Welcome to Expert-Tours

Expert Tours, made up of
Silke and Rainer Schimpf

We specialize in offering adventurous marine expeditions.

Sing up for our universal adventurous trips on our many destinations and feel the pulse of nature!

Since 1999, we have hosted hundreds of clients from all over the world on the amazing annual phenomenon called the sardine run. This takes place every year along the South African coastline as well as in the Azores, located in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.

In recent years, we have offered marine expeditions to other destinations including northern Mexico, Norway, Iceland, Madagascar and Indonesia.

All of our expeditions focus on offering responsible but memorable encounters with marine animals, from the smallest fish to the largest mammal including dolphins, whales and sharks. Our guests can expect to participate in a number of activities from snorkeling, diving, taking photographs and video footage and on deck marine and bird life observation.

You are not booking a conventional dive holiday with us!

We offer you a personalized, unique adventure with endless unforgettable moments!

Rainer and Silke are part of your crew at sea, and are available at all times to ensure that you have the best experience ever.

Our South African tours take place seasonally along the entire coastline:

Sardine Run East Coast, SouthAfrica

FromFebruary to July every year, millions of sardines migrate along theIndianOcean coastline,fromPortElizabeth in the Eastern Cape to as far north asKwaZuluNatal.This tour is sure to get your adrenaline pumping, where you willwitness and be part of massive sardine bait balls being attacked fromall sides by dolphins, sharks, whales and gannets. Dependingon the travel dates chosen, youwill either be based near Port Elizabeth, in Chintsa or in the CoffeeBay area. More info on this...

Sardine Run West Coast, South Africa

During the South African summer, from October to January, we move to the Atlantic Ocean on the West Coast, where the nutrient rich waters attract a large diversity of marine life. This gives us the opportunity to offer spectacularly diverse tours for your enjoyment. Mola Mola (Ocean Sunfish) present in great numbers, can be as big as a dining room table! Blue sharks, Dusky and Heaviside Dolphins, migrating Humpback and Southern Right Whales, seal colonies are just some of the marine life encounters you may experience. With an ocean full of sardines, anchovies, krill and plankton there is always exciting marine life activity taking place on the waters. You will be based in the beautiful seaside town of Langebaan, approximately 130 km north of Cape Town. More info on this...

Whale Watching

If whale watching is your thing, we offer year round, day trips. Our subsidiary AB Marine PTY LTD and other partners around the South African coastline have the necessary permits and facilities in place, ensuring you have a once in a lifetime experience.

Atlantic Ocean Sardine Run, Azores

In 2022 we introduced a new adventure! During August and September each year, we visit the portuguese island of Santa Maria in the Azores archipelago on the Atlantic Ocean. You can expect to see mobulas, whale sharks, dolphins, sardines, anchovies, dolphinfish and wahoo, spectacular reefs with dramatic drop offs. What more could you want? Whales are often seen in the sardine bait balls or from the boat whilst we are cruising the ocean. More on this...

On demand - Individualized expeditions

For professional photographers or filmmakers as well as for group trips, we are happy to put together individual and exclusive expeditions that deviate from our standard tours. If you have something specific in mind, enquire by mailing us on info_at_expert-tours.de. We will reply as soon as we get onto dry land from whatever sea adventure we are on!

About Silke and Rainer

The sea has been our passion for our entire lives. We live to experience amazing marine encounters and are either diving, snorkeling, apnea diving, skippering, filming, photographing both above and below water, always in search of the next overwhelming experience. Our years of experience has given us an intimate understanding of marine animals and the best way to approach them, leading to mind blowing encounters. We are driven to share our experiences with you.

Our Vessels

Two 10 meter long Zodiacs or hard keel inflatable boats. Each with two 100 hp Suzuki four-stroke engines. 1 cruise boat, also 10 meters long (see picture, RIB on the right, cruise boat on the left directly next to it). All boats are designed for a maximum of 10 people plus crew, with extra space for camera and video equipment.

Our motto is "Safety first". Our boats are all SAMSA (South African Maritime Safety Authority) registered. All safety regulations are observed. Sea & Dive Permits for all coastal locations are on board. Life jackets, GPS, radio, distress rescue equipment including oxygen and first aid are available in accordance with regulations.

Crew

Boats are manned by a certified dive and marine guide as well as a certified skipper.
In most cases, that will be us - Silke and Rainer.

Dive / Snorkel

All guests need to be certified divers with appropriate diving experience in the waters of the Indian or Atlantic Ocean. Non-scuba divers such as freedivers and snorkelers must be comfortable in surface currents. low visibility surge. All guests must be in good health and be physically fit.

Wildlife

Encounters with sharks and other marine mammals is the main goal of all our expeditions. Guests are informed in a detailed briefing about the rules of conduct, safety measures and do's and don'ts.

We are in nature and in the wild. We cannot guarantee sightings. The marine animal world cannot be determined in advance - but the sea certainly has a unique adventure in store for us every day.

Weather

Wind and weather conditions as well as sea currents are very important factors to take into account for the success of our expeditions. Launches may be canceled due to high wind or rough weather conditions. We check weather forecasts daily to ensure safety at all times.

In this instance any cancellation of activities is not refundable. We do try to provide an interesting alternative activity, such as game drives, trips to shifting sand dunes or city tours.

Seasickness

Occasional rough seas are to be expected on all our expeditions. There are remedies for seasickness, it just has to be the right one! We ask our guests to bring their preferred sea sickness medication from home as local medication may not be as effective. 

Local Laws and Permits

We always snorkel and dive under the applicable laws and the currently permitted conditions of the responsible authorities of the destination countries in which we offer our expeditions. We also take care of the necessary permits and take care of all the administrative work involved.