THOUSANDS of sea turtles hatch on the shores of the Riviera Maya, every year. If you take a minute to absorb that, it is pretty incredible.
If you are on the beaches minutes beyond Playa del Carmen or in Tulum during the summer months, you can often spot one of the giant mother turtles coming to lay her eggs on shore. If you are in the same area in late September or October, you can even witness the eggs hatching.
There are some nests over to the left hand side on this beach.
Turtle Conservation Efforts
In many of the areas, the conservationist groups such as Flora, Fauna y Cultura a local non-profit, are staffed with employees and volunteers that will live on site for months at a time to study, collect data on and help protect as many of the turtles as possible.
There are many sleepless nights as the mother turtles tend to lay their eggs once it is dark to avoid the many birds and surrounding wildlife that would love a snack. Approximately 2 months later, the babies will hatch, but will also hatch once it is dark and safer for them.
These are just some of the staff and volunteers.
X’cacel Beach
X’cacel beach is one of the ‘off the beaten path’ beaches that you can find in the Riviera Maya. Located about 35 minutes south of Playa del Carmen, it is a hidden gem. It is one of the areas that the turtles frequent. In addition to having a gorgeous beach and a cenote where you can have a refreshing swim, you will also see the marked nests on the beach. The beach area is open from 9-5 on a daily basis and you can get a taxi there, or a colectivo.
Releasing the baby sea turtles
The team at Flora, Fauna y Cultura organize evenings where you can witness the release of the baby sea turtles. This particular outing was organized with a local school so the kids would learn more about the turtles and the conservation efforts.
Itzel, our guide from Flora Y Fauna first took the time to explain about the different types of turtles and what might potentially endanger them. The kids learnt about their eating habits, their main predators and how they could help keep them safe.
Once they came out with the baby turtles, we were ushered down to the shore where we would be able to cheer them on in their walk to the sea and their first swim.
We were not allowed to touch the fragile newly hatched babies, but there was a staff of at least 8 people there to help release and guide them to the sea. It was an impressive sight to see these little ones making their way to the ocean. We were encouraged to send them off with good wishes and the best vibes possible. This was an enlightening experience not only for the kids, but for the adults as well, that we were able to witness one of nature’s miracles.
Have you participated or witnessed the turtles we have in the area? Share your comments below.
If you wish to organize an outing similar to this, please contact Flora, Fauna y Cultura for more information.
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