Last week Saturday, as the sun’s rays broke over the Indian Ocean a report came in of a large sea turtle on the Beach in front of The Sands At Nomad.
Not many people have a chance to see a sea turtle let alone see one on land as, it is only the pregnant females that come to lay eggs and they almost always come at night to be safer from predators and ill-intentioned humans.
We felt blessed that she had chosen to lay her eggs here, it’s quite possible that the mother turtle was herself hatched on this beach decades ago, and she will return here to lay her eggs here until she dies, any of her surviving female hatchlings from her one hundred or so eggs will also do the same.
Once the sea turtle had safely made her way back into the waves and disappeared from view the staff from The Diani Turtle Watch carefully translocated the eggs (in order) to the relocation site above the waterline and tidal wall. Here the eggs will stay dry and safe for three months until hatching.
This year the turtle nest relocation site at The Sands at Nomad is up to 13 nests.. That’s going to be around 1300 sea turtle hatchlings (so far) all heading out to chance their luck in the open ocean.
For anyone hoping for a chance to see a Turtle nest hatch, the majority of the nests in the Sands at Nomad’s hatchery are due from the 11th of June onwards. Obviously nature does not follow human calendars so its just a matter of luck.
If anyone would like to contribute to sea turtle conservation please feel free to contact Diani Turtle Watch or us at the Sands. Ways one can help are to adopt a nest or even a sea turtle, quite a different birthday present don’t you think?
Watch this space or book to stay at the Sands at Nomad over June.. maybe you might be one of the lucky ones.
Check the dates on the photo below and make your plans. These nests are due between the dates shown.
The Sands, Thinking Green and Blue
