Tag: kzn

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AM Dive and Sardine Report 27 June 2024

Master Watermen Sardine Report 27 June 2024

AM Dive and Sardine Report 27 June 2024

AM Dive and Sardine Report 27 June 2024 : well The Bear ate something bad last night and as a direct result, we get this! An actual report! From The Bluff, Cave, where the water is warm and blue.

Over to The Bear on location…

The Bear checks in from Cave Rock this morning the 27 June 2024

Sardines

There are sardines everywhere today. From Port Edward to Ballito and beyond?! Never even knew they went that far north, but we’ll take it. The sardines are not voluntarily swimming up the beach like they do sometimes. They are swimming a few hundred metres to a few kilometres out.

Ballito 27 June 2024 Sardine Report by The Bear
Ballito 27 June 2024 Sardine Report by The Bear

There are also reportedly even more baitfish, most likely sardines, down deep where we can’t see them. But fish finders can. These deeper pockets of baitfish could also be mackerel and red-eyes. Either way, the ocean is very alive at the moment.

Diving

This is the time of year to be a spearo. The fish get full and lazy. Everyone getting their faro share. And more. The DAFF contingent are around but they can never keep up tp the sheer hoards of shad fishermen on every beach. Making a huge mess.

Affiliated YouTube Channels

https://youtube.com/@Brucifire – highly entertaining surf reporting

https://youtube.com/@thesardinenews – neva miss a single sardine

https://youtube.com/@mydotackletalk – highly technical sport fishing

https://youtube.com/@surflaunchingsouthernafrica – getting out there safely

https://youtube.com/@waterwoes – complain here

https://youtube.com/@MasterWatermen – dive here

Affiliated websites

https://umzimkulu.co.za – self-catering right on the Umzimkulu River
https://umzimkuluadrenalin.co.za –  sardine run coming up
https://thesardine.co.za – never miss a single sardine
https://masterwatermen.co.za – news from deep down
https://brucifire.co.za – surf and conditions reporting
https://fishbazaruto.com – your dreams are out there
https://mydofishinglures.co.za – technical sport fishing

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Flat and clean. Slab kob. Bear Report 06-08-2021

Anthony Dede with a slab Daga salmon 42kg shore dive North

Flat and clean. Slab kob.  Bear Report 06-08-2021

Hi peeps and welcome to the Bear’s weekend dive report brought to you by thesardine.co.za and masterwatermen.co.za.

Conditions changed a bit for the worse on the weekend but the last two days it’s been flat and clean on the South coast with some Snoek and Garrick around. North had some decent Snoek\Garrick action and there are some big Daga salmon around in the shallows. Good luck to the lads in the Border open competition tomorrow down in the Transkei at Hole in the Wall! Some guys got in on the great conditions down there at the moment and I have included some pictures.

In the fish pictures this week we have Anthony Dede with a slab Daga salmon 42kg shore dive North, Brett and Master Richardt Botes with Garrick shore dive North, Darryl Mc Cormack with a decent Garrick shore dive North, Diego Pizzimbone with pre Border Open Poensie and Yellowbelly boat dive Hole in the Wall, Francois with a Couta boat dive North , Master Carl Werner with a pre Border open Garrick 9.3kg Hole in the Wall, Master Louis Schorie with a Garrick shore dive Durban and Troy Ellof with a Daga salmon shore dive Durban.

Looks like we have good weather again this weekend! Saturday a light offshore wind blows early bells switching to a light SE wind around lunchtime. Swell starts chunky at 1.9m and drops off to 1.6m by the afternoon. Sunday a light NW offshore blows early bells and switches to a moderate NE after mid morning. Swell starts off negligible at 1.4m and picks up to 1.7m later in the day with the NE wind.

So Saturday the whole day is go day and Sunday the early bird gets the worm!

Online report available here… https://youtu.be/MOnccjONxw4

As always Dive Safe and Straight Spears from the Bear…

The Sardine News and the Master Watermen are powered by TLC for your Business. Where you can take your business processes online and make more money!

Slab kob and other fish gallery…

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Bus Couta coldest week. Bear Report 23-07-2021

Bus Couta: Master Joe Mulder with a whopping 31.5kg Couta boat dive South

Well the week started out well with the sea settling and some slab Couta coming out with big shoals of Snoek and Garrick in the shallows. The winter fish are starting to move North up the coast in numbers and the Daga salmon, Geelbek and Cape tail are here in numbers. Unfortunately a serious winter cold front has pulled in and has frothed the sea properly with some fresh SW wind and large swell.

In the fish pic’s this week we have Andrew and Grant with Snoek shore dive North, Duan, Hennie and Rudi with Couta boatdive South, Ella and Max Bunge with Shad and a Tassel shore dive South, Master Carl Wernerm, Johan Boshoff and Master Joe Mulder with Couta boat dive South, Master Don Solomon with a Daga salmon boat dive South, Master Don Solomon with a lovely Cape yellowtail boat dive South, Master Joe Mulder with a whopping 31.5kg Couta boat dive South, Master Juggs Holzman with a 13.5kg Garrick shore dive Durban, Master Juggs Holzman with a decent Bek and Catface rockcod ski dive Durban, Matthew with Snoek and Garrick shore dive North, Ricky Nieuwenhuis PB 10.1kg Garrick shore dive Durban, Robin Seiler with a Daga salmon boat dive far North and Robin Seiler with a slab Eelskin rockod boat dive far North.

Saturday early bells a moderate WSW wind blows till midmorning swinging around to a light SE wind later in the afternoon with a 3.5m swell which drops off to 2.3m late in the day. Sunday morning a light NW offshore wind blows till midmorning switching around to a moderate NE wind in the afternoon with the swell running at 2.2m.

So it looks like Sunday morning is good for a dive “if” the swell prediction is correct. The online weather prediction sites have been a bit out on swell prediction the last two weeks!

Online report available here… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AkEUwrQpGcM&ab_channel=MasterWatermen

As always Dive Safe and Straight Spears from the Bear…

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Bear weekend Dive Report 05-03-2021

Master Richardt Botes with a brace of Snoek boatdive Durban

Bear weekend dive report 05-03-2021

Bear weekend dive report 05-03-2021: Hi peeps and welcome to the Bear weekend dive report brought to you by the sardine.co.za and masterwatermen.co.za.

Well it has not been a great start to the crayfish season with some larger surf around and bad viz up and down the coast. I still managed to scratch two bags up North (read…prawns…hahaha) but it was not easy pickings! I also managed to fluff a Couta (high shot) and lose one (barb did not open)! Oh the bleakness! Fish did come out though so let’s have a look see.

We have Garreth LeRoux with his 1st Threadfin Mirror fish on a boatdive off Durban, Keaton with a bomber snoek on a shoredive up North, Kevin with a Rock salmon on a shoredive up North today, Master Craig Harper and Ruan Potgieter with Wahoo on a boatdive down South (Ruans 1st Wahoo 21kg), Master Richardt Botes with a lovely brace of Snoek on a boatdive off Durban and Teegan Coulonval with a Couta boatdiving off Durban.

Video report

Let us see what the weekend weather god’s have in store for us!

For once we have a SW blowing today(Friday) so some viz and warmer water should come in somewhere along the coast line, either lower South or middle to lower North coast would be my guess. The SW drops off in the night switching to a light offshore tomorrow morning both North and South with a North Easterly in the afternoon being lighter in the North and puffing more in the South.

Sunday the NE dies off completely in the South switching to a light Southerly in the arvo. Durban and North there of the NE blows through the night then picks up in the arvo on Sunday.

The swell will be big in the South getting bigger on Sunday swinging to a proper southerly swell of 2m from 1.7 m on Saturday. Durban and North will have the same swing from the South but Durban smaller at 1.5m and North at 1.8m Saturday morning with Durban building towards Sunday at 1.7m and North getting smaller at 1.6m.

Gallery

05-03-2021 Bear weekend dive report
05-03-2021 Bear weekend dive report
Bear weekend dive report: Master Craig Harper and Ruan Potgieter with his 1st Wahoo 21kg boatdive South
Garreth Leroux with his 1st Threadfin mirror boatdive Durban
Kevin with a Rock salmon shoredive North
Master Richardt Botes with a brace of Snoek boatdive Durban

So Saturday looking better than Sunday morning unless you hitting a boatdive then Sunday morning looking great down South!

As always Dive Safe and Straight Spears from the Bear..,.

Site and SEO for the Master Watermen by The Sardine News.

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Turtle vs Octopus

Turtle vs Octopus by the Master Watermen

Turtle vs Octopus

“Right, to kick off the blog section of the newly invented Master Watermen website, we have some literally unbelievable adventuring by Jason and Paul, way down deep. With a turtle and an octopus. Yes. It’s not even a joke. And there is video! Unfrigginbelievable I tell ya” – Xonalanga

Some people believe Spearfishing is just killing fish etc…but those of us at know that it is a way more than sustainable harvesting of the Ocean.

Master spearos (spearfisherpeople) are always good ambassadors and protectors of the Ocean and its creatures, we are the eyes under the surface and as such can see what condition or state the Ocean is in where we dive. I have seen how Marine animals can ask for help 1st hand whilst diving and 2nd hand via YouTube over the years and in this episode we get to see this phenomenon on a lovely dive I had with a Dive buddy (Paul) on the North Coast of KZN South Africa last year.

Loggerhead Turtle, Bottle-nose Dolphins and a Giant Manta ray all in one epic dive! The largest of all hard shelled turtles, Loggerheads are named for their massive heads and powerful jaws (leatherbacks are bigger but have soft shells). Their shell, is heart-shaped and normally a rusty brown colour. Their front flippers propel them through the water like wings, and their hind feet stabilize and steer them.

A female Loggerhead turtle always returns to the same beach she was born on after sometimes travelling thousands of km to return and lay her eggs and they nest on the beaches in Northern KZN South Africa and Mozambique at night here in the Indian Ocean and at one stage our local population was believed to be below 300 individuals. They have recovered quite well though and I see quite a few of them around on my dives here on the KZN coastline.

This male Loggerhead Turtle came to ask a favour at the end of the three and a half hour dive! He had taken a big Octopus for dinner and it became entangled around his neck! Watch as Paul and I see how we can help Mr Turtle get untangled from his dinner! TURTLE POWER! As always dive safe and straight spears from the Bear…

“Well if I can comment – YOWSER!!!

Man-oh-man Jason this is epic. And is that Paul Roxburgh in there with you?

But ok, a great attempt at convincing the public that spearos are not cold-blooded killers all the time. Only 99% of the time!

But after a chuckle, sure, agreed on every aspect, especially since the sheer amount of hours spent out there on a limb, adds up to a lot of kudos. Which means you can keep at it I suppose?

Well, between this story and Stompie, I am just pleasantly pondering at what might come next!?”

Xonalanga

The Sardine News
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