided the cool box full of sandwiches, crisps and chocolate bars. During the next few hours we saw three humpbacks cruise past. At 1.30pm the wind picked up and the swell got much bigger so we all voted to go home early.
On the way back to the river mouth we encountered intense dolphin and seabird activity. Ryby and I took a chance and kitted up for a dive. At 20m there were a few isolated sardines but no baitballs. The dolphins seemed to be grouping more than in the morning. A small pod of bottlenose dolphins circled us for at least ten minutes, getting within touching distance.

Day two
Jamie said: “I’m getting bored with seeing dolphins.”
I expected to be inside a baitball every day but so far we had only seen small shoals darting past. There were hundreds of silvery fish scales raining down on us, remnants of eaten sardines. Conditions were very difficult for underwater photography (what’s new). When overcast the low light and low visibility was making it impossible to get pictures of fast-moving animals. I managed to get a few tips from Andrew Woodburn, a local SA photographer. He explained that it’s best to stay in the 0-10m zone and it’s much better if the sun is shining. He also said that diving on a baitball is just luck and can take a long time and lots of effort. I should keep jumping in and out of the RIB on a snorkel first. If possible put on a small seven-litre cylinder just in case a baitball forms.
There was no wind in the afternoon and only a very slight swell. All dolphin activity had ceased. We saw three humpbacks cruising past, but they would dive as soon as we got close. Then we saw two juveniles. We tried to get in front and snorkel with them, but again they kept diving underneath us. On our last try we saw the white flash of their tails, but low-vis restricted a full view of the whales.
On our first dive we had two bronze whalers circling us but too many divers scared away the marine life. It was much better to restrict groups to two or three divers maximum. Again, we saw small shoals of sardines being chased by common dolphins.

Day three
Jamie said: “What do you call a lesbian dinosaur? A lick-a-lot-a-puss.”
The whole sea for miles around was alive with dolphins. Louis estimated more than 5,000 dolphins in small, fast-moving pods.
A lone humpback was rolling around in the big swell and didn’t seem bothered by our presence. Louis dropped a group of snorkellers in front of the whale. Ryby said: “It was an awesome experience to be in the water with such a big animal.”
The sun broke through the clouds briefly which seemed to kick start the dolphins into action. Ryby and I decided to drop down on scuba just ahead of the pack and see what all the fuss was about. The dolphins seemed to be on some kind of mission and went straight by us. A few small pods circled us once or twice but eventually carried on their way. There was no sign of any sardines. Then all at once hundreds of bronze whaler sharks appeared below us moving on the same heading as the dolphins. I have never seen such an intensity of sharks. Unfortunately my camera wasn’t set up for the picture, but we quickly surfaced and jumped back on board the RIB for another try. Louis raced ahead of the dolphins and dropped us in at the front. We went a little deeper this time to catch the sharks head on, but although we heard dolphin clicks and squeals not one passed us and neither did any of the sharks. We really had experienced a ‘Blue Planet’ moment with hundreds of bronze whaler sharks swimming underneath us.
The sardines had now moved away from Port St John and were heading towards Waterfall Bluff. We travelled 27km along the coast to catch up with the dolphins.
All went very quiet around 1.30pm. There were some humpbacks but no dolphins or seabirds. Louis said: “Bird activity is the first sign of a baitball forming.” We found a dead albatross floating in the waves. It had probably broken its neck diving for the sardines.
I had seen humpbacks, dolphins and hundreds of sharks. We all voted to call it a day and go home.

Day 4
Devon said: “What do you call an Aussie sheep tied to a pole? A Play-Station.” The jokes weren’t getting any better.
A spectacular sunrise kept our spirits high. Up until now every day had surpassed expectations. What would happen next? Today’s cheese and Marmite sandwiches reminded me of home. I didn’t think South African’s liked Marmite?
We travelled 35km up the coast heading for a mass of seabird activity. We could see hundreds of birds circling and diving into the sea just ahead of us. There were already six other RIBs on the scene so we decided to go straight in on scuba. Jamie decided to join us and make a threesome. We dropped on top of a small baitball but there were no dolphins in sight. One or two bronze whalers appeared but otherwise there was zero activity. I heard Jamie shouting into his regulator and looked behind to see a three-metre great white shark turning away from me. Ryby later said: “I could only think of one shark that had a white underbelly.” I had instantly recognised the lunate-shaped caudal fin and the slow, methodical movement of a great white. I don’t think it was interested in us at all. There was far too much activity going on.
We got picked up by the boat and moved to another area 50 metres away. We didn’t give the great white a second thought and jumped straight back into the water (How crazy is that?). This time we had a bigger baitball and a fur seal ducking and diving after the sardines.
Ryby and I went back in on scuba for a third session. Jamie was more interested in the sandwiches. Instantly we saw three bronze whalers. A small break away ball of around 100 sardines decided to use us as protection against the predators. This worked in our favour as the sharks came in very fast and very close. Ryby said: “The situation was intense, intense, intense.” Luckily the baitball was chased off by a shoal of bonito before the situation got too out of hand.

Day 5
Ryby said: “What’s the difference between pink and blue? It depends on how hard you squeeze.” The jokes were now reaching an all-time low.
We woke up to clear blue skies and sunshine yet again. From our vantage point at the house even the sea state looked calm. We blasted 35km up the coast, stopping once or twice to look at humpbacks. The viewing platform at the back of the boat gave us a better chance of spotting any circling birds. We found some intense activity so decided to go straight in on scuba. Surface conditions couldn’t have been more perfect, but underwater the visibility had reduced to around two metres. We could see the bronze whalers checking us out and a few silvery flickers of passing sardines, but it was useless for photography. After five minutes we aborted the dive. Joseph and Roger dropped in after us but they also could see nothing.
After a quick sandwich break we kitted up for another try. Louis positioned the boat over an area with fierce surface activity. Ryby and I dropped over the side but conditions hadn’t improved. At 6m we called the dive. As Ryby was reeling in the SMB line, a bronze whaler appeared from nowhere and ‘bumped’ his hand holding the video camera. The shark must have thought the glinting lens bobbing up and down was a sardine. Visibly shaken by the experience, Ryby went straight to the surface and was back on board the RIB very quickly. The moral of the story is – never go diving in low visibility.

Conclusion
The Sardine Run had been a full-on experience. Every day we were surrounded by hundreds of sharks and dolphins but they didn’t seem fazed by divers or snorkellers. It was all about the sardines.
Pro-Dive’s boat performed faultlessly and I had full confidence in Louis, the skipper. Having the ‘tower’ made spotting seabirds and dolphins much easier, although Jamie seemed to be hogging it most days. My only disappointments had been the underwater visibility and the scarcity of baitballs. Louis said: “It’s like looking for the ace of diamonds in a deck of cards you’ve just thrown off Table Mountain,” being in the right place at the right time is down to the luck of the draw. I heard that the 2008 Sardine Run was the best for seven years. 2009’s was not looking as good, but then again, that’s nature.
Five days had been enough for me. Constantly jumping in and out of a RIB and being totally exposed to the elements really does take its toll. The water temp is around 20 degrees C and everybody is stuck in wet wetsuits. For those that did have some extra energy there was always Jungle Monkeys, a local backpackers hotel, in the evenings. They served great pizza and the fire dancing wasn’t too bad either.
As we left Port St John a huge weather front moved in from the South. Swells were reported at more than eight metres high. Nobody could launch their boats for the next seven days. Maybe we had been lucky after all?

Sport Diver verdict
South Africa's sardine run is one of the world's must-see diving events, and it more than lived up to the hype. It's hard work, but well worth it.