The Year of the Turtle Hatchlings at One&Only Reethi Rah

This year has definitely been the year of the turtle hatchlings at One&Only Reethi Rah. There have been 7 green turtle nests on the island which were laid during May and June. These nests were probably laid by 3 different turtles as each turtle will usually lay 2 or 3 nests during the season. Unfortunately I never got to meet the mama turtles, they always disappeared back into the sea before I got there just leaving their tracks behind… hopefully one day! One of them actually ended up in a guest villa pool!!! Not sure what she was thinking, maybe she just needed a quick dip to cool off as crawling up the beach can be quite exhausting especially if you weigh up to 400 pounds!! She did need our help to get out of the pool though, it took 2 staff members to lift her out so she could make her way back to the sea. Unfortunately I missed it all again as I was away on holiday, gutted!!

I did get to see most of the nests hatch though so I can’t really complain. Baby turtles are just the cutest little things and I got to see about 250 of them! The first nest hatching was definitely the most memorable for me. When I arrived at the nest there were just a few hatchlings sticking out of the sand all piled up on top of each other. It looked like they were sleeping as their eyes were all closed and they were all so still. There were a few tiny heads just poking out of the sand as well. It was definitely one of the cutest things I have ever seen. It didn’t take them long, after about 10 minutes, one hatchling started to wriggle which disturbed all the others and then boom, the nest erupted. Within about 30 seconds hatchlings were everywhere. All of them were crawling on top of each other to escape the nest and make their way to the sea. It was amazing to watch. They usually follow the light of the moon to guide themselves to the water but we also used torches to light their way. They are actually quicker then you would think and as they got closer to the sea they started to speed up, there little flippers flapping all over the place. It was a funny sight (and very cute!), it’s like they are so excited to make it to the water. After being in the nest and under the sand for 50-60 days I can see why getting to the water asap would be appealing! They do need to be quick though, as they are only 2 inches in size, they make bite sized meals for birds and crabs, and depending on were they are in the world, even crocodiles and raccoons will eat them! And it’s not over, even when they make it to the water, fish, sharks and stingrays will all be lined up waiting to eat then and only 1 in a 1000 hatchlings will make it to adulthood!! Hmmm, not such good odds after all!!

Nest 1 - This was definitely one of the cutest things i have ever seen

Boom!! Here they all come

As you can see very excited to get to the water

In order to increase their chances of survival we collected all the hatchlings before they entered the water and then released them the next day in the open sea were there are fewer predators. Our guests got to participate and help release the hatchlings and as you can imagine loved the whole experience. When they enter the water, the hatchlings undergo a period of hyperactive swimming, termed the frenzy, during which they swim continuously for up to 24 hours to make their way out to sea. They will spend their first few years out in the open ocean were they seek some kind of camouflage, driftwood or algae beds, and then when they reach dinner plate size they return inshore. Scientists call this incredible journey the “lost years”.

Chilling out before being released into the big blue

Or having a quick nap! 

Yep, dont mind me!

Goodluck litle one!!

Bon voyage....

So I was lucky enough to witness one of nature’s most amazing wonders and not just once but 5 times and each time was just as perfect. How lucky am I. And unlike last year, all these hatchling were quite considerate of my sleep and hatched at a reasonable hour, usually before midnight! One nest did hatch in a rain storm though, just 21 that time. The rest were probably too cozy under the sand to come out!

Wait for it...

Another exploding nest!!

The other 2 nests that hatched at Sunrise Beach were nests that we did not know about so we weren’t monitoring them for hatchling activity! At 11pm the hatchlings were discovered all over the road by the buggy drivers who put them all in a pond until I got there…. Not sure how many came out of the nest but they managed to collect 44 of the little guys. They must have been disorientated by the lights and therefore went the wrong way! Hopefully the rest of the nest managed to get to the sea before they were eaten by predators!

So all in all we released about 250 hatchlings into the big blue. It’s been a crazy month but so worth it. I’m sure everyone who’s been involved, with either leading the hatchlings down the beach or releasing them into the sea, will have some very special and beautiful memories that will they will never forget. I know i do. Hopefully some of these hatchlings will make it to adulthood and return to Reethi Rah in the future to lay more nests. This is a remarkable fact about sea turtles. They will always return to lay their nests on the same beach they were born decades before....