THE GREATEST SHOAL ON EARTH

Every year between June and August the sardines mass into what wildlife filmmaker Peter Lamberti has dubbed "The Greatest Shoal on Earth".

The Sardine Run is one of the greatest animal migration spectacles in the World and begins in the cool waters south of the African continent.  Here they form into hundreds of large swirling shoals, moving inshore up the Transkei and KwaZulu-Natal coastlines resulting ultimately in 'Sardine Fever'.

The sardine run rivals East Africa's million animal strong wildebeest migration. It’s not just the gigantic waves of silvery sardines that cause excitement but the legions of predators that congregate en masse in anticipation of the year's greatest feast.

The waters of the Wild Coast boil with Sharks, Dolphins, Cape Gannets, Cape Fur Seals, and even, on occasion, Orcas, Whales and Penguins that have followed the Sardines for thousands of kilometers.

Sardines group together when they are threatened and form what is known as a bait ball. This instinctual behaviour is a defense mechanism, as lone individuals are more likely to be eaten than large groups. We have unique underwater footage of the huge bait balls that are under constant attack from shark, dolphin and gannet.

The Sardine Run also coincides with the annual migration of Humpback Whales that move north for the season into warmer waters to mate and calve.

All content is available from the Aquavision Stock Library archive and offers unsurpassed coverage of this unique event. The Sardine Run footage is suitable for broadcast, video-on-demand and online use and also for mobile platforms and educational use.

Contact us at stocklibrary@aquavision.co.za to request a DVD screener or to licence.