{"id":64619,"date":"2025-08-12T18:40:12","date_gmt":"2025-08-12T18:40:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/64619\/"},"modified":"2025-08-12T18:40:12","modified_gmt":"2025-08-12T18:40:12","slug":"the-action-was-intense-dramatic-underwater-chaos-diver-films-awesome-feeding-frenzy-in-south-africa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/64619\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cThe action was intense\u2026 dramatic underwater chaos!” Diver films awesome feeding frenzy\u00a0in South Africa"},"content":{"rendered":"

A wildlife lover has shared a breathtaking moment from one of the world\u2019s most incredible wildlife spectacles: South Africa\u2019s\u00a0Sardine Run<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Attracted by the huge shoals of sardines that gather off the South African coast in early summer,\u00a0birds<\/a>,\u00a0sharks, dolphins<\/a> and whales<\/a>\u00a0can be found in huge numbers.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

It\u2019s \u201coften called\u00a0‘the greatest shoal on Earth’,\u201d says photographer Rolf Kolenbrander. “Billions of sardines migrate northward from the cold waters of the Cape to the warmer currents of KwaZulu-Natal, triggering a spectacular feeding frenzy involving dolphins, sharks, Cape gannets and more.\u201d<\/p>\n

See the amazing moment the Bryde’s whale strikes. Credit: Rolf Kolenbrander<\/p>\n

Kolenbrander spent five seasons trying to see this legendary moment. \u201cHowever, the holy grail, a large\u00a0bait ball<\/a> surrounded by all the apex predators, remained elusive,\u201d he says.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In 2025, he tried again. There were \u201cthousands of fish swirling in dense formations,\u201d he says. \u201cThe action was intense: sharks, dolphins, Cape\u00a0gannets<\/a>, and\u00a0Bryde\u2019s whales<\/a>\u00a0all converging in dramatic underwater chaos.\u201d<\/p>\n

Towards the end of his three-week trip, Kolenbrander experienced something unimaginable.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The boat\u2019s spotter plane radioed to alert them to something exciting happening in the water below. \u201cHe\u2019d spotted what he called\u00a0‘The Eye of Sauron’\u00a0\u2013 thousands of birds diving into one concentrated area, with five\u00a0Bryde\u2019s\u00a0whales grazing through a sardine bait ball,\u201d says Kolenbrander.<\/p>\n

But, by the time they arrived, it was all over. “The whales had devoured nearly the entire bait ball just two minutes earlier,\u201d he says. \u201cHad we really missed the main event by mere minutes?\u201d<\/p>\n

Thankfully, that was just the warm-up. Twenty minutes later, the action started up again. \u201cFive dynamic bait balls, all within a stone\u2019s throw of each other, were being hunted by thousands of Cape gannets, countless dolphins, and seven Bryde\u2019s\u00a0whales \u2013 all in crystal-clear water,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Kolenbrander has shared his footage of this once-in-a-lifetime event on Instagram<\/a>. As he\u2019s filming the bait ball, a\u00a0Bryde\u2019s\u00a0whale appears from nowhere and takes a huge gulp.<\/p>\n

“One massive lunge and dozens of fish disappear in an instant,\u201d he says. “Nature\u2019s precision and power on full display!\u201d<\/p>\n

Image and video credit:\u00a0Rolf\u00a0Kolenbrander<\/a><\/p>\n

More amazing wildlife stories from around the world<\/p>\n