East London & the Southern Start
Depth is the range from the top of the site to its usual maximum; "recommended cert" is the mainstream-agency level operators usually ask for, not a legal rule. Currents and visibility change daily — treat everything here as planning ranges.
The run usually announces itself first around East London, where late-May and June cold fronts push the leading shoals up from the Eastern Cape. Expeditions staged here bet on earlier action in colder, often cleaner water, with the city's harbor easing the logistics that make the Wild Coast proper such a commitment. The cast assembles in stages — netting seabirds and dolphin super-pods before the full shark-and-whale circus — and some seasons the southern grounds get the best sustained activity of the year, while in others the sardines slip past deep and unseen. Flexible operators reposition north as the season matures.
The moment you come for: First action of the season; city logistics on a wilderness event
Topography: Shelf waters off the Buffalo River coast at the run's southern gateway
Current: Cooler, earlier-season water; inshore counter-currents carry the first shoals past the city's coast.
Know before you splash
Hazards: The coldest water of the run and fast-moving weather fronts.
Conservation: Sardine netting is a licensed coastal tradition here; expedition boats keep clear of active net hauls.
Who you'll meet
For photographers
Wide angle: ★★★★☆ · Macro: ★☆☆☆☆ — editors' 1–5 rating of what this site gives each style of shooting