(As always, click on each image to open them in their own window to experience the full sized image with the most color clarity....)
Ryan and I recently returned from a mini vacation to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico and had such a wonderful time. One of the highlights of our trip was the opportunity to partake in a sea turtle release along the coast. It was a really amazing experience and so informative!
Don Julio, the turtle we released
The resort that we were staying at has been facilitating a sea turtle release program for the last 15 years. Every year, they release over 15,000 baby sea turtles into the ocean increasing the survival rate of the hatchlings from .01% to 10%! If you can, I cannot encourage you enough to experience this marvel of mother nature! Special thank you goes to the DREAMS PUERTO VALLARTA RESORT for being so kind to me with my camera! They also collect donations for the turtle program at the resort and give 50% of the donations to PASITOS DE LUZ a school for disabled children. The resort was AWESOME. The people were great fun, and it was a perfect location. Loves it!
Below are some of my favorite images from the experience, and a little bit of information that I learned along the way.
Once a sea turtle reaches 10 years in age, female turtles return to the exact same beach they were born on to lay their eggs. Each female lays several nests of a couple hundred eggs each during the breeding season, and they do this every few years. All the eggs hatch under the sand at the same time and crawl to the surface together. Unfortunately, every single species of sea turtle is either endangered or threatened by commercialization on the beaches and irresponsible fishing methods. Due to this, many places have a conservation program in place. As the sea turtle lays eggs, a marine biologist digs them up, and moves them to a protected space on the beach. As the turtles hatch, they are kept together, and released as a group that evening.
There are so many natural predators and beach-goers that eggs buried in the sand have virtually no chance of survival without such a program in place. Since we were lucky enough to be staying at a resort with a conservation program in place, we were able to see the entire process up close! Just before sunset, the marine biologist at the beach begins drawing a line in the sand where the turtles would be released...
Anyone who is to partake in the release stands behind this line so as not to step and crush the cute babies! This is also your vantage point to watch for seagulls and pelicans. Many times, the birds will see the release and come in flocks to eat the baby turtles. If the turtles have not made it into the water, they are gathered together again and released the following day. A baby sea turtle has 4 days to reach a reef to get to his diet of coral before starving. They have an energy pouch (That you can see in white in the photo below) attached to their bellies that provide them with energy during this crucial time.)
Once the turtles hatch from the eggs (or are released by watchful human guardians), they travel towards the brightest horizon...
Instinct pulls them in a group towards the waves of the ocean by their eyesight. They're pretty strong, and pull themselves the entire way to the water.
As the sun begins to set, the danger of a bird attack fades... and for now the turtles are safe!
The turtles use their sense of smell to identify this exact beach that they are born on where they will ALWAYS return to lay their eggs. As the sun disappears on the horizons, all 258 turtles that we released that day made it safely to the water and the beach again was quiet for only a few hours until more females came ashore to lay more eggs to start the entire process over again...
As always, please share your thoughts below by commenting!
Brett Chisholm
Houston Photographer