The 2027 Expedition · May to July
Seven days. Five launches. The greatest shoal on Earth.
A full week structured around one goal: maximum hours on the water while the run passes our coast first. Lodge, meals, transfers and crew included. You bring a wetsuit-sized appetite for the wild.
7 days
6 nights
5
sea days
May-Jul
2027 season
ELS
40 min from airport
ZAR/USD
dual pricing
Day by day
Built around the water, not the brochure
The run doesn't keep office hours. The week flexes with the forecast. This is the shape of it.
Arrive Chintsa
Land at King Phalo Airport (direct from Johannesburg or Cape Town), 40-minute transfer to the lodge. Kit fitting, safety briefing, sunset on the beach and the plan for first light.
Sea day one
Beach launch at dawn. We learn the water together: reading gannet lines, working with the spotters, first drops on dolphins and whatever the ocean opens with.
Sea day two
Full day on the run. The pattern from day one sharpens: where the bait is holding, where the birds are stacking, where tomorrow starts.
Sea day three
Mid-expedition. By now the crew knows your comfort in the water and pushes the encounters as far as conditions allow.
Sea day four
The odds compound: more hours on the water is the only honest strategy on a wild migration, and this is where multi-day guests get paid.
Sea day five
Last launch. If the week has been generous, we chase the best of it one more time. If the ocean owes us, this is traditionally the day it settles up.
Depart
Slow breakfast, footage swap, transfer to King Phalo for your flight home. Most guests book next season before they board.
What's included
- 6 nights' lodge accommodation in Chintsa (sea-facing, twin share)
- All meals: cooked breakfasts, boat lunch packs, dinners
- 5 guided sea days on a small-group expedition RIB
- Skipper, dive guide and surface support crew
- Wetsuits, masks, snorkels and fins if you need them
- Cylinders, weights and air for scuba drops (certified divers)
- Return King Phalo Airport transfers
- Daily land-based backup plan for blown-out days
What's not
- Flights to East London (direct from JNB/CPT daily)
- Dive and travel insurance (DAN or equivalent, required)
- Alcoholic drinks and personal extras
- Gratuities for the crew
- Single-room supplement (limited rooms, on request)
Honesty clause
Nobody can guarantee bait balls, and anyone who does is selling you weather. What we sell is time on the water, in the right place, earlier than the fleet, with a crew that has run these coasts for years.
2027 pricing
Launch rate: first enquiries, first served
We're finalising 2027 rates now. Comparable Wild Coast expeditions sold between R38,000 and R53,000 per person sharing in 2026. Our package will be priced to be the obvious value in that bracket, in ZAR or USD. Early enquiries lock the launch rate before public release and get first pick of peak weeks.
Expedition questions
What will the 2027 expedition cost?
Final 2027 pricing is being confirmed. For honest context, comparable 7-day Wild Coast packages sold for R38,000-R53,000 per person sharing (about $2,100-$3,300) in 2026. See our full price breakdown. Enquire now and you'll get the launch rate before public release.
How do deposits and payments work?
A deposit secures your week, with the balance due 60 days before arrival, which is industry-standard for the run. We'll confirm exact terms with your quote, in ZAR or USD.
What happens if the weather blows a sea day out?
Winter fronts happen; no operator can refund the ocean. What we can do is plan properly: Chintsa has real land-day options (a private game reserve 20 minutes away, beach rides, hikes) and we shuffle the week aggressively around the forecast to protect your sea days.
Can my non-diving partner come?
Yes. The boat is a front-row seat: whales, super-pods and gannet rain are surface events. Partners can join sea days as boat-based guests or enjoy Chintsa on land; ask for partner rates in your enquiry.
How many guests per boat?
Small groups only. The run rewards fast, uncrowded boats. It's the difference between watching a bait ball and being in it. Exact boat numbers confirmed with your quote.
Do I need scuba certification?
No. Most encounters are snorkel and freedive at the surface, where the action is. Certified divers (Open Water with experience, or Advanced) can drop on stable bait balls when the skipper calls it. Read the run without scuba.
Ready for the 2027 run?
Five sea days from Chintsa, 40 minutes from King Phalo Airport. Small boat, early launches, first crack at the shoals before the fleet follows them north.
Boats carry small groups only, and prime weeks go 6-12 months out.