South Africa Diving

Rocktail Beach Camp lies in the lush, tropical shade of the Maputaland Coastal Forest with the Maputaland Marine Reserve just offshore. This reserve provides sanctuary for marine life with extraordinary diving and snorkeling encounters with huge shoals of fish, dolphins and whales.

The camp has twelve rooms, including three family units, most of which have a view of the ocean. All have private bathrooms and overhead fans. There is a central dining room, bar and lounge with large wraparound veranda and pool. From a scuba diving perspective, Rocktail Bay is unique. Not only is the diving conducted within a reserve and World Heritage Site along unspoiled reefs, but divers have the luxury of knowing that they alone have access to these sites and are the only underwater visitors along this stretch of the coastline.

This is not a traditional 'big game' area, but the camp is situated within a pristine coastal forest reserve. Common reedbuck frequent the grasslands and the red duiker lives in the forest areas. Hippos are sometimes found in freshwater lakes, while whales and dolphins are often seen offshore. Birding is outstanding.

The reef systems here are amongst the most pristine in the world, boasting healthy soft and hard corals. Large numbers of the butterfly fish and triggerfish families are seen on every dive, as well as rock mover wrasse, various eels and sharks. Marbled electric rays, blue-spotted and round ribbon tail rays are common representatives of this family while the occasional manta and spotted eagle ray have also been sighted. The advent of winter heralds the arrival of humpback and southern right whales in the seas off Rocktail. Green and loggerhead turtles are regularly seen, and between October and March turtles come ashore at night to lay their eggs.