ITINERARY

Sardine Run is the biggest spectacle in the underwater world. Its a demanding but exciting experience where we watch sharks, dolphins, whales and Cape gannets hunt sardines on the Wild Coast of South Africa. South Africa also has other amazing shark dives, and as the Sardine Run varies year to year, so I include a week of amazing shark diving in Capetown and Aliwal Shoal where we will see Great Whites, Seals, Silver Tip sharks and cow sharks and several others. Weather permitting we may also see Mako and Blue sharks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

More videos  can be found here https://www.facebook.com/pg/sealexpeditions/videos/

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SARDINE RUN

South Africa host one of the most popular bucket list items in the world - the Sardine run. When millions of Sardines travel up the coast to spawn, thousands of predators follow. We will see thousands of dolphins, various humpback or brydes whales, seals, and of course sharks. They all try to get in on the action. It is not easy to find a bait ball, we will be at sea the entire day looking for signs of the cape gannets, who dive down on good sardine action. Whenever we can we roll in on the sardine feast, and snorkel amongst the spectacle. If we are lucky enough to encounter a bait ball that does not move, we will get our gear on and scuba it.

This is something for snorkelers and divers who are ready to invest to see the most extreme of nature. The water is cold and the ride is rough. The rewards can be phenomal.​

 

Location - Mbyoti

We operate out of Mbotyi River Lodge, just north of Port St Johns and south of Waterfall Bluff which is the historical staging ground where the sardines mass before shooting up toward Port Edward and the South Coast. The area we operate in is where Sardine Run diving tourism began and is still considered the No 1 location for this activity. We get the sardines and the predators in their thousands, but we also get the best opportunity for clean water – the most important factor for safe and enjoyable Sardine Run diving.

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Microlight Aircraft 

SEAL is one of the only Sardine Run operators with a dedicated microlight aircraft for spotting action and animal activity in the ocean – the information then relayed to our diveboats directly which gives our boat skippers maximum coverage of the ocean – and maximum choice for getting the best results for our guests. To date, the majority of Sardine Run operators do not employ this facility due to its high running costs – we consider it essential though, to our success in getting results for our guests, and as such SEAL remains one of the only companies with dedicated aerial support. An additional value-add for our guests is the fun-flight in the microlight, included in each guests program – to give the aerial perspective of the magnificent area we work.

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SHARK SAFARI 
Once we have completed our Sardine Run experience we will start a collection of shark dives that will leave you speechless. No less than 10 species of sharks are possible. The part of the trip can be booked indedently from the Sardine Run.

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Aliwal Shoal

From the Wild Coast we head north to Aliwal Shoal, one of the best places in the world to dive with sharks. We will see Sang Tiger sharks up close. And the open bottom baited dives we do attract many Oceanic Black Tips, who harmlessly cruise around us.

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Cape Town

In Capetown we can see the smallest and the biggest sharks. Starting form the tiny cat-eyed sharks and piyama sharks we will also do cage diving with the biggest of them all - the Great White. There are also amazing kelp forest dives with the seven-gill shark, one of the oldest shark spieces. If the winds are right, we may even do offshore diving with Blue Sharks and Mako Sharks.

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How to book

All my trips are offered via my partner IATA travel agencies. You only need to deal with them for payments. Contact me first so we can arrange

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