Bird’s-eye view of sardine run’s ‘organised madness’ in EL waters
The sardine run is “all about timing”.
Skipper John Barry, seasoned sardine run tour guide and coowner of Southern Cross Cruises, says the run is in full swing.
Thousands of Cape gannets, storm petrels, Bryde’s whales, sharks and countless other species are snacking on the billions of pilchards making their way along the East Coast to Kwazulu-natal.
“This is happening on our doorstep and most East Londoners are oblivious,” Barry said.
The Dispatch went out with Barry from the recently revamped Latimer’s Landing Cafe in the harbour on a grey Thursday morning.
Southern Cross Cruises is the only East London boat-based permit holder for whale and dolphin watching, and offers daily trips out to sea for visitors and residents as well as educational boat trips for thousands of children.
The company has also trained and accredited many sailors.
The forgotten yachts that are usually the perches of Cape cormorants were empty and white.
Through the canal and past the harbour wall, Barry steered the boat towards black specs on the skyline — an active bait ball with thousands of Cape gannets and seabirds feeding alongside a pod of common dolphins.
The dolphins had corralled the fish into two bait balls about 100m apart.
Barry pulled the boat up between them for a panoramic experience of the phenomenon.
The sky was alive with birds, the water choppy from the feeding creatures under the surface.
“The gannets dive, then get back into the circle before diving again.
“They have a system. It looks like madness but it’s organised.”
When the vessel moved closer to the mass, dolphins surfaced a hand’s width away, swimming in the bow waves.
Baby dolphins leapt out the water, their tiny tails flapping in midair.
Barry knew there would be action because of the bird’s behaviour the day before.
“I saw yesterday it was going to happen this morning. All the birds were rafting up, they were sitting waiting on the water as they know something was going on.
“It’s all nice and rosy unless you are a sardine.
“Another sign is the cold water. The sardines get caught in the cold water pulse — you saw the fog on the water this morning.
“That was the splash of a
Bryde’s whale, they are very shy.”
Satiated, the activity settled, the dolphins moved on and the birds bobbed on the surface.
Humpback whales are the next anticipated sighting.
Back on land, a hot cup of coffee warmed frozen hands.
Schoolchildren wearing life jackets were preparing to head out on their first-ever trip to sea.
Another ocean lover, deaf former SA swim champion and wildlife videographer Mark Roach, 27, from Nahoon, has been documenting the run from Orient Beach and Chintsa.
“We’ve had such an amazing start to the sardine run,” he said.
“We were out at Chintsa East a couple of weeks ago, a week before all the big charterers came down here — they come from around the world to capture the beauty.
“It’s been a frenzy of Cape gannets diving among the dolphins and shooting on mackerel, sardines and a lot of other small species of fish.
“I have sent my drone out past the backline, and within two minutes I spotted three great whites — that’s not something you see every day.
“We’ve been spoilt. If you spend a day out I promise you’ll see activity — it is one of the great wonders of this world.
“It always is a pleasure to live on this coastline and be able to appreciate such biodiversity and dense collaboration of wildlife.
“I am looking forward to what we get to see this year, the novelty never dies.”