One of nature's most grand annual extravaganzas, a vivid drama epic in scale and 'made-for-spectators' to rival any listed Wonder of the World. Countless millions of tiny silver fish heading north from spawning and feeding grounds off the Eastern Cape reach Zulu Kingdom waters at our southernmost seaside resort town of Port Edward, pursued by the most well-equipped and voracious predators on earth - both ocean-going and airborne. These relentless hunters occasionally drive splinters of the giant sardine shoal ashore, where equally frenzied human 'extras' gleefully join the cast of this wide-screen blockbuster. The showing runs for several weeks, at its most intense along our Hibiscus Coast, then gradually lessening as the constantly harvested shoal continues its lemming-like migration northwards. Despite this insistent hunting attention, the last surviving sardines have usually managed a 200-kilometre journey - beyond the golden beaches of Durban Metro - before final oblivion in the 'smiling' mouths of our aptly named Dolphin Coast's star attractions.
Sardines, or more correctly the pilchard Sardinops sagax, are a small and primitive fish that do not as a rule find the Zulu Kingdom's warm stretch of Indian Ocean to their liking. Incalculably vast shoals prefer to enact their short, yet virulent life cycles near the surface of the Cape Province's cold to icy cold waters. Each year around June or July, however, when our Hibiscus Coast sea temperature drops by a mere four or five Degrees Celsius from its average midsummer high of 21 Degrees, sardines off the Eastern Cape mistakenly sense a potential expansion of habitat to their north. This is the widely accepted theory in scientific circles. Earlier postulations of instinctive spawning- or feeding-migrations have been ruled out on account of KwaZulu-Natal's relative lack of plankton and tiny crustaceans - the staple diet of young and juvenile sardines. A narrow continental shelf thereafter ensures that the shoal proceeds close to shore - and in mortal danger throughout its journey. (Visit Geography of KZN for fascinating insights into our subtropical province's formation and evolution, beginning 1100-million years ago with the earth's primal proto- supercontinent - Pangaea, or 'All Earth'.) The sardines' running of the gauntlet begins in this narrow underwater strait, an 'exodus' with only one possible outcome, and dubbed with the now familiar moniker of the Zulu Kingdom's unique 'Sardine Run'.
By the time these hapless sardines reach Port Edward, they've already garnered a mass of unwanted attention and are in a state of utter frenzy. This agitation increases as more and more waiting predators join the free-for-all. The view from any Hibiscus Coast beach - Port Edward to Hibberdene - is of an exploding, silver-purple hued ocean surface being attacked from the air by thousands-strong squadrons of Cape gannets and cormorants, and from all remaining sides by a massed variety of denizens of the deep.
As with all fishermen's tales, the numbers of participating sea creatures tend to increase in proportion to the number of rounds called for down at the local pub - the following are extracted from official publications issued by the Natal Sharks Board. Common dolphins by far exceed their fellow competitors for the silver bounty,forming enormous pods of up to five thousand animals each and totalling around twenty thousand.It is the arrival of common dolphin in our waters that usually heralds the imminent sardine run, and informed opinion suggests that the females take advantage of this abundant food source to wean their calves and replenish their own depleted fat reserves. The common dolphin pods form hunting lines that each stretch for a kilometre or more just below the ocean surface. When a 'look-out' spots the sardines, dolphin communication sees the entire pod turn on its axis with military precision and the sea erupts as the pod forces a section of the shoal to the surface. As dolphins are air breathers it is far more efficient for their purposes to have the sardines at this level, from which there is no escape. This also forms the cue for massed squadrons of circling marine birds to begin their onslaught, dive-bombing between the dolphins to polish off the leftovers. The more often photographed symbol of tourism, our smiling bottlenose dolphin, is usually present in much smaller numbers - around 2 500 - which remains highly impressive enough, even though a South Coast publication reported that the Sardine Run of 2002 attracted twice that number! As if the aforementioned predators were not enough to generate an unforgettable spectacle - plus annihilate the sardine mass - add to them hundreds of Cape fur seals, vast numbers of game-fish such as shad, garrick and geelbek, the occasional whale and thousands of copper, dusky, blacktip and spinner sharks - and you have some idea of the magnitude of our annual winter showpiece!
Before dealing with the presence of many people's worst watery nightmare, the much-maligned shark, some new faces made their first appearance during the Sardine Run of 2002. One can but speculate as to how many eons have witnessed this amazing phenomenon. Our original inhabitants, the Stone Age San hunter-gatherers, surely marvelled at the sight although, as far as anyone has discovered, never recorded it via their now much visited rock paining sites. Local media coverage has been guaranteed and extensive, beginning with Durban's first newspaper more than a century- and-a-half ago through to electronic images broadcast into living rooms worldwide. Yet, for only the first time, the prestigious and authoritative National Geographic Magazine sent representatives to record for posterity, and bring global attention to, this prime example of what could be lost if conservation strategies are not formulated and followed to the letter. As if to bask in the added photo-opportunity of National Geographic Magazine's presence, one highly-distinctive black-and-white killer whale made its kind's debut at the 2002 Sardine Run. Popularly referred to as the 'Orca Whale', its arrival at the melee sparked much debate as to the reason, and what other surprises might lay in store for future runs.
Returning to the much-vilified shark's presence at a Sardine Run, to see them thrashing about on the surface just beyond the waves guarantees an unusual and thrilling experience, free from danger. When a shoal splinter is driven inshore, however, sharks may well follow into uncharacteristically shallow water and pose a real threat to blissfully unaware paddlers scooping up bucketsful of snacks-to-be. Marine authorities are at pains to point out that sharks will almost certainly not deliberately seek to harm, but if blocked in their path by heedless humans, may react in accordance with their survival instincts. In addition to their beauty and variety, the Beaches of our Zulu Kingdom are world renowned for their safety from shark attacks, thanks both to a highly effective network of shark nets and the Natal Sharks Board that pioneered and maintains them. This one-of-a-kind service organisation is a world-renowned authority and consultant to many countries. The Natal Sharks Board is at the forefront of global conservation trends, including the reversal of superstition-driven policies that dictated killing off as many sharks as possible. For this reason, and to prevent the unwanted deaths of dolphins and seals, the NSB lifts shark nets for the duration of a Sardine Run. The temporary inconvenience to bathers, surfers and the like are outweighed by the positive, longer-term benefits of this policy.
In bygone days it was word-of-mouth that sent hundreds of bonus-seekers to where sardines were close enough inshore for the pleasure of seine-netters and folk brandishing the most unlikely collection of receptacles imaginable. Nowadays, however, the Natal Sharks Board maintains a Sardine Hotline for the run's duration, sponsored by business interests and operated by a local commercial radio station. This new infrastructure provides regular updates and situation reports, ensuring optimum crowds at 'hot- spots' as offices and factory floors experience a sudden rush of workers with all manner of urgent needs to take the rest of the day off! And these resulting crowds are a camera-clicking treat in their own right, producing guaranteed annual chestnuts for the daily papers and evening news bulletins alike. These range from ultra-cute toddlers with beach-buckets brimful of booty (spade discarded in the rush) to the somewhat dubious sight of grandma with decorum thrown to the wind and her skirtful of sardines hoisted above waist- height…
For less 'hands-on' yet equally thrilling memories of our Sardine Run, entrepreneurs have devised some highly appealing new options. With heart in your mouth, marvel at a seabird's eye-view of the entire panorama by strapping yourself into a microlight flying machine - alongside a qualified pilot, naturally - for the flip of a lifetime. Or take to the briny aboard a charter boat for that 'up close and personal' encounter with the dolphins, sharks, seals, whales and whatever unexpected participant might be joining in the fray. There are eco-responsible and accredited private operators to choose from, or cruise with the 'establishment' on a Natal Sharks Board vessel embarking on a two-hour look-see round trip from Durban.
As stated earlier, while the awesome Sardine Run can be witnessed along the entire South Coast and beyond Durban Metro to the coves and bays of our Sugar Coast and Dolphin Coast, most of the action takes place in view of the southernmost stretch known as the Hibiscus Coast. Vantage points with the best reputation for success are - from south to north - Splash Rocks in Port Edward, the near- adjacent Leisure Bay, the walkway between Kidds Beach and Glenmore Beach, the head at Southbroom, the pier at Margate, Lilliecrona Boulevard between Margate and Uvongo, Saint's Walk between Uvongo and St Michaels-on-Sea, Shelly Beach, the lighthouse at Port Shepstone, Hibberdene lookout, Ifafa Beach, Rocky Bay, Scottburgh and Warner Beach.
Whether in the capable, experienced hands of an air- or sea- borne tour operator, or simply armed with the Sardine Hotline number plus a pair of binoculars, plastic bath-tub and grandma primed to be on her best behaviour, our Zulu Kingdom's annual winter Sardine Run is a unique experience that guarantees memories for a lifetime. Here is coastal living at its best – warm and inviting Indian Ocean, picture-perfect beaches, friendly and helpful locals, plus – during the Buzz of our Sardine Run – a sense of camaraderie to rival that unbeatable feeling of supporting the winning team on Cup Final day! Despite what happens to them every year without fail, the sardines will be back again this coming June or July, and everyone in our Zulu Kingdom looks forward to sharing with you our very own and special wonder of the world – see you then!
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