The Sardine News - thesardine.co.za - surfing, fishing, diving news n views

11/06/2026

🌊 Brighton Beach Sunrise Report by The Bear – Bluff, Durban KZN

Tides – Thursday, 11 June 2026

High Tide: 12:34 PM (1.51 m)

Low Tide: 6:38 PM (0.58 m)

Earlier: High at 12:02 AM, Low at 6:30 AM

Sunrise: 6:49 AM | Sunset: 5:04 PM

🌙 Moon Phase
Waning Crescent – 22% illuminated

Moonrise: 2:27 AM | Moonset: 1:44 PM

🌦️ Weather Forecast
Morning (AM): Overcast skies, 17 °C, moderate breeze from the north at 25 km/h.

Afternoon (PM): Clear and sunny, warming to 24–25 °C, winds NE at 26–30 km/h.

Evening: Mild, 20 °C, mostly cloudy with winds easing northward.

Atmospheric Pressure: ~1019 hPa, stable.

🌊 Ocean Conditions
Water Temperature: 23.4 °C — comfortably warm for diving and swimming.

Surf: Manageable, with some swell still running both north and south.

🎣 Fishing & Diving Notes
Snoek are definitely around, with geelbek showing up too.

Garrick and shad are biting, but only in the first-light window up to sunrise.

Daga salmon are pulling in strong down south.

Sardines spotted in the Transkei — signs that the sardine run may finally happen this year.

Divers got in yesterday; conditions remain decent today with warm water and light winds.

🐟 Local Vibe
This morning at Brighton Beach tidal pool, it was bang low tide just after neaps, with one chap casting for shad. The sunrise was absolutely epic, painting the Bluff sky in fiery colours.

10/06/2026

Looking for Sardines? Find the Cold Water

🐟 Welcome Back to The Sardine News
We’re reporting from Mtakatyi, our base for tracking sardines along the coast. And yes — sardines are here!

Mtakatyi Bay & Presley's Bay are alive with sardines, gannets, dolphins, and whales.

Captain Garry Hook confirms scattered shoals stretching from Port Elizabeth southwards.

Sardines are holding in the Cape, waiting for the cold water, big south swells, and full moon to trigger their run north.

Windy.com’s current maps show the Agulhas Current twisting and swirling, with pockets of cold water pushing toward Glenmore — the perfect setup for sardines to catch the counter‑current.

Up north, only one shoal has been spotted off Scotburgh, sitting deep at 30m. For now, the main action is in the Cape, with birds and predators feasting while the shoals stay scattered.

🎥 We’ll keep tracking conditions daily — from Banana Bay cliffs to the wider coast — and bring you updates as soon as the sardines decide to move.

👉 Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and hit the bell so you don’t miss the next Sardine News report.

09/06/2026

Light SW Scottburgh Beach Report No Sardines 9 June 2026

🌊 Scottburgh Beach Report — Cliff Bamber
It’s almost 11:30 AM, and we’re just past high tide, which came in about an hour ago — the tide is now running out.

A south‑westerly wind is blowing under cloudy to partly cloudy skies, with temperatures expected to rise to around 22°C today.

The beach is fairly quiet, and the swell has dropped off a little — sitting at about one metre, with only a small shore break of half a metre.

And for now, there’s still no sign of sardines along the shoreline.

Cliff Bamber — Scottburgh Beach Report

06/06/2026

There Are Sardines - , ,

06/06/2026

Confirmed sardines today at Coffee Bay, Hole in the Wall, Mdumbi, Port St John's...more video sightings to follow...thank you Spotted Grunter in Port St John's....

05/06/2026

Bear KZN sea conditions report Big surf Couta Snoek Queenfish Cobia

Bear KZN sea conditions report Big surf Couta Snoek Queenfish Cobia Hi peeps and welcome to another Bear report brought to you by Mydo bait swimmers and Master Watermen. Online YouTube report available here... Jeeze but the gamefish have been sporadic local at the moment with the couta staying in the dirt out deep so hard to shoot however the fishermen are getting some!...

The Bear brings you up-to-date spearing news from down deep - up and down the KZN Coastline.

04/06/2026

🌊 Morning Guys!
It’s Thursday here in Port Shepstone and the ocean has woken up. The waves have picked up quite a bit compared to yesterday’s flat seas — rolling in with some energy now, though still low right in the front.

☔ After days of waiting, the rain has finally arrived. You can feel the atmosphere shifting as the drizzle settles in, promising a proper soaking later. The smell of fresh rain mixing with sea spray makes for a classic coastal morning.

🎣 Down at The Block, the fishing spot is quiet — rods packed away as the weather turns. Locals are watching the skies, hoping the rain will stir things up and maybe bring some sardine action closer to shore.

📢 This is Alan Carby, your intrepid sardine correspondent, signing off from Port Shepstone with the first drops of long‑awaited rain and a promise of more ocean news as the day unfolds. Enjoy your Thursday, folks!

04/06/2026

Overcast and Drizzly KZN South Coast 4 June 2026 by Cliff Bamber

🌥️ Scottburgh Beach Report — Cliff Bamber
It’s 10:45 AM here at Scottburgh Beach, and the day is completely overcast. The forecast says the temperature will only climb to about 20°C, with rain expected later this afternoon — possibly lasting for two days.

The water temperature, according to the Shark’s Board, is sitting at 22.7°C, which isn’t too bad at all. Conditions are calm, though the beach is fairly quiet for a Thursday morning.

All in all, it’s a cool, grey day by the sea — with calm water and a peaceful vibe before the rain arrives.

04/06/2026

Cold Water Moving In - Sardine Run 2026 with Windy.com

🌊 Sardine News — Cold Current Watch
Welcome back to The Sardine News. We’ve been getting loads of queries: where are the sardines?

One reader asked a great question about the Agulhas Current and its counter‑current. To answer properly, I checked out the excellent current maps on Windy.com.

Right now, the Agulhas is showing what I’d call a speed wobble. Off East London, warm water is pushing past, but near Port St Johns and Umtata a huge cold patch has moved in — with more behind it. This anomaly has twisted the current into strange shapes, almost like it doesn’t know where it’s going.

That cold water could be the path the sardines take this year, instead of the usual inside track from East London. Notice how East London itself is missing the cold water, while Port Elizabeth/Gqeberha has plenty. The rest of the coast is dominated by a wide stripe of 25–26°C water — far too warm for sardines.

This anomaly is fascinating to watch in real time. Windy.com even lets you click “play” to see how the currents are forecast to shift. If the cold patch keeps pushing north, it looks like Durban could be next in line.

Stay tuned — we’ll keep tracking this daily.

Ciao for now, and keep an eye on Windy.com with us.

03/06/2026

🌊 Nahoon Reef Report — 19°C Water
🎣 By Dallas


Hey howzit from Nahoon Reef this morning — the sardines were a lot closer in, and the birds are going absolutely crazy overhead. Surfers are making the most of the action, and I even spotted a few dive boats out there, so I’m sure the guys are getting stuck into some excitement.

Lekker day all round. The rain that was forecast seems to be holding off and moving more offshore, leaving us with clear skies and good vibes. Sea temperature is sitting at a crisp 19 degrees, perfect for the predators and the chase.

Cheers man — have a good one, and keep your eyes on the water. The water is alive!