Experience a true adventure in South Africa. Fly to Johannesburg or East London and experience Scuba diving and photographing everybody’s favorite fish off East London, South Africa. On this expedition, a small group of divers will accompany Professional Photographer, Amos Nachoum, as he returns to the Wild Coast of South Africa for one of nature’s most amazing spectacles: thousands and thousands of marine animals of all sizes engaged in an orgy of sardine predation.

Amos has vast experience photographing all the Big Animals of the world, from great white sharks to blue whales, from orcas to leopard seals, and his guidance on a dynamic expedition such as the Sardine Run is invaluable.

You will join 7 other guests on the Snow Petrel, a stable, live-aboard vessel, 153' long and 27' wide vessel that is the perfect boat to join the Greatest Show on Earth. Because the sardine shoal can range widely over many miles of open ocean, our fast, stable, and eminently comfortable boat will get us right to the action and provide us an ideal platform to participate in one of nature’s greatest adventures. The vessel's two fast Zodiacs carry just four guests each, compared with the 8-10 you’d expect on a conventional tour. Because our Zodiacs launch from the dive boat, we don’t have to deal with shore launches the way others do, so we can stay out longer and get more and better wildlife encounters.

Which is, of course, what you’re coming for.

Johannesburg or Jo'burg, as the locals call the city of the gold, is the biggest metropolis in South Africa. With its 3.2 million citizens the city on the Witwatersrand is the predominant commercial centre and the economic motor of the Republic of South Africa. It is the international flight gateway for most of southern Africa.

Upon arrival into South Africa you will be met inside the airport and escorted through Customs and Immigration avoiding any queues.

Airport transfer to/from your hotel with private vehicle

South Africa's first and only luxury hotel at an airport, the InterContinental Johannesburg O.R. Tambo Airport is situated within walking distance from the terminals at OR Tambo International Airport.

Overnight at Intercontinental Tambo Airport.

Enjoy a flight from Johannesburg to East London, not included in the tour cost.

Meet your english-speaking driver for a private airport transfer.

Premier Hotel Regent (3*) has spectacular ocean views and is located in South Africa’s only river port city, East London. Premier Hotel Regent offers a choice of 175 rooms and the largest conference centre within a hotel environment in East London. East London, also known as Buffalo city, lies at the heart of the Inyathi Buffalo route. Although it is one of South Africa’s smallest major cities, East London is filled with historical depth, a variety of cultures, beautiful people and sandy beaches. It is adjacent to one of these spectacular beaches that Premier Hotel East London is poised. With magical views of the Indian Ocean, this pristine hotel is a mere 15 minute drive to East London’s airport and in close proximity to the CBD and various shopping centres.

Overnight at Premier Regent (3*).

Together with Kensington Tours, world renowned photographer Amos Nachoum’s expeditions take him and a small group of exclusive travelers throughout the world to observe, photograph, and revere the most magnificent creatures on the planet. He has led multiple many high-profile National Geographic expedition teams, including National Geographic’s Red Sea, Great White Shark, and Killer Whale photo expeditions. Amos’s photos and essays have appeared in hundreds of publications around the globe, including National Geographic, Time, Life, The New York Times, and many more.

Under the expert guidance of Amos, learn the secrets to spellbinding wildlife photography, as well as have the chance to interact with some of the most exciting animals on the planet — great white sharks, polar bears, blue whales, sailfish, snow leopards, the sardine run and more — Amos will help you capture their true essence in the most spectacular wildlife photographs you’ll ever take.

In East London you will be met by a local representative.  You’ll meet the whole group and we’ll transfer to the vessel.

Embark Snow Petrel Ship today and get ready for the adventure.

Dinner not included in tour price.

The Snow Petrel is a stable, sea-worthy minesweeper, 153′ long and 27′ wide vessel that is the perfect boat to join the Greatest Show on Earth. Because the sardine shoal can range widely over many miles of open ocean, our fast, stable, and eminently comfortable boat will get us right to the action and provide us an ideal platform to participate in one of nature’s greatest adventures.

Overnight at Snow Petrel Ship.

Enjoy a 7 days of high voltage adventure along the rugged Wild Coast in search of sardines and the predators that love them.

We spend all day on the high seas as long as the action is on. At dusk, we’re back onboard our amazing dive boat for great food, relaxation, image-viewing, and storytelling (you’ll have plenty to share).

Overnight at Snow Petrel Ship.

Each day begins with a search along the coast for feeding activity on bait balls by dolphins, seals, and sharks. The search is directed from above by our “Eyes in the Sky” scout. By special arrangement, we get a daily report from the KwaZulu-Natal Sharks Board, which deploys a daily flight along the 1,000 mile coast line. We use their data to plan our tracking of the sardine shoal movement. As long as sea conditions permit, we stay offshore and close to the action. Should the sea get rough, we go to safe harbor overnight.

Overnight at Snow Petrel Ship.

Once we’re in the path of the sardine shoal, as soon as we see birds diving into the ocean, or the mesmerizing view of a thousand dolphins racing ahead, we suit up and get our camera gear ready. The crew launches our two semi-rigid Zodiacs and we join the race, with four guests per Zodiac for a lovely, uncrowded ride.

Overnight at Snow Petrel Ship.

This underwater photographic expedition will show you the sardine’s real story — not that of a flat rectangular can packed with oil, but a heroic migration spread across miles of open ocean, a shimmering mass of silver and shadow, on some journey of vital importance understood only by the sardine itself, but appreciated (it seems) by every living thing in, on, and above the sea. At ten inches, the sardine wouldn’t seem to warrant the attention of a company that calls itself Big Animals Expeditions, but we promise that at the end of this exciting adventure, you’ll understand what an important animal the sardine actually is.

Overnight at Snow Petrel Ship.

The sardines have been migrating along a course that’s further out to sea than usual, but with our trusty trimaran maximizing the possibilities for wild encounters from close to shore to over the horizon, underwater photographers will have as many opportunities to capture amazing images as there are migrating sardines. Consider the sardine-lovers who will be in attendance during our expedition: Bronze Whaler or Copper Sharks, Dusky Sharks, Black Tip Sharks; game fish such as shad, garrick, and geelback; Humpback Whales, Bryde’s Whales, and Common and Bottlenose Dolphins by the thousands; Cape fur seals, and an unbelievable skyful of birds: Cape gannets, cormorants, terns, and gulls. And of course, us.

Overnight at Snow Petrel Ship.

The Sardine Run also coincides with the annual migration of Humpback Whales that move north for the season into warmer water to mate and calve. The spectacular breaches of these animals are a daily phenomenon and it just adds to your overall experience.

For the advanced scuba diver, this is indeed the greatest dive show on earth. The ultimate highlight is the "bait ball". This is when the sharks or dolphins or both corral a shoal of sardines into a tight ball, then dive into it in a frenzied attack to come away with mouthfuls of unfortunate sardines. However, this is often logistically difficult for the divers and boats to approach as the sardines are very elusive. Luckily the predators are not as bashful. Bronze Whaler Sharks, Common & Bottlenose Dolphins and dive-bombing Cape Gannets are literally everywhere all the time, so any dive is pure adrenaline.

For the non-diver the show is just as rewarding. Most of the action is seen from the boat and there are plenty opportunities to snorkel with dolphins, whales and, for the brave, sharks while being bombarded on all sides by Cape Gannets.

Overnight at Snow Petrel Ship.

Enjoy your last day onboard.  Experience one last run with your family of expeditionists, and reflect on this unique experience. 

Overnight at Snow Petrel Ship.

Disembark the vessel at East London, and head to the airport, where you begin your journey home.

Meet your english-speaking driver for a private airport transfer.

Depart from International Airport. End of itinerary.

Overnight at Depart (Int`l Airport).