loftus 42 Posted June 18, 2008 Because their nuts are so large, when they walk they go ku-du, ku-du! Old Jo'burg high school joke Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Travy 0 Posted June 18, 2008 Because their nuts are so large, when they walk they go ku-du, ku-du!Old Jo'burg high school joke Yip,ive heard that one before.LOL Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Drew 0 Posted June 18, 2008 Well looks like the weather isn't going to give us a break. The good news is the guys are keeping good spirits and entertained by the wonderful scenery of the area. The rains have made it difficult to even contemplate launching. The terrible thing is while we're complaining about the rain and its effect on us, people in KZN have been killed by landslides and flashfloods and many hundreds displaced by the rising water. Really does put a damper on things. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Drew 0 Posted June 19, 2008 Went out to Magwa and Fraser falls today. The rivers were so full that the falls were really showing off their potential, so much so we couldn't cross them as we normally do. Planes are flying again and reports of very little activity in terms of birds and dolphins. But this place has a way of turning things around overnight. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shawnh 0 Posted June 20, 2008 Drew, real bummer about the weather. I have my fingers crossed for your crew. I await the report later in the trip of the monster bait ball, loaded with sharks, whales crashing through and 10,000 gannets crashing in! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Travy 0 Posted June 20, 2008 Hi guys A guy i know called David has just returned from a trip to the Sardine Run in KZN.He is the owner and skipper of one of the world's fastest trimarans which he sometimes uses for diving,sailing and spear fishing trips.Anyways he has just sent this pictures today.Its taken before the cold front moved in up the coast. The pictures of him surfing with dolphins while being towed behind the trimaran are real and not photoshop'd. Enjoy,good luck with the Sardine Run. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Drew 0 Posted June 21, 2008 Well it's been a very decent 2 days topside. Yesterday we had thousands of dolphins spread out everywhere and couldn't spit anywhere without hitting a common dolphin. Then the birds were diving madly but not real sardine activity we could see as the rains killed viz. We did have 4 humpbacks having a tussle later in the day but the skies were cloudy and light was pretty bad. We still managed some decent shots of breaches and cardunkle throws before calling it a day. Today we came out to dirty water and a dead sea... but no sooner as we were fretting did reports of activity spring us into action heading south. We followed the bird activity and bumped into a Bryde's whales and even a few bronze whaler breaches. Then a small pod of pantropical spotted dolphins showed up followed by a few common dolphins. As sudden as the life came, the birds sat and sea was empty again. As we chomped on our meatball pasta salad, I noticed a few splashes in the distance. I knew this to be dolphins but we had a very pleasant surprise as a continuous long line of common dolphins approached, with numbers of over a thousand at least. They were in travel formation for awhile then suddenly split into a wide line for hunting. These superpods are common during this time of year and is probably the most spectacular sight of the indian ocean. It is my favorite thing to see here. We followed this superpod and then they ran into a pair of humpbacks which weren't happy of the dolphins' presence and began tail smacking, breaching and throws at the pesky dolphins. We were waiting for the humpback to contact with one of the dolphins for that flying dolphin shot but it wasn't meant to be. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Drew 0 Posted June 22, 2008 A very positive day as the weather was wonderful and the visibility returned. Had 3 species of sharks (brachyrus, limbatus and sphyrna), 2 species of whales (Bryde's and humpback), 3 species of dolphin (pan tropicals, bottlenose and commons) and lots of gannets and petrels all over the place. Got into the water with a mini-baitball of anchovies that disappeared as fast as I arrived. Seemed to be a training hunt for mother and calf dolphins as I only saw parent child pairs hit them. The best news for all is the viz has cleared to a workable 15ft/5m+, even to 25ft/8m in some areas. Now we just need the baitfish to hit hard. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shawnh 0 Posted June 22, 2008 Rooting for you guys down there. Hope the vis continues to improve. All the ingredients are there (except sardines) but that can change in a flash. Look forward to the next report. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pakman 0 Posted June 23, 2008 Just got an annoying text last nite from a buddy who's out there now. Thousands of dolphins, bride's whales, and breaching humpbacks... grrr... Nice of him to rub it in... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Drew 0 Posted June 23, 2008 The sardines are already here. There was a 15 km shoal just before the crew arrived and was happening until the cold front created havoc. Seems like we were brought back to square one and restarted the whole process again. Which isn't a bad thing for the new guys. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Drew 0 Posted June 23, 2008 Very nice day for cetacean watching for the crew as we spotted a pod of Pygmy Bryde's whale (B. Edeni) consisting of younger pups and a mother and a small minke (B. Bonarensis) . The weather was gorgeous and the sea was so flat but activity was a bit lacking so I suggested a shark dive with a plastic bottle as an attractant. It wasn't very successful but then we delayed the doldrums in time to jump in on small baitballs of anchovies with diving gannets and dolphin action ( with the sharks always lurking in the murky shadows. The visibility has stayed clear but the water temp has risen so there is fear the sardines are staying deep. Hopefully the conditions will allow a pocket to surface for the sea life to get into gear. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wagsy 0 Posted June 24, 2008 Go Drew... It's like having your very own on the sport news reporter Kelly spotted a Great White out Whale Sharking here yesterday. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Drew 0 Posted June 24, 2008 Had a short but fruitful day today. The winds were making the sea choppy but we still jumped on a few hundred common dolphins. Then out of the blue 3 humpbacks swam right by us and with 2m of one of the guys... scaring the crap out of him. He was so shook up, he's been sucking on wine all day to celebrate the experience. Sardines are plentiful but none are playing in cleaner water. Seems the dolphins are hunting a different kind of baitfish in the clean water. Hopefully we can hit the stuff tomorrow again. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jonny shaw 16 Posted June 25, 2008 Sounds awesome.... Good luck and hope you get a super sized bait ball with all the trimmings!!!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Drew 0 Posted June 25, 2008 Good day today. The guys went on a shark dive and missed a big baitball action with Bryde's whales because they didn't heed the recall signal. But then after that, I spied some birds flying away in their response pattern and gunned after them. Paydirt! We ran into hundreds of gannets and common dolphins in frenzy mode and jumped in on the most stable action. On inspection , the little baitballl was redeye but it was so fast and furious it didn't matter what kind of fish it was. Sharks were hitting them from the bottom and then a Bryde's whale cruised by. I popped up for a breather and then the skipper dropped me back onto the action... literally! I landed on a 2.5m bronze whaler which swam right between my legs (shrinkage and crapping are words that described my immediate reaction) and then I saw gannets and sharks chasing a football size baitball of mackerel from all sides. I'd never seen such incredible pandemonium before. Unfortunately I could only keep up for a few seconds before the action blew past me. It was a pretty good day on the wild coast today. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
loftus 42 Posted June 25, 2008 Sure hope to see some footage of all this, so that we know whether to believe you or not. Great that things are starting to happen fast and furious. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Drew 0 Posted June 26, 2008 Nice follow up day to yesterday as we hit 3 different baitballs of mackerel and redeye herring. Too many divers for the sharks to stay in but we had plenty of dolphins and gannets and even a few tuna (bonitos). We also saw sailfish from the distance but the Beeb managed to get it in their baitball, which brought them smiles. Cameraman Noirot declared the war was over between our boats (we have a friendly joust every year). That was a bummer as I was about to escalate to hiding their equipment on their boat (they started it by hiding my swim trunks!) In fact it's very peaceful as the guys are d/ling their 8-16GB cards which were full. I myself only shot 400 shots. It got so hectic, a few of the guys blew through their air in a hurry (always what happens with newbies in such action). One of our guys leave us tomorrow as he had to return to work but as much as we'll miss him, we sure like the extra space. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shark6047 0 Posted June 27, 2008 Sounds great. When do we see some pix? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Drew 0 Posted June 27, 2008 Today was a bit of a bummer. We decided to hit the same area where all the action took place the last 2 days despite the bad conditions and took a pounding getting there and returning. Action was sporadic and quickly over so it was a wash. Then we saw the pics from another boat which didn't make the big journey out and they had a sailfish in a baitball that lasted 2 hours just outside where we launch everyday. Minimal carbon footprint and great action. What a great deal... and it was the same group of guys who jumped in on our action the day before. I did feel a little angry about the lack of etiquette but the operator did apologise for his client's conduct which were beyond control. 2 more days to go but it seems the weather wants us to sit out another day. I'm glad I'm extending Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Drew 0 Posted June 28, 2008 2nd last day saw a slow day get slower. Started with a few thousand gannets diving but in dirty water. The Beeb got a Bryde's whale baitball but didn't get the classic bryde's munch. Tomorrow is the last day so the guys are getting restless. As a teaser, I'll post just one pic from the other day's action (and burn my GPRS bandwidth on silly picture posts): Canon 1DMk2N Sigma 12-24 at 15, 1/250, f11, exp -2/3. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
herbko 0 Posted June 28, 2008 Beautiful! That looks really exciting. Looks like the 15mm FE is working out well for you. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Alex_Mustard 0 Posted June 28, 2008 Wow. Looks fantastic. Alex Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Steve Jones 0 Posted June 28, 2008 lovely shot, very atmospheric.... Steve Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wagsy 0 Posted June 28, 2008 Cool Drew... Yep I'm jealous Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
