Rocktail Bay Lodge
Maputaland Coastal Forest Reserve, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
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ROCKTAIL
BAY LODGE -
MAPUTALAND COASTAL FOREST RESERVE
Situated
in northern Natal, within the Maputaland Coastal
Forest Reserve and adjoining the Maputaland Marine
Reserve, is Rocktail Bay Lodge. This lodge lies within
a proclaimed World Heritage Site. The secluded lodge
is situated metres from the Indian Ocean in the coastal
forest, just behind the first row of forested dunes.
It offers perhaps the most private beach experience
in South Africa on 40 kilometres of unspoiled, undeveloped
and pristine coastline. Rocktail Bay received its
name after a trawling ship, the Rocktail, was wrecked
off shore.
Many guests travel to Rocktail Bay after visiting
the Kruger
Park and Lowveld area to experience the
wonderful contrast in scenery. Rocktail complements
the Kruger/Sabi Sand area superbly.
The Tatler 2002 Travel Guide cites Rocktail bay
as one of the top 100 hotels in the world, as well
as
one
of the top 10 beach destinations for 2002.
Rocktail Bay Lodge is owned and operated by Wilderness
Safaris.
Accommodation  For
images of Rocktail Bay Lodge, click Rocktail
Images
Rocktail
Bay is one of the most private and romantic getaways
in South Africa.
Ten wood and thatch "tree house" chalets & a
Family Room are raised up on stilts into the canopy
of the dune forest. The chalets have en-suite
shower and toilet facilities.
Each room has its own balcony and an additional
outdoor shower. Twenty guests
can be accommodated comfortably.
The main area
of the lodge has an inviting lounge and meals
are enjoyed either
in the separate dining room or outdoors under
a huge Natal Mahogany Tree. On special occasions,
beach dinners can be enjoyed with the sounds
of
the forest and waves at your doorstep! A
boardwalk meanders from the lodge through the dune
forest and
down to the beach. There is a swimming pool and
sun deck for those who want to relax around the
lodge. The
lodge also boasts its own well-stocked wine cellar.
Activities
The highlight
at Rocktail Bay is the miles and miles of pristine
and undeveloped coastline. In addition to simply
sunning yourself on the clean golden beaches, a variety
of guided activities are available.
Nature drives through
the park, beach picnics and lazy strolls in search
of the perfect secluded spot are always on offer.
Snorkeling in one of the secluded bays or out at
sea from the dive boat allows an exhilarating experience
of the extraordinary richness of the Indian Ocean.
Many butterfly- and angelfish are frequently seen,
as well as rays, octopus and other fascinating
marine species. Nature walks take guests through
the coastal forests or rolling grasslands in search
of Maputaland endemic birds, butterflies and plants.
Surf and fly-fishing (tag and release is promoted)
is among the best on southern Africa's coastline.
Activities at Rocktail
Bay Lodge include turtle drives on the beach during
the summer months, exploratory birding (and other)
trips to the surrounding forests and grasslands
by means of Land Rover or by foot, snorkelling
in the secluded bays or off our boat (Snorkelling
off the boat at an extra charge of R200.00 p/p
per day - subject to change), and optional trips
to the Kosi Bay area.
Drives in open Land
Rovers around the coastal forest, to the Hippo
Pools and to the surrounding community form part
of the
daily
activities. One of the best
activities offered is a trip to Black Rock- an
imposing chunk of sandstone that juts directly
into the sea. Guests have often seen turtles,
sharks and rays whilst standing on the edge of
this immense feature. Also popular are birding
trips to Vuzi Pan, around 30 minutes drive away,
by Land Rover. The marsh is a mini-Okavango,
with special birds such as Lesser Jacana, Lesser
Moorhen and Pink throated Longclaw occurring.
This is a great trip when diving is not possible.
The
Indian Ocean is ideal for snorkeling in search
of tropical fish (flippers and snorkels may be
borrowed at the lodge). In the summer months
Rocktail Bay Lodge is integrally involved in
turtle research,
and guests are able
to accompany the resident turtle expert on "night
beach drives" at low tide to help monitor
the turtles' nesting movements. SCUBA diving
is amongst the
very best in the world and is available at an
additional cost (see more below).
SCUBA Diving
 Rocktail Bay Lodge
has the only SCUBA ski-boat launch site along this
section of the coastline. You launch from the beach
at a secluded spot near Island Rock, 11 kilometres
south of Rocktail Bay. This is a very remote location
and it can only be accessed at low tide. The dives
are therefore scheduled on either side of low tide.
Diving the reefs off Rocktail Bay is nothing short
of exhilarating...it's truly world class. Rocktail
has hosted guests who have dives at most of the 'hot
spots' around the globe - and Rocktail Bay is up there
with the best. The Maputaland reefs are of the richest
in the world, with over 1,250 species of fish. This
number compares with The Great Barrier Reef off Australia's
coastline, which has about 1,550 species of fish, but
over a much larger area. Rocktail's dive team are discovering
new reefs and dive sites all the time.
Two sections on the
M'bibi reef system are of particular interest.
The word gogo means 'old woman' and one spectacular
reef is so-named, after shoals of Old Women Angelfish,
which follow divers all over the reef. Ragged-tooth
sharks are sometimes encountered off this reef,
which has an average depth of 15 to 18 metres,
and a maximum of 21 metres on the sand. Regal reef
(named after the Regal Angelfish) is shallower,
but in terms of topography, is even more spectacular.
Huge swim-throughs, pinnacles and stunning plate
corals are also found here. The average depth of
Regal reef is 12 to 15 metres. 'Solitude Reef'
is at 24 metres and has an incredible variety of
species. Off the Maputaland coastline an annual
"gathering" of pregnant Ragged-tooth sharks occurs,
and divers at Island Rock can view these awesome,
yet placid creatures safely.
Dolphins often come
and dive with the divers - and whales are a highlight
in the winter months!
Mares: Rocktail Bay
is affiliated with Mares - the world's most prestigious
SCUBA
gear supplier. The lodge is the first fully accredited
Mares Dive Resort in southern Africa. The dive
centre has a full range of Mares diving gear available
for rental, for both snorkeling or SCUBA diving.
Costs: R350
per person per dive. The second dive of the day
is R300 (including the possibility of a two
tank dive). This price includes air, cylinder,
weight belt hire. Mokarran, the lodge's semi-rigid
inflatable can take 10 divers. Snorkeling
is R250 per person per excursion. Guests can pre-book
for one confirmed dive per day, but payment must
be made direct at the lodge (low tide permitting).
If additional diving is possible on the same day,
then this will only be confirmed at the lodge.
Costs for all dives must be settled direct by
guests at the lodge.
Restrictions: Please
note that Island Rock is a relatively inaccessible
and wild
part of South Africa’s
coastline. Sea and weather conditions may vary tremendously
and, should either the divemaster or skipper decide
that diving or launching is unsafe, they will cancel
the days’ diving, at their discretion. Please
ensure that you have taken out DAN or other diving-dedicated
insurance before SCUBA diving at Rocktail Bay Lodge.
Daily Dives: The
diving
is dependant on tides and weather. There is one
day in January and 25 days in December when tides
do not allow for any diving due to inability to
launch the boat. Diving will be limited 2.5 hours
on either side of the low water mark. A maximum
of two dives will be completed in a day. The lodge
will endeavour to complete the dives in the morning,
as the wind tends to pick up in the afternoon.
Guests will therefore sometimes be able to take
part in the scheduled afternoon lodge activities.
The Launch: The
launch out of Island Rock is a thrilling experience.
Guests help the skipper
to get the boat behind the surf break, after which
a gap in the sets of incoming breakers signals that
he can attempt to manoeuvre behind the surf zone.
The return to shore is such that the boat pulls on
to the sandy beach.
Qualifications: NAUI
Open-water One, PADI Open-water or any internationally-
recognised equivalent. No
guest will be permitted to dive without the relevant
documentation, including D-card and log-book. This
must be presented to the dive centre prior to the
first dive.
Divemaster: A
qualified divemaster / instructor will lead all
dives. Note that the dives are all
drift dives, as anchoring on the reefs is illegal.
The Divemasters are very strict in buoyancy control
as the reefs off Rocktail Bay are totally pristine,
and there has been no diver impact on these reefs.
Refreshments: Mineral
water and fruit juices are available on board,
and are included
in the cost
of a dive. After the day’s diving, we encourage
either picnics on the beach or meals at the dive
centre, for informal dive debriefings and de-kitting
etc.
Age Limit: Minimum
age of 12. Guests over the age of 60 need to supply
a medical certificate to verify their diving
fitness.
 Diving Staff: Debbie
and Darryl Smith have been integrally involved
with the Moçambique
dive industry for five years. Before being based
at Ponta
D'Ouro, Darryl worked as a professional skipper with
the Natal Sharks Board for 16 years, and is noted
as being one of the most experienced skippers in
the boat and diving industries. Debbie is a very
experienced PADI-affiliated MSDT instructor, and
is widely regarded as one of the best instructors
in the country. Debbie has over 1,000 logged dives,
and knows the reefs off Maputaland well. It is highly
unusual to have a couple so enthusiastically involved
in a diving operation.
Clive Smith
is a qualified PADI Divemaster, and one of the
most promising Instructor
candidates around.
He is an avid diving enthusiast, having a particular
interest in the huge variety of fish species off
Maputaland. Clive has built up “relationships” with
the resident Potato Bass, on Gogo’s Reef in
particular. Clive is also in charge of the Mares
side of the dive operation, taking care of varied
equipment.
Conrad Hennig,
based in Johannesburg, is involved from a marketing
angle. Conrad is a
marine ecologist,
and has been involved with Wilderness Safaris for
the last 8 years. He has led cross-country safaris
throughout
southern Africa, in particular Botswana and Malawi.
He has also been privileged to take part and guide
in Antarctic and arctic areas, and is involved in
the annual Polar Bear "congregation" at
Hudson Bay, Canada.
Debbie and
Conrad are also leading some specialist "diving
safaris"- These trips are for discerning divers
who wish to combine Southern
African "game" camps and lodges with exploring
untouched reef systems of the sub-continent with
the same levels of service. They will also be jointly
running specialty diving courses, such as Shark and
Whale and Dolphin. For more information, see the
Special Interest
Safaris page.
Wildlife
This is not "Big
Game" country,
although it does have its our own "Big
Five":
Leatherback Turtle, Loggerhead Turtle, Palmnut
Vulture,
Buitons Skink and Zululand Cycad. Two interesting
antelope occur - Common Reedbuck in marshes
and grasslands and Red Duiker in forest patches
- and Hippo are found in freshwater lakes.
The Indian Ocean teems with spectacular
wildlife, including Humpback Whales, Bottlenose
Dolphins, Whalesharks, and turtles (Leatherback
and Loggerheads).
Birding
is good and a number of rare coastal species
occur - Green Twinspot, Green Coucal, Grey
Waxbill, Purplecrested and Livingstone's
Louries, Natal Robin and jewel-like Emerald
Cuckoo in
forests, and Pinkthroated Longclaw and Rufousbellied
Heron in marshy areas. The lodge has a bird
hide, which can afford birders exceptional
views of Buffspotted Flufftail, Olive Sunbirds
and many others.
Turtle Research
 The pristine beaches
of Rocktail Bay play host to an annual spectacle,
where literally hundreds of marine turtles
heave themselves onto the beaches to lay
their eggs and thereby complete their breeding
cycle. The KwaZulu-Natal Wildlife conservation
authority's project on Loggerhead and Leatherback
turtles is one of the longest continuous
research projects in the world. Wilderness
Safaris and Rocktail Bay Lodge fully support
this conservation initiative, sponsoring
turtle scouts, vehicles and research materials.
Funds generated from the lodge are used to
fit turtles with satellite transponders.
Every night during the summer months, a trained
guide patrols the 40 kilometres of beach
at low tide and monitors egg-laying turtles
and hatchlings. Guests are able to accompany
the guide on the "night drives" and enjoy
one of nature's prime spectacles. |
Partnership
 At Rocktail Bay, the community shareholders are the Nxobella
villagers who live closest to Rocktail Bay's park
boundary. The Coastal Forest Reserve is a long narrow
park. The community who live adjacent to Rocktail
Bay on the park's western boundary are our shareholders
in this project along with the park authorities.
Like Ndumo, as the community has direct shares in
the lodge, barriers have fallen and we enjoy a stimulating,
invigorating and enriching relationship with our
community partners. In 1999 Rocktail Bay Lodge was
a winner in the prestigious international British
Airways "Tourism for Tomorrow" Awards.
These awards recognize organizations in the tourism
industry which have made a positive contribution
towards their local natural and cultural environment.
Rocktail Bay Lodge also lies within an area which
was awarded World Heritage Site status by unesco's
World Heritage Committee in December 1999. Only sites
considered to be of outstanding universal value have
been thus recognized. |
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