Blue Marlin And Dolphins Feast On Sardine Run

A BLUE marlin has been spotted feasting on the sardine run in spectacular pictures

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Getaway: Sardines flee from the four-metre long blue marlin

The spectacular images show the millions of sardines that make their annual migration from the southern tip of South Africa north to warmer waters.

Ready to strike: The blue marlin approaches the bait ball

But the presence of the fish draws huge numbers of predators to feast on the underwater buffet.

While common dolphins are known to take advantage of the sardines' movement, it is extremely rare to see a blue marlin taking part in the proceedings.

A common dolphin breaks into the tight cluster of sardines to catch its prey

Photographer Daniel Botelho, who lives in Rio de Janeiro, was amazed to see the elusive blue marlin hunting the small sardines off the eastern coast.

Open wide: A dolphin opens its mouth to catch its dinner

Pictures of blue marlin are extremely rare and Daniel believes he is the first to capture one attacking a bait ball.

The 34-year-old photographer had travelled 1300miles in 40 days along the South African coast in search of the sardine run.

Stunning: The dolphins push the sardines into spectacular formations in the Indian Ocean

Luckily he managed to spot a flock of one hundred gannets that dived into the water to catch their share of the large shoal of fish.

A dolphin gets ready to pounce on the hundreds of small sardines during the annual run

A pod of dolphins had whipped the sardines into a bait ball – where small fish swarm in a spherical formation as a defence mechanism against predators.

Shot gun: Gannets dive into the water at break-neck speed to catch the fish

But the gannets and dolphins used it to their advantage.

A gannet manages to catch a fish and leaves a stream of bubbles in its wake

Daniel said: “The predation happens every five minutes as the dolphins come and swim hard and fast against the sardines as the birds dive into the water.

Sardines flee for their lives as gannets dive into the water

"It makes a sound that under the water looks like shot gun as its so powerful, suddenly it all gets calm for some few minutes until the next attack starts all over again, it seems like a massacre.

The sardine run attracts all sorts of predators to the water

“After a while watching the bait ball I saw by a distance a bill fish coming. As the fish approached I could tell by the size of approximately fours meters long and by the dorsal fin it was a Marlin. I was thrilled because I knew how special and rare that sight is.

Welcome to the buffet: Dolphins feast on dozens of sardines off the coast of South Africa

“I was really thrilled and honored with the opportunity of witnessing this unique event that very few people can see, mostly because of climate changing and over-fishing this phenomenon of the Sardine Run is becoming rare and inconsistent every each year and maybe it will be over for the next decade.

“I knew I was experiencing something that might not happen anymore in the near future.”