Pescador Island Sardine Run
Dive site
A column of millions of sardines (Sardinella lemuru) spirals around Pescador Island year-round in what Moalboal divers call the Sardine Run — not a seasonal migration like South Africa's but a resident baitball that forms and reforms daily. Thresher sharks hunt the edges at dusk, dolphins work the surface, and jacks attack from below. The baitball can be so dense it blocks sunlight. Cathedral Cave on the island's west face adds a second act: a naturally lit cavern with soft corals at 18 metres.
Conditions
Depth
5 to 25 m
Open water and up
Current
Can be moderate
Can pick up on the edge
Visibility
10 to 20 m
Clearest in the calm season
Water
26 to 30°C
Tropical wetsuit
Month by month
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water (°C) | 26 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 26 |
| Vis (m) | 15 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 15 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 15 | 15 | 15 |
| Current | Gentle | Gentle | calm | calm | calm | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Gentle | Gentle | Gentle | Gentle |
Your chances of seeing each animal
Sardine baitball
Sometimes
About 1 in 3 dives
Pelagic thresher shark
Photo: Jenvit Seriburi · © all rights reserved
Sometimes
About 1 in 3 dives
Giant trevally
Photo: Nikolai Vladimirov · CC BY-NC
Sometimes
About 1 in 3 dives
Spinner dolphin
Photo: martinmoscovich · CC BY-NC
Rare
Now and then
Field journal
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