Wayne Coetzer

1. Sardine Run — Protea Banks, KwaZulu Natal

If you’ve not heard of the Sardine Run, check out our earlier post. It’s an awesome event that occurs in June and July as massive schools of sardines start their migration from the colder depths of the Cape and move to the warmer waters of KwaZulu Natal near the Oyster Box

As you’ll see from this video you dive to depths of about 5–7 meters and watch as dolphins, whales, sharks and even the Cape Gannet (dive bombing from above) tuck in to sardine supper.

2. Hotspot — Sodwana Bay, KwaZulu Natal

Sodwana Bay offers a host of great dives but this one is all about Zambezi and Tiger sharks, spectacular whipcorals, game fishing, and blue and gold Fusiliers. You start from a 100 meter long ledge and reach depths of 27–30 meters. Two longnose Hawkfish hide under the overhang of black coral. There are caves, pinnacles and lots of sharks for the adrenalin junkies.

3. Clifton Rock — Cape Town

Clifton Rock sits in the Atlantic Ocean about 100 meters off the shore south-west of Cape Town. It encompasses an area with a large number of boulders, creating wonderful swim-throughs and secret spots for marine life including nudibranches, starfish, soft sponges and crayfish.

This is a great intro for new divers still getting into their swing and a great activity to enhance your long summer days with some sunbathing on the beach and a new experience that is both fun and definitely refreshing!

4. Uniforms — Sodwana Bay, KwaZulu Natal

This Sodwana Bay dive site is situated in iSimangaliso Wetland Park north of Durban. Known for its coral diversity, the best time for diving here is said to be between April and September even though that is when the water is at its coldest. If you prefer the summer water temperatures of about 25 degrees during the months of December and January you are set for a treat as this is the time the turtles lay their eggs.

This dive spoils you with its layered contoured coral and ocean beauties such as the Tiger Angelfish, purple butterfly fish, yellow tail goldie and much more….

Tiger Shark

5. Raggie Cave / Shark Alley — Aliwal Shoal, KwaZulu Natal

Two names for the same dive site situated off the coast of KwaZulu Natal at Aliwal Shoal. It is made up of an 80,000 year old sandstone reef and has been selected as one of the top ten dives sites of the world promising almost anything a diver can wish for. From June through November you are sure to see Ragged Tooth Sharks and in summer you are most likely to see Tiger sharks and Hammerheads!

6. Avalanche Reef — Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape

Known for its beautiful coastal scenery, Port Elizabeth is a hub of outdoor water activities and offers some great dive sites. The water temperatures are definitely some of the coldest so if you own a dry suit it is advisable to use it.

This dive takes you to a gorgeous, densely populated coral reef – it’s an amazing experience that’s well worth braving those cold waters!

7. Haerlem Wreck — Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape

This dive takes you to depths of about 18–21 meters. Haerlem Wreck is all that’s left of a navy frigate that, scuttled in 1987, has become an artificial reef perfect for divers. She has settled 21 meters below the surface, with her bow to the south and has created holes, nooks and crannies for the curious diver keen to encounter some shy sharks, a variety of fish and soft coral.

Scuba-diving

8. A Frame — Simonstown, Cape Town

Located 5km south of Simons Town, the A Frame area consists of 3 shore dives — one of which is also called the A Frame, said to be named after the small cave entrance shaped in an A. As you make your way from the white beach sand into the water it’s a perfect spot for a night dive. You can expect to see pipefish, lobsters, seals, several types of rays and some harmless sharks such as pyjama sharks and dogfish.

9. Storms River Mouth — Mossel Bay, Garden Route

Mossel Bay is well sheltered and offers one of the “mildest climates of the world”. This dive location is perfect for adrenaline junkies as it is well known for its shark cage diving where you will see Great Whites feeding. For those on the other end of the adrenalin-spectrum, Storms River Mouth is the location for you, as it is all about gorgeous reefs and big fish! With the drop off being quite tame it is also possible to do some night diving which is a whole new experience and very exciting.

10. Paquita Wreck — Knysna Heads, Garden Route

Situated in the small touristy town of Knysna, found on the Garden Route, this dive (to depths of up to 20 meters) promises to be one of the best wreck dives you will see around these parts. The Paquita, a 460 ton German vessel, ran ashore in 1903 when she struck the Knysna Heads en-route to Barbados. This dive is all about timing as it is located on the mouth of a large lagoon where tides get pretty rough.

Seahorses, Steenbras and gorgeous corals are just some of the marine life you will see.

Wayne Coetzer

South Africa’s Sardine Run occurs between May and July when billions of sardines – or more specifically the Southern African pilchard Sardinops sagax – spawn in the cool waters of the Agulhas Bank and move northward along the east coast of South Africa past the beaches of KwaZulu-Natal. The run, containing millions of individual sardines, occurs when a current of cold water heads north from the Agulhas Bank up to Mozambique where it then leaves the coastline and goes further east into the Indian Ocean.

In terms of biomass, researchers estimate the sardine run could rival East Africa’s great wildebeest migration, and as a spectacle it is equally amazing. Little, however, is known of the phenomenon. It is believed that the water temperature has to drop below 21°C in order for the migration to take place.

Sardines group together when they are threatened. This instinctual behaviour is a defense mechanism, as lone individuals are more likely to be eaten than large groups. This creates huge shoals which are often more than 7 km long, 1.5 km wide and 30 meters deep!

These shoals are clearly visible from spotter planes or from the surface – but they also attract huge numbers of predators who close in on the swirling silvery masses of tightly packed fish.

The Cape Fur Seal follows the shoals up the Eastern Cape coastline as far as Port St Johns, but they are just one of the marine creatures who turn up for the feast. About 18,000 Dolphins (mostly the common dolphin but also the bottlenose dolphin) divide the shoals into smaller bait balls. These, as the name suggests, are masses of fish swimming in a spherical formation about a common centre. It is a last ditch defensive measure adopted by schooling fish when they are threatened by predators. These balls can be 10–20 metres in diameter and extend to a depth of 10 metres.

Once the bait ball has been formed the dolphins rush in and gorge themselves, scattering the sardines in all directions before the ball swiftly re-forms itself. The bait balls are short lived, seldom lasting longer than 10 minutes. That’s because all this activity attracts a wide range of other predators.

Sharks arrive in huge numbers – primarily the Bronze Whaler, but also Dusky Shark, Grey Nurse Shark, Blacktip Shark, Spinner Shark, Hammerheads, Great Whites and Zambezi Shark. They are joined by game fish such as shad/elf a.k.a. Bluefish, King Mackerel, various Kingfish species, Garrick, Geelbek and Eastern Little Tuna. Cape Gannets dive from the sky like black and white arrows, scything into the balls from above. Cormorants, Terns and Gulls all get in on the action too. Even Whales cruise through the clouds of fish gulping down huge numbers. The term “feeding frenzy” hardly does the spectacle justice!

Not surprisingly this breath taking phenomenon, one of the world’s greatest natural wonders, attracts spectators from all over the world. Even from a boat it is a magnificent sight, but many venture into the blue seas to snorkel or dive in the boiling waters.

Words alone cannot do the occasion justice – but have a look at these video clips and you’ll see why so many people find the experience totally unforgettable.

If you’d like to experience the drama and excitement of the Sardine Run yourself then the Oyster Box makes the perfect base. Contact us now for further details.

Thato Goimane, Sommelier at the Oyster Box Hotel in Durban, takes CNN through his personal favourite South African wines.

Kevin Joseph

Fresh oysters must be alive just before consumption.   To test, tap any open oyster on the shell – if it closes up it’s safe to eat. Oysters which are open and unresponsive are dead, and must be discarded. Some dead oysters, or oyster shells which are full of sand, may also be closed, but they will make a distinctive noise when tapped: they are known as clackers for this reason.

Opening (or “shucking”) oysters requires skill, for live oysters, outside of the water, tend to shut themselves tightly. The most common method for opening oysters is to use a special knife (called an oyster knife, a variant of a shucking knife), with a short and thick blade about 2 inches long.  The blade needs to be inserted at the hinge in the rear of the shell, then twisted. 

Oysters are protandric; during their first year they spawn as males by releasing sperm into the water. As they grow over the next two or three years and develop greater energy reserves, they spawn as females by releasing eggs.  

"Shucking" Oysters

Jonathan Swift famously remarked “He was a bold man that first ate an oyster”but evidence of oyster consumption goes back into prehistory.  Oyster middens, which are piles of discarded shells, are found worldwide.  The midden in Namu, British Columbia, is over 9 meters deep and testifies to over 10,000 years of continuous human oyster consumption.

If you see “Prairie Oysters” on the menu, be warned – these are a North American culinary name for buffalo or bull testicles. They are usually peeled, coated in flour, pepper and salt, sometimes pounded flat, then deep-fried. This delicacy is most often served as an appetizer. A few other descriptive terms, such as “cowboy caviar,” “Montana tendergroins,” or “swinging beef,” may be used.

Oysters are sometimes cited as an aphrodisiac, but this is debatable.  A team of American and Italian researchers who analyzed bivalves did find they were rich in rare amino acids that trigger increased levels of sex hormones.  Also oysters have a high zinc content, a mineral that aids in the production of testosterone.  Alternatively, the oyster’s erotic reputation may only be due to its soft, moist texture and appearance.  It is said Casanova liked start a meal with a dozen oysters.

An oyster produces a pearl when foreign material becomes trapped inside the shell. The oyster responds to the irritation by producing nacre, a combination of calcium and protein. The nacre coats the foreign material and over time produces a pearl.

Folklore says that oysters should be eaten only in months with “r’s” in them—September, October, etc. The notion that oysters should not be eaten in “r”-less months—that is, months that occur during warm weather—may have started in the days when oysters where shipped without adequate refrigeration and could spoil. But today all that has changed and we can enjoy oysters twelve months a year – especially at the Oyster Box, because the hotel has its own beds, so you can be totally sure they’ll be absolutely fresh.

Aarti Valabh

The Hammam at The Oyster Box is a traditional Middle Eastern steam bath, a bit like a wet version of a sauna!  It’s a wonderful way to relax tense muscles and cleanse your body.  In centuries past the Hammam was known as “the silent doctor”- a place of cleansing and healing for both body and soul.

Words cannot really do the experience justice – you just have to go for it.  However, you might find some background information helpful, and inviting. The word Hammam, comes from the Arabic root ḥmm,  meaning “heat”.  Today the meaning varies, depending on the dialect of Arabic – it can mean “bathroom”, “hot springs” or “spa town”.  In Western Europe it is generally referred to as a “Turkish Bath”.

How do you take a Turkish Bath?  The process varies slightly from country to country (these traditions can still be experienced in many natural hot springs of Turkey, Tunisia, Spain, and Morocco), but the process generally goes something like this.  You will be given a cubicle in which you take off your clothes and wear the loin cloth provided by the staff. After changing you will be taken to the hot room of the Turkish bath in which you just relax and work up a sweat while your muscles loosen up. If you want, there will be a member of staff in the Turkish bath who will give you a Turkish massage. After the hot room you go to the warm room where you can either wash yourself or a staff member will scrub you down using Turkish soap and a special cloth that gets out all your old skin blocking your pores. Once this has finished you are taken to the cool room and given lots of towels to wrap yourself in. Here you can just relax and order some tea or any other drink that’s available. 

Who first came up with the idea?  The Romans built bath houses all over their empire and Turkey was no exception.  The Byzantines, Seljuks and Ottomans who later replaced the Romans continued the tradition (so the facilities and customs are both similar to that practiced in the Roman hot baths, or Thermae).  They built large baths in the most populated areas for the public to use (as most homes would not have private washing facilities).  Going to the baths became a popular part of the culture – people would meet friends, take a picnic and make it a pleasurable part of their weekly routine.  Despite the fact that modern Turkish homes have bathrooms the practice of visiting a public bath is still a central part of the culture – one can find Turkish Baths in almost every neighbourhood of all the big towns and cities in Turkey.

The Hammam at the Oyster Box is true to these ancient traditions.  Turkish stone mouldings and tiles create an authentic oriental atmosphere – it’s an oasis of calm and contemplative relaxation where the stresses and strains of everyday life are alleviated by a gentle, therapeutic massage treatment, based on ancient cleansing rituals.

For more information about the Hammam and the complete range of spa treatments available at The Oyster Box Spa, download the spa brochure or contact myself directly:

Spa Manager – Aartie Vallabh  Tel: +27 (0)31 514 5070 | Email aartiv@oysterbox.co.za