Indian Ocean ballet: S.Africa’s breathtaking ‘sardine run’

Indian Ocean ballet: S.Africa’s breathtaking ‘sardine run’

Dolphins gracefully pop in and out of the water, peppering the infinite-looking Indian Ocean, sharks rise from the depths while birds dive from the sky"”all on the hunt for their next meal: sardines. In the crisp air of winter, South Africa's east coast is home to a spectacular annual migration of millions of sardines. The "sardine run" lasts several months, usually peaking in July. It attracts a host of marine predators, and the result is an awesome feeding frenzy.

"This is a super-pod of common dolphins," Michelle Carpenter, marine biologist excitedly tells AFP, while perched on the side of a boat as three dolphins synchronise into a perfectly timed dive right behind her. As the ripples of foamy waters roll through, a flurry of Cape gannets tuck in their wings in succession, diving from the clear blue skies like arrows into the ominous dark waves. A shape-shifting silvery ball of sardines grouped together glides through the water in unison just below the waves"”a "bait ball".

Separated from the main shoal, which can be several kilometres (miles) long, they are surrounded and then herded up from the deep sea to the surface by the dolphins. The feast can now begin. This choreographed dance