• When you arrive at Durban International Airport [KSIA / DUR] [or other pick-up points as required], we will meet you and transfer you to Blue Ocean Dive Resort which is situated in the diving village of Umkomaas about 80km south of Durban International Airport and about 50km south of Durban.
• When you arrive at Blue Ocean Dive Resort you will be checked into your room, then you can spend the day relaxing on the beach or around the pool and get to meet the team. In the late afternoon we will give you a briefing about the shark diving at the Aliwal Shoal. In the evening enjoy dinner in the on-site restaurant. 

The diving today will give you a chance to check your gear and get your weighting comfortable. Our shark dives during the Sardine Run take place on the reefs of the Aliwal Shoal in South Africa. During this time period, the reefs are home to hundreds of Ragged Tooth Sharks as well as a number of other shark species including Blacktip Sharks, Dusky Sharks, Copper Sharks [Bronze Whalers] and on occasion Tiger Sharks & Bull Sharks. 

• After a leisurely breakfast and packing up your belongings and dive gear, (check that you have everything you need) you will then be transferred to Port St Johns [about a 4-hour drive]. 
• Once there we check in to our accommodation, situated on the bank of the Umzimvubu River in Port St. Johns. The resort overlooks the river and has en-suite facilities. The restaurant and bar is awesome. You enjoy your meals there, have some drinks & chat to the dive team about diving the Sardine Run.

• Each morning we receive updates about the Sardine Run movements. We launch the boats around 7am and spend the day out at sea diving the Sardine Run. Get up close & personal with many species of marine animal including birds, dolphin, game fish, whales & sharks and millions of sardines.
• The Sardine Run offers activity from the boat as well as in the water. We enter the water as many times as possible during the day, sometimes just on snorkel and other times on scuba, depending on how fast the action is moving and how comfortable the animals are as sometimes the bubbles from scuba diving chases the action away.
• The Sardine Run is amazing, you are often surrounded by hundreds of dolphins, sharks, diving birds, whales, game fish, seals and millions of sardines. During the Sardine Run, the annual Humpback Whale migration passes Port St Johns, offering some amazing up-close sightings of the Humpback Whales in the water, close to the boats and when the whales are breaching!
• In the late afternoon we return to shore where you can enjoy a local excursion or relax at the bar. There are fantastic views and walks. In the evening enjoy your meal at the restaurant. 

• After breakfast you depart Spotted Grunter Resort at 8am and transfer to Durban International Airport or optional add on.
• You will arrive at Durban Airport at about 14:00 [2PM]
• Domestic flights need to depart after 15:00 [3PM] & International Flights need to depart after 16:00 [4PM]
• If you cannot get suitable flights, we can arrange overnight accommodation and airport transfers the following day. 

• 9-day Sardine Run
  • Get 2 more days to test your luck out on the open ocean and see what Mother Nature throws your way with two extra days of ocean safari. 
• Dive & Drive
  • Arrive 3-4 days early or stay 3-4 days extra to do a safari with multiple game drives across Isimangaliso Park Safari, Umfolozi, Cape Vidal for your best shot at spotting “The Big 5” (lions, leopards, elephants, buffalo, and rhino!)
• Lesotho Trekking
  • Arrive a few days early or stay a few days later to explore the small, yet mighty, mountainous country of Lesotho, which is fully surrounded by South Africa and only a few hours away from Durban airport! 
• Mozambique Diving
  • Stay in southern Africa longer (roughly a week is recommended) and join Caitlyn for more diving in the paradise of warm waters and tropical fish in Ponta do Ouro and/or Tofo Beach, Mozambique just across the border of South Africa 
• City Sightseeing
  • If you fly in via Johannesburg or Cape Town and want to do some sightseeing in either city, Caitlyn is happy to help you plan a trip extension!