Hello and welcome back to ALL our turtle fans, adopted families and followers. As of 15 October the 2009/2010 turtle nesting season is open! The beach is as prepared as ever and we hope this is going to be a bumper year for our endangered sea-faring, beach-nesting Loggerhead and Leatherback Turtles.

After 15 years of diligent turtle monitoring Rocktail Bay Lodge has handed over the reins to Rocktail Beach Camp and this is where all turtle monitoring for this season will be based.

In preparation for what is sure to be another fantastic turtle season we find ourselves in the unique position of being able to offer no fewer than five turtle guides this year: three are newly trained and two are of course the experienced and long-serving Gugu and Mbongeni. Our three new guides, Siphiwe, Muntu and Ashley, were invited up to Bhanga Nek where along with 20 or so community members they underwent what can only be described as an enjoyable but hard work two-day course during which Eric, Jennifer and Santos from Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife put everyone through their paces. The monitoring protocols for turtle recording have changed only marginally from last year. In addition to nesting activity and marked turtles, we are now noting any markings on the carapace or flippers.

Breaking news, and also new for this season, is the news that the coastal protected area has been extended all the way up the coast to Maputo in neighbouring Mozambique. This is not just good news for the turtles but also for all the rural communities along the coastline which will in the future benefit from the increased turtle tourism possibilities. We all hope that the new 'Kosi-Ponta Transfrontier Park' will soon become one of the foremost turtle havens in the world.

With a new turtle season comes 'turtle fever' with all our guests falling in love with these chelonian visitors and their unique stories. This season we have launched the 'Turtle Adoption Book' - a turtle-shaped book placed in a prominent position in the bar to enable our guests to contribute to the cause of these threatened species. All adoption monies make a difference to the considerable running costs of this vital conservation project. The book itself is also a chance for guests to be as creative as they like with their page and to leave their own mark. To remind them of their contribution, each guest will also receive a certificate of adoption, a cuddly toy turtle and of course a monthly newsletter updating them on the previous four weeks of turtle activity.

The weather these past two weeks has battered us, the jellyfish have come out in force and the sand has been too wet to drive on but still the guests have been heading out by the Land Rover-load each night, all hoping to catch a glimpse of what can only be described as one of nature's great events. Gugu and Mbongeni have been taking these drives, with Siphiwe, Muntu and Ashley starting our guided beach walks from 1st November. Rocktail Beach Camp is prepared, ready and excited for this special time of year. Even the camp management have adopted a turtle each to kickstart the season, their contribution to reverse the decline in turtle numbers the world over.

Keep an eye out for our updates and photos as the season progresses.