Sardine Run - Mackerel & Sharks -

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 arrived, the area was scattered with birds and boats, and I figured we might be a bit late. That’s the cost of coming all the way from Mdumbi.

We travelled alongside common dolphins, scanning constantly, until something shifted. Right in front of us, the dolphins pulled up a dense block of mackerel and exploded into a feeding frenzy. I jumped in, surrounded by dusky and copper sharks swirling through the bait. For a brief but intense two minutes, the predators tore through the mackerel before disappearing into the blue. The birds largely ignored it—these fish were too big to catch, too big to swallow.

Later, we watched bottlenose dolphins for hours. There were so many sharks in the area that I had a hunch something was going on deeper down. Eventually, I spotted five common dolphins mixed in, which caught my attention. Bottlenose dolphins don’t usually drive bait to the surface—but common dolphins do.

Sure enough, we found it. A massive, towering shoal of mackerel—thick and dark, starting around 8 meters deep and dropping further. It wasn’t a tight bait ball but a sheer wall of fish, and cutting through it were more sharks and a few scattered dolphins. I swam into it with my GoPro on a stick, and the sharks seemed curious—maybe mistaking the camera for prey.

We also had sightings of humpback whales and even a loggerhead turtle. After all the effort and distance covered, it was a rewarding day. We ended with a relaxed snorkel session and plenty of laughter—exactly the kind of day that makes all the searching worth it.

We’ll be running trips again next year—if this kind of wild encounter excites you, get in touch. It’s never predictable out here, but that’s what makes it so real.