Filmmaker Shawn Heinrichs evokes the thrill and energy of the South African "Sardine Run" in this awarding winning video entry from the 2008 OurWorldUnderwater/Wetpixel/DivePhotoGuide Competition.

"For years I had dreamed about returning to South Africa to experience the Sardine Run. I was born in Durban, South Africa and spent the first six years of my life there before moving to the United States. I have only faint childhood memories of the Sardine Run. It was a time of year when the sky over the beach filled with birds, dolphins broke the surface in the hundreds, when we stayed out of the water for fear of sharks, and when fishermen on the shore hauled in huge nets bursting with glistening silver fish.

"Now a seasoned diver and underwater film-maker, I returned to the Sardine Run to relive that excitement, but this time anxious to join the sharks underwater and experience the full energy of the Run. With me were my close buddies Justin Ebert, Mattias Fornander and Nick Jackson. Our leader Drew Wong and boat captain Pkee would do all they could to get us as close as "safely" possible to the action."

To read more about Shawn's Sardine Run experience, please visit his website:

BlueSphereMedia.com.

For more information on the OurWorldUnderwater/Wetpixel/DivePhotoGuide Competition, please visit the website: UnderwaterCompetition.com.