Abi's Deep Dive

It’s midnight here and I have just got back from taking a small group of under 18s, who are on a program here, to the beach where turtles are currently nesting!!!! I have been to beaches before and seen hatchlings, but I have never experienced anything like this, it was incredible!!!

The road to the deserted beach is a rollercoaster of sand and rock, and only a few houses are nestled in to the edge of this beach of miracles. It gets dark here fairly early and there are no street lights on this stretch so the world was completely black. The sky was clear revealing all the stars, an astronomer would have been in their element pointing out all of the constellations, we could even see the Milky Way. A storm is brewing tonight and distant lightning was flashing over the sea.

We were all quiet, nervous with hope that we would see one of the female turtles on the beach. We had red flashlights so as not to startle or disturb any turtles (light is a navigation point as they naturally use the moon) and all cameras and phones had the flash turned off. Our group crept along quietly, all looking, hoping to see a turtle nesting. Almost immediately we saw a turtle in a nest she must have been digging.

These ladies can be quite picky, they will dig around until they find the perfect spot, which is hard work, they are heavy!! (The largest green turtle ever found was 152 cm in length and 395 kg, although most adults weigh between 110 – 190 kg) sometimes in their quest for the right spot they also dig up other eggs which is sad to see as the exposed eggs will attract predators who will then dig to find more. You can see what a struggle it is for the turtles to move their bulk on sand as they often pause for breath and their throats open right up as they suck air in. If these mummy’s don’t find the perfect nesting spot they go back to sea and come back another night.

We carried on along the beach and saw one of the turtles going back towards the sea, whether she had laid her eggs, or just wanted to get back into the water we don’t know, but she hauled her big bulk over a branch and seaweed to get to the water, once there she suddenly moved much more quickly until the water supported her weight and she disappeared. It was absolutely magical. I felt so privileged (and a bit emotional) to see these beautiful creatures, so ungainly on land, trying to give their brood the best start. As soon as they get close to the water they are once again transformed into the elegant creatures I have seen when diving, zipping into the water and vanishing in a flash.

Over that hour I think we saw six turtles, one was trying to push into some bushes at the top of the beach having already dug one hole that wasn’t the right nest for her precious eggs. Turtles can’t go backwards on land so it all looked quite clumsy, but seeing the effort they were making and the raw beauty of witnessing something that has been happening for perhaps millions of years was something I will never forget.