Durban – KwaZulu-Natal has earned a reputation nationally and internationally as a marine tourism destination bolstered by the Sardine Run - one of the world’s most amazing annual marine spectacles that takes place on the South Coast in June and July.Tourism KwaZulu-Natal chief executive Ndabo Khoza acknowledged this at a high-profile launch of Sardine Festival 2008 together with the premier of the Imax documentary Wild Ocean at Gateway’s Imax theatre last week.

He said research showed that 400 000 tourists visited the South Coast over the Sardine Festival period.
“The Sardine Festival is a large tourism income generator for KwaZulu-Natal, boosting the provincial economy through revenue earned from the provision of accommodation and food as well as the hiring of boats, small planes and helicopters to maximise the sighting of the sardine run.”It has also created a great deal of interest from the media and international marine and environmental experts, and now with Wild Ocean we also have the first Imax film on the ‘greatest shoal on Earth’. All this reinforces the fact that the South Coast is just one of the many areas that make KwaZulu-Natal a prime eco-tourism destination,” said Khoza.

“At least half of the South Coast visitors are from Gauteng, 15% are from the Free State and a further 15% from other parts of KwaZulu-Natal.”A large proportion of the visitors are repeat visitors, who come to relax and enjoy the beautiful beaches, and as many as 40% stay for four days to one week.”Khoza said the sardine run had been the province’s biggest and best known natural phenomenon for generations, but until recently, all the excitement was reserved for the lucky few who just happened to be on the beach when thousands of small silvery fish washed up.

Last year Tourism KwaZulu- Natal, the Ugu District Municipality and the Natal Sharks Board launched the Sardine Festival to encourage visitors to enjoy all the attractions of “the country’s best winter beach holiday destination” while waiting for the first sardine sightings.The Sardine Festival 2008 runs until the middle of July, and some of the highlights include the Spear Fishing Open on June 14, the Mercury Mallards Ski Boat festivaland the popular Ugu Jazz Festival on June 21.

The Mercury Mallards Ski Boat Festival, which takes place at Shelly Beach from July 2-5, is the biggest event of its kind in South Africa. It is set to attract about 400 anglers from across the country as well as a host of tourists to the huge marquee at St Michael’s beach for the weigh-in.Michael Bertram, of Ugu South Coast Tourism, said the Sardine Festival’s extensive programme was not so much about fishing as it was about a fun-filled and truly African beach experiences.

“The Sardine Festival offers something for the whole family - marathons, mountain biking, a garden fair, sardine tasting, a colourful jazz festival and a host of other magnificent beach entertainment. If you have not experienced the fever of the Sardine migration, you have not experienced one of life’s truly unforgettable experiences,” he said.Bertram said this year’s Umtamvuna Portuguese Carnival, held at Port Edward, would see 1 000 people seated at a “Table of Unity” where a world record attempt would be made for the world’s biggest open-air fish braai.Khoza said the Sardine Festival, well timed with the winter school holidays, was a perfect catalyst for unlocking the value offered by a multifaceted destination such as the South Coast.

In addition to some of the country’s premier swimming beaches, there are several vantage points along the 120km long Hibiscus coastline for visitors to view the sardines as they migrate northwards. Those wanting to take an even closer look can take advantage of marine charters that operate out of Port Edward, Ramsgate and Shelly Beach or even charter a plane from Margate Airport. The more adventurous can even dive with the sardines - including the reefs, wrecks and sharks - at Aliwal Shoal, Protea Banks and Rocky Bay.The Natal Sharks Board monitors the progress of the sardines so it can remove and replace the shark nets that protect bathers at swimming beaches and allow the sardine run to pass by unhindered.