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Sardine run · Season

Which months to see sardine runs

Operators stating a season 2Year-round 11Countries 3Sourced 2Published prices 9
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About this list

Sardine run seasons differ by country, and even within one country operators give different months. Maptlantis took the 2 operators that name the sardine run as a target species and state their program season in months, and counted those months as written. The 11 that only say year-round are counted separately. The months most operators name are Oct–Jan. The countries with the most operators are Mexico (Oct–Jan). For Philippines and South Africa, the season stated by a tourism board, research body or local operator is included with its source and check date. 9 of the 13 operators (69%) publish prices on their own channels, so you can compare those directly; ask the rest. Estimated prices are not shown. The months are the operating periods operators state, not a promise that the animals will appear. No wildlife program can guarantee an encounter, and even within the same month it depends on the sea and migration routes.

Sardine run season by country

The darker a cell, the more of that country's operators name the month as their season. A ringed cell is a month operators single out as the peak. Operators that only say year-round are not counted; their number is shown next to the country. The line under the cells is the season stated by a tourism board, research body or local operator (all twelve cells when year-round); the sources are listed under "Sourced seasons" below.

Sardine run season: operators by country and month
CountryJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Mexico2 operators
Philippinesyear-round 11Source
South AfricaSource

Sourced sardine run seasons

Seasons stated by tourism boards, research bodies and local operators. Each entry has a source link and a check date, and none is mixed into the operator counts above. An entry with a region name is a source about that region, so it is not used as the whole country's season.

Sardine run season in the Philippines

Year-round

  1. JanJanuary: in season
  2. FebFebruary: in season
  3. MarMarch: in season
  4. AprApril: in season
  5. MayMay: in season
  6. JunJune: in season
  7. JulJuly: in season
  8. AugAugust: in season
  9. SepSeptember: in season
  10. OctOctober: in season
  11. NovNovember: in season
  12. DecDecember: in season

The sardines off Panagsama Beach in Moalboal do not migrate; they live on the reef, so they are not a seasonal event and can be seen all year.

Source: Liveaboard.com (dive booking platform) · Diving into the Moalboal Sardine Run · checked Sep 14, 2026

Sardine run season in South Africa

Jun–Jul

  1. JanJanuary: not in season
  2. FebFebruary: not in season
  3. MarMarch: not in season
  4. AprApril: not in season
  5. MayMay: not in season
  6. JunJune: in season
  7. JulJuly: in season
  8. AugAugust: not in season
  9. SepSeptember: not in season
  10. OctOctober: not in season
  11. NovNovember: not in season
  12. DecDecember: not in season

The KwaZulu-Natal Sharks Board says the sardine run happens along the KwaZulu-Natal coast every June or July, in the southern winter.

Source: KwaZulu-Natal Sharks Board · Sardine Run · checked Sep 14, 2026

Seasons as operators wrote them

The table above counts the months read from these listings. The original wording sits next to each one so you can check the reading.

  • Magdalena Bay WhalesMexico
    Operator's wording (Korean)

    10–12월

    Oct–Dec
  • Nautilus Liveaboards MexicoMexico
    Operator's wording (Korean)

    10월–1월

    Oct–Jan
  • GoCebu Tours · Mactan Island HoppingPhilippines
    Operator's wording (Korean)

    연중 운영 · 막탄 호핑·모알보알 해양 일정은 해황별

    Year-round
  • WeOceanPhilippines
    Operator's wording (Korean)

    연중 운영 · 정어리떼 연중 관찰 가능

    Year-round
  • Cebu Whale Shark ToursPhilippines
    Operator's wording (Korean)

    연중 · 현장·폭포 통제별

    Year-round
  • Oslob Whale Shark Scuba DivingPhilippines
    Operator's wording (Korean)

    연중 · Good Friday 휴무, 태풍·강풍·통제 시 중단

    Year-round
  • Blue Orchid Dive ResortPhilippines
    Operator's wording (Korean)

    연중 · 해황별

    Year-round
  • DiveStory MoalboalPhilippines
    Operator's wording (Korean)

    연중 · 공식 시간표와 당일 해황별 · 연중 · 해황·야생동물 이동별, 목격 비보장

    Year-round
  • Freediving Planet MoalboalPhilippines
    Operator's wording (Korean)

    연중 운영 · 오픈워터·페스카도르 세션은 당일 해황별

    Year-round
  • Love's Beach & Dive ResortPhilippines
    Operator's wording (Korean)

    연중 · 해황별 · 해황별

    Year-round
  • Lu'Lu Diving CenterPhilippines
    Operator's wording (Korean)

    연중 · 해황별

    Year-round
  • Pescador Diving CenterPhilippines
    Operator's wording (Korean)

    연중 운영 · 페스카도르·보트·야간 일정은 해황별

    Year-round
  • Turtle Bay Dive ResortPhilippines
    Operator's wording (Korean)

    연중 · 해황별

    Year-round

13 listed operators

How to meet sardine runs

Sardine runs by country

Other marine life seasons

Frequently asked questions

When is the season for seeing sardine runs?

Combining the seasons of 2 operators, most fall in Oct–Jan. The table by country shows how many operators run in each month.

Where is the sardine run season backed by a source?

Philippines: year-round (Liveaboard.com (dive booking platform)) and South Africa: Jun–Jul (KwaZulu-Natal Sharks Board). Each entry links to its source with a check date.

What does a year-round listing mean?

11 operators only say their program runs year-round. That means bookings are taken all year, not that the animals are there all year, so those listings are left out of the monthly count.

If I go in one of these months, will I see sardine runs?

That is not guaranteed. The months are when operators say they run programs; actual sightings vary from year to year with sea conditions, water temperature and migration. Ask the operator about recent sightings before you book.