Last night, while sharing drinks with my friend Dave along the beach, we noticed an oddly shaped rock further up. Walking over to investigate we saw that it was a large 50 year or older turtle, laying her eggs! In Barbados the turtles lay their eggs year round with the most eggs laid between April and October. The female turtle will lay eggs every 2-3 years until 80 years of age with each nest containing approximately 150 eggs.
While the length of time between laying the eggs and the eggs hatching varies by breed, the hawksbill turtle eggs remain buried for 2 months before they hatch and the 100 or so surviving turtles crawl from their nest in the sand. They have 7 days to reach the open ocean (outer reef) where they are much safer and can find proper nutrient to live. One in one-thousand survive.
The South coast of Barbados is a common nesting ground where the turtles bury their eggs. These baby turtles will venture out for the first 5 years before returning back to the where they were born. After swimming around this area for another 10 years or so, they will return to the beach where they first crawled to lay eggs of their own.
A lit up board walk so close to the ocean, would act as light pollution or as a distraction to the new born who began crawling towards the light before eventually falling prey to their many predators. For the safety of the turtles, Barbados removed all lights along the board walk, increasing the rate of success.
http://www.widecast.org/Resources/Docs/Eckert_and_Horrocks_2002_Beachfront_Lighting_Workshop.pdf
This assistance aside, eggs still hatch in daylight hours, leaving the baby turtles little chance for survival. Because of this there is the Barbados Sea Turtle Project, which is run by volunteers. They collect these hatch-lings, keep them in safety for the day and release them during the night. If they are found in time, they update their facebook page indicating the time and beach for all of those who would like to witness this incredible procedure. While I had been regularly checking this page since meeting many of the volunteers diving, there had not been a release in over a week after two back to back releases ten days prior.
Filled with excitement after finding our first turtle, Dave and I decided to wonder down the boardwalk to see if we might find more. We were in luck!! Only one beach over, another was laying her eggs! A volunteer from the turtle project was present, taking down information and tagging the turtle whose age was determined by the size of her shell. This particular hawksbill turtle was approximately 40 years old and had a shell of approximately 2.5 feet wide. As if we hadn't already experienced a substantial amount of luck - in her hand, the volunteer held a large plastic bucket with 100 baby turtles! Prior to finding this turtle she had been by their lab to pick up these hatchings found only a few hours earlier to release them safely. While the most dangerous part for a baby turtle is getting to the open sea, turtles must be released on the beach in order to 'set their GPS', or be able to return to lay eggs of their own.
After the turtle was done depositing her eggs and covering her nest, she was ocean bound and finished her work. The mother turtle does not return to the nesting ground and provides no further care for the baby turtles.
We were just about to be able to release the baby turtles when the volunteers radio went off. There was a reporting of a third turtle laying eggs only one beach down! Joining her for the adventure we watched another turtle lay and bury her eggs before bringing the babies to a safe point for a release. As the bucket was tipped, 100 baby turtles scrambled for the ocean, trying their best to push themselves along the sand with their new fins. These little babies were so cute, I wished I could take one home :)
Standing along the water and shinning a light while shooing away crabs, the volunteer ensured each baby made it into the ocean. This is all we can do to help. With a survival rate of 1 in 1000, and the hawksbill and green turtle being endangered, I am hopeful it is enough!
Planning an extended stay in Barbados? Anyone can volunteer to save the lives of these baby turtles. Look up Barbados Sea Turtle Project on facebook or for their website to apply. A minimum of six weeks commitment is requested.
Fantastic. Thanks for this Dee.
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