Weather
It is always a great relief to usher in the arrival of summer, especially at a camp so focused on outdoor adventure activities. The winter winds nearly blew our senses of humour away! However, we endured and things seem to finally be settling down.

Marine Life
Summer is now in full swing but it seem that our winter visitors didn't get the message, as we continue to encounter isolated pods of humpback whales trickling past.

Some of our privileged guests had extraordinary encounters with large sharks on various dives. One that really got everybody talking was a great white shark of around 4m which swam around a small group of divers for about ten minutes whilst they made their ascent to the boat. The behaviour is not unusual, but for it to have happened so far outside the shark's typical distribution certainly is.

The month was a busy one, with many visitors from northern and eastern Europe. The majority of these guests had been driving themselves around on self-discovery holidays, some of which lasted for more than four weeks covering most of South Africa.

Turtles
Turtle season started on the 15th, but with a twist. Rocktail Beach Camp now offers both nightly turtle drives and walks guided by four qualified turtle guides. The double option is great as it suits everyone. Typically the drives are long, up to four hours on a good night, while the walks on the other hand are shorter, up to two hours and you still stand a good chance of finding the nesting females.

We have something new for Rocktail Beach Camp guests: Turtle surrogacy! Guests, their friends and families can adopt turtles from our dependency list. Adoptive parents receive a certificate for their generosity as well as a fluffy turtle toy and monthly updates through the turtle season. Should your turtle be recorded on the beach in future years you will receive notification of their visit. The funds raised go back into turtle research ensuring longevity of the current protection afforded to them. Camp management will be all smiles if you mention the magic word: ADOPTION!

Turtle walks can be undertaken for a donation fee - of a minimum of R50. The reason for charging this year is because the walking guides will now be assisting with data collection and turtle tagging. The monies collected will go towards the tagging equipment.

Fishing
With persistent cold water the fish still exhibit strong symptoms of 'lock jaw'. The pictured giant kingfish was a major catch this month though, safely released after the photos to prove it was caught were taken.

Camp Staff
We welcomed our new management couple Ashley and Tara Rowe to the team this month. The couple will be assisting Gareth and Liz and together we see great things happening. At the same time we bid a sad farewell to Miia, a student on experiential training. She really made her mark on the camp and we will be forever grateful.