We saw them

And what an incredible sight.

We arrived at Matura beach to await the arrival of our guide. The guides are volunteers from a group called Nature Seekers. At one time the turtles were slaughtered and the hunters would carry what they could. An adult turtle can weigh 1000lb, what couldn't be carried would be left on the beach which in time looked like a graveyard. The T&T government declared it ilegal to slaughter the turtles and they are now a protected species in T&T. Nature seekers also host volunteer students from aroud the world who take part in the tagging and recording of the turtles. If a turtle comes ashore and is not tagged with a number, this will be done with a small metal tag in the rear flipper. The volunteers also microchip the turtles so they can be tracked anywhere in the world.

We had a short introductory speach and were also given the rules for turtle viewing. No bright lights are allowed on the beach, the guides had infra red lights to guide us. We set off along the beach which was pitch black with just the sound of the Atlantic Ocean.

After walking for what seemed like a very long time over very uneven sand the group was stopped by the guide and he pointed out a turtle that was coming in with the tide. It was huge, we estimated it to be about 8ft. Once she had made her way up the beach and settled on a nesting site we were allowed to approach her from the rear. She was already well into making her nest using her large rear flippers to scoop out the sand out to a depth of 2-3 feet. By the time she was finished she was covered in sand herself.

Once she starts laying her eggs, she goes into a trance and is not aware of anything around her, so at this time we were allowed to take photographs and touch her. It took a relatively short time for her to lay her 100-120 eggs and then cover them with sand and again with the huge flippers firm the sand over the nest to protect the eggs. The turtles return to the beach several times during nesting season and it is estimated that one turtle will lay approximately 1000 eggs. Unfortunately the survival rate for the hatchlings is not very high and it is estimated that only two turtles per nest survive to adulthood.

Whilst we were watching this turtle, we were lucky enough to see two more come ashore and start building their nests. After they have completed the egg laying, they rest for approximately 45 minutes and then head back out to sea.

We also saw some hatchling about 2 days old and were allowed to handle them. However it is important that they are left on the beach and not returned to the sea by a human. The hatchlings instincts of heading into the sea stays with them and that is why they always return to the beach they were hatched to nest as an adult.

We left the beach at about 11pm and decided we are definately doing this again next year but earlier in the season as there are many more turtles. I never thought I would ever experience something like this.

Enjoy the pictures.