Thank you to our client Philipp Oppermann for sharing these stunning images captured from sardine run 2018.

A day in the life of our winter months and the annual South African sardine run.

Come and join us during our winter months and experience the great sardine migration .

Contact us https://offshoreportstjohns.com/contact/ and join us for an experience of a lifetime

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on day 13 sardine run 2018 with a highly curious, interactive and playful humpback whale, which spent 2 hours with all those on board Offshore 1 vessel, playing, spy hopping, swimming in for closer looks. The most incredible and curious behaviour and a definite once in a lifetime experience for all in the water.

The annual sardine run is not just about sardines, it is about all of these special encounters that take place over the same time.  It is about all the marine life that is in the same place, same time.  It is simply the best marine/ocean seafari for all marine enthusiasts.

If you would like to join us for an experience of a lifetime, https://offshoreportstjohns.com/contact/

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The coastline of the Wild Coast and Port St John’s is one of dramatic scenery and a sight like none other along this magical and wild coastline.

As the mighty Umzimvubu River makes its way seawards, the views of Mt. Sullivan to the north, also known as the north gate and Mt. Thesiger to the south, also known as the south gate, are to be truly appreciated by boat and by air.

The airstrip on Mt. Thesiger is a major tourist attraction in Port St John’s as it affords one the opportunity of seeing this major river system alongside two mountains in its’ full glory. Many a sundowner drink has been had here as the sun dips down on the beauty of this area, viewed from above town.

The town of Port St John’s nestled alongside the river gives one a true sense of where you are in this picturesque part of the Wild Coast, Eastern Cape.

The town of Port St John’s is known as the gateway to the sardine run https://offshoreportstjohns.com/the-sardine-run-psj/ and Offshore Africa, being the only operator with a permanent base here, calls Port St John’s the home of the sardine run for many reasons.

Contact us https://offshoreportstjohns.com/contact/ to see this amazing town and its dramatic scenery for yourself.

Photo credits to Rob Nettleton from Offshore Africa.

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As promised, here is another part in our series of ocean sightings along our coastline.

The famous Bryde’s whale.

The Bryde’s whale is, simply put, a superb predator with a rather comical name given to it during the annual sardine run.  That being “the stealth mode” whale.

There are many stories at the end of a busy and action packed sardine run ocean day, where the Bryde’s whale has paid divers/snorkelers a visit and the story will start off with something along the lines of … “this Bryde’s whale just appeared out of nowhere”, or “I narrowly missed being swallowed as I saw this large mouth swallow the entire ball of sardines”, or “I saw this shadow appear and it became a whale, in stealth mode, just swallowing all the sardines”, or “I was literally shoved out of the way by this shadow that appeared out of nowhere and mouth open, swallowed all the sardines” and so the stories will go over a few drinks in the evening.

Some interesting facts about the Bryde’s whale:-

• It is a small to medium-sized baleen whale
• There are 2 forms of Bryde’s whales in the South African sub region. An inshore, smaller and an offshore, migratory, larger
• Recent research suggests that the inshore population is probably less than 1000 animals
• The offshore Bryde’s whale is different to the inshore Bryde’s whale by the presence of oval scars all over the body, caused by the cookie cutter shark.
• Bryde’s whales have 3 longitudinal ridges on the upper surface of the top jaw that distinguish it from other similar looking species.
• The upper surfaces of the body and head and the outer surface of the flipper are bluish black, becoming paler on the sides of the body towards a whitish belly.
• The Bryde’s whale gets its’ name from John Bryde, an entrepreneur and businessman from the Norwegians who was responsible for setting up whaling ports designed to capture whales and sell their oil, blubber and other parts for money during the whaling era
• In terms of size, Bryde’s whale males tend to be slightly smaller than their females i.e. 15m (female) and 14.5m (male). The inshore Bryde’s whale is smaller at 14m (female) and 13m (males). Weight is max 20 tons although the inshore Bryde’s whale weight is likely to be around 15 tons.
• They have slender bodies, narrow pectoral fins and the ventral throat grooves extend as far as the navel.
• While searching for food these whales can dive underwater for up to 20 minutes before resurfacing for air
• Being part of the baleen whale suborder, Bryde’s whales do not possess teeth but are equipped with baleen plates that have bristles attached to them to allow the whale to filter prey from the water

WHAT DO THEY EAT you may ask?

The two populations off South Africa appear to have different diets.  The offshore population feeds on both krill and offshore fish and the inshore population feeds on small pelagic shoaling fish such as anchovies, sardine and massbankers.  Unlike other members of this group, the inshore population of Bryde’s whale is found close to the coast and feeds in relatively shallow water, often in association with other species such as common dolphins, cape gannets and Cape fur seals. They are often found in areas that have abundant supplies of fish and other prey.  They capture their food by looking for large shoals or gatherings of potential prey and then swim through them and engulf whatever is available.  Talk about being one to upset a party???? Just when you are watching the most amazing bait ball of sardines and the camera is out and ready to film, the Bryde’s whale has been known to blast in from nowhere and gobble the entire shoal right in front of disbelieving eyes!!!

They have also been spotted hunting and stealing prey that other marine animals have worked hard to herd together and obtain.

WHERE DO THEY SPEND MOST OF THEIR TIME AND WHERE DO THEY GO TO?

The inshore Bryde’s whale is resident over the Agulhas Banks and is commonly encountered in bays along the south-east coast, especially in the autumn months.  Its distribution seems to be concentrated between East London on the east coast and False Bay in the west, with only occasional sightings beyond this range.

The offshore Bryde’s whale occurs along the west coast of Southern Africa in waters beyond the continental shelf i.e. 400m depth contour.  The SE Atlantic population is thought to move as far north as Gabon and then south to about 40 deg S.

HOW DO THEY COMMUNICATE & HOW SOCIAL ARE THEY?

They are often found travelling either alone or in smaller groups of between 2-4 whales.

They are largely solitary but can be found in smaller groups during feeding and mating periods but there is no evidence of an organized social structure.

Unlike other species of baleen whales, Bryde’s whales tend to move in irregular patterns both surfacing and changing direction for no particular reason, making their patterns unpredictable and unusual. They do not appear to dive to any great depth.

Little is known about how they communicate but it IS known that, like other species within the baleen family, Bryde’s whales communicate using low-frequency sounds which often resemble the sound of someone moaning. In some cases the sounds may come in short bursts which last less than half a second, while others are longer and more drawn out. Many people ask what the meaning is of their communication calls.  While some facts are unknown, their calls are most likely used to communicate desire to mate, to alert others of nearby danger, to find other members of a group or pod or to let others know of nearby food among other survival based communication.

WHAT IS THEIR LIFESPAN & REPRODUCTION

The average gestation period for the Bryde’s whale is approximately 11-12 months.

The South African inshore Bryde’s whale is polyestrous (has more than one period of estrus per year and calves have been recorded throughout the year in coastal waters.  The offshore Bryde’s whale has an extended breeding season i.e. not clearly defined like in migratory baleen whales such as humpback & southern right whales), that spans the austral spring and summer.

When first born, they measure an average of 3-4 metres in length. After birth, the female will nurse her calf for 6-12 months or until the newborn is able to hunt and survive on its own.

Sexual maturity for the Bryde’s whale is between 7-14 years, at which point they reach their matured size and may begin mating and bearing offspring of their own.

There is not enough information about their lifespan.

WHAT ARE THEIR THREATS?

This species has not been hunted as intensively as the other baleen whales, but as the populations appear to be localized, the effect of relatively small catches on each population may be considerable. In past years these whales were caught off West Africa, Brazil, South Africa, particularly on the west coast and in Japanese waters and around the Bonin Islands.  Small numbers have also been taken off West Australia and around New Zealand and Japanese catches resumed in the North Pacific in 2000 under “scientific permit” for up to 50 whales per annum.

VIEWING BRYDE’S WHALES

The inshore Bryde’s whales can be viewed year round along the South African coastline, with the highest encounter rate reported from the coast east coast in the autumn months.  They are commonly encountered during the Sardine Run.  The offshore Bryde’s whales can be viewed in offshore waters of the west coast of South Africa in summer.

IUCN STATUS

Offshore Bryde’s whales – insufficient data

Inshore Bryde’s whales – vulnerable

Get in touch with us https://offshoreportstjohns.com/contact/

Special thanks to Seafari marine mammal tracking Bryde’s whale sightings for the extra information on these spectacular whales.

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When the excited shouts of a Bryde’s Whale sighting rings in your ears, suddenly everyone on the boat is on high alert.

“Bryde’s whale? – there has to be sardines in the vicinity”.  “There has to be a decent amount of food in the area”

And this is exactly the fact about these amazing whales that in order to maintain their diet, these marine mammals are often found in areas that have abundant supplies of fish and other prey.

This year there were many, many sightings of Bryde’s Whales during sardine run and so many of these were a last minute scramble to get out of the way as it would simply appear, in stealth mode fashion, before your very eyes and leave you wondering how something so large can just suddenly pop into focus like that and scoop so much food into it’s mouth and wham, thanks for that, sardine shoal split and chaos in the water with the excitement of the encounter.

They capture their food by looking for large swarms or gatherings of potential prey and then swim through the swarm and engulf whatever food is available. And you had better make sure that you are out of the way. Cheekily, these whales may be spotted hunting and stealing prey that other marine animals have worked hard to herd together and obtain. When searching for food the Bryde’s whale can dive underwater for up to 20 minutes before re-surfacing for air.

Unlike other species of baleen whales, Bryde’s whales tends to move in irregular patterns both surfacing and changing direction for no particular reason, making their patterns unpredictable and unusual.

Further interesting facts about the Bryde’s whale is that the name comes from Johan Bryde, who helped set up the first modern whaling station in South Africa.  They can be found living in various tropical/subtropical waters throughout the world and can be seen swimming in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans.

Their gestation period is approximately 11-12 months.  After birth the female will nurse her calf for 6 – 12 months or until the newborn is able to hunt and survive on it’s without the need of additional support from its mother.

Sexual maturity for these whales is between 7 – 14 years at which point they reach their matured size and may begin mating and bearing offspring of their own.

Bryde’s whales may give birth once every 2 – 4 years while they remain fertile.

Sadly there is not enough data about the lifespan of the Bryde’s whale.

More at …..http://divingwithsharks.co.za

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The Ragged tooth sharks of Port St John’s congregate during our winter months’.

Upon descent on the dive site, as we approach closer to the bottom they appear in large numbers and very curious indeed.

Large males, even larger females and juveniles are all over the place and totally oblivious to our presence and they simply don’t care either.

Females have a lot of mating scars and we are of the opinion that this is a mating area during the winter months and why not?  Compared to their counterparts up in KwaZulu-Natal, who contend with far greater diver activity, boat activity and industrial pollution, it would seem the logical choice to spend time along the Wild Coast where there is way more peace and tranquility and of course, no industrial pollution in our waters.

When one spends time with these magestic and relaxed sharks, one has to think about what the human race is doing as a negative for shark populations with the demand for bather protection along the KwaZulu-Natal coastline by non education and a no care attitude adopted by many an ocean user.

Once educated, people will realize the vital role that sharks have to play within our oceans in keeping the delicate balance and it is this that we all need to share amongst each other to ensure conservation and preservation of all shark species within our oceans globally.

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More at http://divingwithsharks.co.za

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Captured thru lens during our boat Offshore 1 launch through the surf.

It’s not everyday that whilst you are negotiating the surf launch at the start of day, sardine run 2017, that you have a visitor watching you.

So which do you look at first?  The fin or the surf and ocean ahead of you?

Well the surf and ocean of course but one wonders if it were not for the camera, did any of our clients see it?

Questions that come to mind are size, species, curiosity to be where the boat is launching and many other interesting facts.

Check out this new image

from Offshore Africa Port St John’s.

Sardine Run 2017 bookings are open. Please get in touch if you are keen to experience this exciting event on the marine calendar.

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