Sardine Run

Umkomaas is a small coastal town located 48 km south of central Durban on the subtropical south coast of KwaZulu-Natal, beside the mouth of the navigable Mkhomazi River. A large number of whales once used the estuary as a nursery, giving birth in the shallows. The Zulus named the river after this spectacle (Umkhomazi means the place of cow whales).

Occasionally, raft races, canoeing, and other sporting events are held on the river. The river is a popular white-water rafting destination. Umkomaas’ official animal is the Whale. Other wildlife seen in the area include many snakes, most of them harmless varieties like the Red-Lipped Herald and the Brown House Snake. Monkeys here are less common than in Scottburgh, but the birdlife is abundant, with the gregarious and friendly Hadeda Ibis a regular sight. Small wild cats like the Genet and Civet have also been reported, though only on very rare occasions. The crocodiles found near Freeland Park and the lower Amahlongwa, 8 kilometres south, are not present in Umkomaas. Duiker abound and can be seen in Empisini. The much larger and very beautiful Bushbuck is also seen in the vicinity.

The Aliwal Shoal coral reef was formed about 80,000 years ago. Is most renowned for the superb shark diving opportunities created by the Shoal, at about 5 kilometres offshore.

The local port in Umkomaas is made from the Mkhomazi river, these offers a comfortable environment to load the scuba gears and jump on the 7,5 meter rubber boats that will take us diving.

The adrenaline starts right in the morning when we “launch” from the river, into the big waves and out at sea.

Aliwal Shoal is just 15 minutes aways and this is the place where we do the two daily dives.

First dive is the so called “baited dive” where, after baiting for about 1 hour, we dive with up to 20 to 30 blacktip sharks and, if we’re lucky, one or two tiger sharks.

The second dive is on one of the most attractive reef dives like "Cathedral" or "Raggies Cave", home to the Ragged Tooth Sharks and a number of other species that can be found in the Shoal!

Protea Banks is the second main popular attraction for shark diving in South Africa. The situation here is quite similar to Aliwal Shoal. We have the same type of speedboat but we launch directly from the sea front.

The first dive usually is a baited dive. We will see blacktip sharks and we will have great chances to see bull sharks, dusky sharks and hammerheads.

We then go back and rest for breakfast on the restaurant terrace overlooking the ocean and we get ready for the second dive on the reef.

Drifting into the blue and spotting ragged tooth sharks, bull sharks and much more.

From Protea Banks it takes around 4 hours to reach Port St. Johns, this is the trip where you can take some great pictures of the beautiful landscape that South Africa offers. We will pass through tiny villages where you can see how people live outside the big cities.

Port St. Johns is situated on the Wild Coast, a coastline of about 270 km long, boasting some of the most beautiful natural scenery in the country. It lies at the mouth of the Mzimvubu River, the local harbours that we will use to launch our rubber boats and that will take us in the wild water of the Indian Ocean. On both sides of the river ravine are high sandstone mountain peaks: Mount Thesiger (342 meter above sea level) and Mount Sullivan (304 meter), named after two British Military officers.

We start our more sought after part of the trip: the Sardine Run. A major spectacle occurring almost every year: the fabled Sardine Run, the annual courtship migration of sardines from the Wild Coast to the warmer waters of KwaZulu-Natal. Usually occurring between end of June and beginning of July, it is a spectacular sight and the sardines lure a large variety of predatory fish, seabirds, and sharks, on a scale rarely seen anywhere else on Earth.

• 18,000+ dolphins: common dolphin and bottlenose dolphin.
• Thousands of sharks: bronze whaler, dusky shark, grey nurse shark, oceanic blacktip shark, spinner shark and zambezi bullshark.
• Thousands of game fish: blue fish, king mackerel, various kingfish species, garrick, geelbek and eastern little tuna.
• Thousands of birds: cape gannet, albatros, cormorants, terns and gulls.
• Hundreds of whales: mainly humpback whales but occasionally also southern right whales.

Always for the sake of obtaining the perfect bait ball: this is the work of all the predators together, with the dolphins as main coordinators, creating the so called “bait balls”. These bait balls are formed by thousands of sardines and can be 10–20 metres in diameter and extend to a depth of 10 metres. All the predators are hunting together into these bait-balls which don’t last long; in the order of no more than 10 minutes hunt and prey are over. This is the highlight attraction of the sardine run.

uShaka Marine World, Durban is located in the centre of uShaka Marine World you can experience the salt water aquarium with indoor and outdoor displays and exhibits, a 1,200 seater dolphin stadium where you’ll be entertained by the world-famous Dolphins, the seal stadium and penguin rookery. In addition, Sea World offers edutainment tours behind the scenes and special interactive activities such as snorkelling through reefs and grottos and scuba dives. Durban is famous for its beaches and that’s exactly what you’ll find at uShaka Marine world. Bell’s Beach, adjacent to uShaka Marine World, has been set aside for adventure seekers and offers perfect all-year non-stop fun. Activities include windsurfing, beach volleyball, and beach rugby, surfing, jet skiing, kite surfing, paddle boat rides, dolphin viewing charters and national and international beach sports events.

Great White Shark cage diving is one of the “must do’s” for anyone visiting Cape Town. Is an amazing way to experience being with the great white shark. We love it when you start the trip a bit fearful and then leave, saying “wow, those sharks are amazing”. Its great to be able to educate and change negative perceptions into positive ones.

The Seals Island, in False bay, is one of the best places in the world to dive with the Great White. In the early morning you can easily see him when jumping out of the water to try catching one of the seals and later on, when we put the cage underwater, finally here is the vis-à-vis experience that you’re looking for.

At the tip of the Cape Peninsula 60 km south-west of Cape Town, lies Cape Point, a nature reserve within the Table Mountain National Park; a declared Natural World Heritage Site. Encompassing 7 750 hectares of rich and varied flora and fauna; abounding with buck, baboons and Cape Mountain Zebra as well as over 250 species of birds, Cape Point is a nature enthusiast paradise. Rugged rocks and sheer cliffs towering more than 200 metres above the sea and cutting deep into the ocean provide a spectacular background for the Parks’ rich bio-diversity. Cape Point falls within the southern section of Table Mountain National Park. The natural vegetation of the area, fynbos, comprises the smallest but richest of the world’s six floral kingdoms. The park forms part of the Cape Floral Region, a World Heritage Site. It includes the majestic Table Mountain chain, which stretches from Signal Hill to Cape Point, and the coastlines of the Cape Peninsula.

Prices don’t include

• Single room supplement
• Drinks
• Extra dives not listed
• Equipment rental
• International Flights to and from South Africa:
• Flight to and from Durban “King Shaka” International Airport
• Flight from Cape Town International Airport
• Enriched Air “Nitrox” PADI Certification
• DAN Europe diving insurance
• Travel Insurance
• All what is not listed in “The Price Includes”

Option 4

• 7 days - From the 2nd to the 9th of July
• 1 day Baited and Reef dives (2 dives)
• 5 days Sardine Run
• Departure from Durban

Price € 3,850.00

Single Supplement: 20%