STAY up to date

After 18 years of leading Sardine Run expeditions, I’m often asked whether scuba diving or snorkeling is better. Both have their place, but when speed, safety, teamwork and keeping up with fast-moving action matter, there is a clear winner.

The 2026 Sardine Run was a season of extraordinary sardine abundance, warm Agulhas water and incredible visibility. From June into August, huge sardine shoals persisted along the Wild Coast, while sharks, tuna, dolphins and manta rays made this one of the most unusual seasons we’ve experienced.

After 18 years running South African Sardine Run expeditions, zoologist and underwater field guide Steve Benjamin explores why the combination of scarcity, uncertainty and extraordinary wildlife rewards makes the Sardine Run so addictive.

After 18 years observing the South African Sardine Run above and below the surface, zoologist Steve Benjamin explores how sharks, dolphins, tuna, gannets, sardines and even humans bring hundreds of millions of years of evolution together in one extraordinary spectacle.

This is Jean Tresfon’s personal report from Sardine Run 2025 with Animal Ocean. For 16 years Jean has joined Steve Benjamin on the Wild Coast, documenting the chaos and beauty of the ocean. In this year’s account he shares storms, floods, dolphins, whales, gannets, and his once-in-a-lifetime encounter with a rare golden strepie baitball. Read Jean’s words and experience the Sardine Run through his lens and storytelling.

Experience the magic of the Sardine Run with Animal Ocean on South Africa’s Wild Coast. Join Steve Benjamin as he recalls an unforgettable encounter with Bryde’s whales, dolphins, and a golden bait ball of Strepies — a rare spectacle captured by guest Linda Ness and featured in Diver Alert Network South Africa.

Each winter, South Africa’s Wild Coast becomes the stage for one of the ocean’s great spectacles — the Sardine Run.

Every year, the Sardine Run teaches me something new. This morning, while sipping coffee and thinking back on the season

Sardine Run 2025 tested us — physically, mentally, and mechanically — but it also gave us wildness, connection, and unforgettable moments

The Sardine Run is more than just a wildlife spectacle — it’s a vital source of income and opportunity for the people of Tshani and...

Today we travelled out into a rough, bumpy ocean under a strong north-easterly — a howling onshore wind that churned up a short-period...

Right now, I’m sitting on a sand dune, the last embers of our end-of-trip bonfire glowing behind me. We built it together — all of us out...

We’ve now spent over 30 days on the Wild Coast for the 2025 Sardine Run — on the water daily from 7am to 3pm, scanning the ocean...

We headed up the coast on the long journey north—the never-ending pursuit to be in the right place at the right time. When we finally...

Right now, I’m rolling back up the hill, boat in tow, after a long day at sea — and honestly, I feel high from the sheer excitement of...

The Sardine Run is incredible for many reasons—but for me, it’s the people and the constant stream of communication that make it so...

18 June 2025 Right now, I’m walking down the hill at Mdumbi. Cape Longclaws are calling from the grass, spectacled weavers flit between...

Major flooding has hit the Wild Coast. Johann—the owner of Mdumbi Backpackers—has been sending us photos of submerged bridges along the...

I’m standing at the top of Wapadsberg Pass near Cradock, completely surrounded by whiteout. Snow blankets everything—thick, wet, and...

Chasing the Greatest Shoal on Earth: The Sardine Run, Through My Eyes and the Science