Sardine Run 2025 – The Year of the Golden Baitball by Jean Tresfon

I’ve been floating alongside Jean on the Sardine Run since 2009. Every year he joins me on our Animal Ocean Sardine Run trips, and it’s become a given that when June and July roll around, we’ll both be dreaming of baitballs, eating wraps, and drifting together on the Wild Coast while waiting for the ocean to erupt with life. For me, Jean has become synonymous with the Sardine Run — he always brings not only his sharp eye but also a team of incredible humans who add so much to the experience.

Here’s his latest report and images, straight from his very active Facebook page - Please go follow him Thanks for sharing your thoughts on Sardine Run 2025, Jean.

Sardine Run 2025 – The Year of the Golden Baitball

By Jean Tresfon on Marine Conservation Photographer Facebook Page

A Season Unlike Any Other

I’ve finally had a chance to work through my images from Sardine Run2025. For the last 16 years I’ve chased the FOMO with Steve Benjamin and the awesome crew from Animal Ocean Safaris, and this year was no different. But it was very different in several ways.

We were one of the first groups on the Wild Coast for the 2025 season. Because school holidays fall right in the middle of prime sardine run dates, my options are limited to the very start or very end of the run. Just before our arrival, the area was hit by the worst storm in living memory — more than 100 people killed, 3,000 homes evacuated, and countless roads and bridges washed away. Inland, Mthatha received over 500 mm of rain in just a few hours. Rivers burst their banks, dumping massive loads of silt into the sea.

Getting There Was an Adventure in Itself

The first change to our usual plans came even before we arrived. The bridge over the Mtatha River between Coffee Bay and Mdumbi was destroyed, forcing us to detour via Mthatha and the Lwandile road, adding hours to the journey.

When we reached Mdumbi Backpackers, we had no electricity (the storm had taken out transmission lines) and very limited cellphone signal. But these were small issues. With a generator for charging batteries, we kept things going. The real problem was the ocean — inshore waters were mud-brown with almost zero visibility for 5 km out. That killed any chance of reef dives, normally a highlight for our seasoned divers.

More Than Just Sardines

I’ve said it before: the Sardine Run should really be called the Great Ocean Safari. It’s about so much more than sardine baitballs.

As in many years, baitball action during our first week was sporadic, with bursts of chaos broken up by long boat rides in heavy seas. But the distractions were plentiful: breaching humpback whales, gliding albatrosses, surfing bottlenose dolphins, spy-hopping turtles, huge pods of common dolphins, diving Cape gannets and more. Our group even keeps a list of “100 Sardine Run distractions” for moments when baitballs aren’t around!

The Golden Baitball

Day 6 brought a breakthrough. After several quick, frantic jumps on moving sardine baitballs, I suddenly found myself face-to-face with something extraordinary — a shoal of golden yellow strepies being bubble-netted and devoured by common dolphins.

Then a Bryde’s whale stormed in, engulfing a massive mouthful of fish before disappearing in a cloud of bubbles. This young whale bore scars and healed damage, possibly from an old entanglement, but it showed no signs of slowing down. Repeated passes whittled down the shoal until the survivors finally scattered.

This was a first in more than 20 Sardine Run expeditions: a strepie baitball. I’ve never seen it before, nor heard of anyone else experiencing one. For us, it will always be remembered as the year of the golden baitball.

Beyond the Sardines

As the season continued after our departure, reports came in of even more baitball action — not with sardines, but with mackerel. The predator behaviour was different, unique, and no doubt unforgettable for those lucky enough to be there.

That’s the allure of the Sardine Run. For the same money you could go to the Red Sea and guarantee perfect visibility and beautiful photos. Or you can gamble on the Wild Coast — and maybe, just maybe, walk away with a once-in-a-lifetime encounter.

Gratitude

Huge thanks to Johann, Steve, Nick, Samantha, Dani, Libby, and Sipho for another unforgettable Wild Coast adventure, and to Don, Cleeve, Linda, Roman, Zak, and Tony for sharing the stoke!