Sea Turtle Conservation – Guidelines on Watching Marine Turtles

Aug 16, 2011
Karin-Marijke Vis

Watching a leatherback laying eggs at La Plage les Hattes, French Guiana - Coen Wubbels

Being aware of distance, proper use of flashlight and camera when watching sea turtles ashore will help the preservation of this endangered species.

For weeks on end we walked South American beaches at night, long hours under a moon that lit our world. We watched leatherbacks, loggerheads, green turtles and olive ridley turtles coming ashore to lay their eggs, and witnessed how the hatchlings struggled their way up through the sand and sprinted to the Atlantic Ocean. Each sighting was incredibly impressive.

Conservation guidelines to watch sea turtles

In these weeks we learned that watching sea turtles is not a matter of course. There are guidelines on how to watch these reptiles without disturbing them. A troubled marine turtle may stop in her tracks, turn around and return to the sea without having laid her eggs. Or she goes inland, running the risk of being hit by a car.

Watching these prehistoric animals going through their rituals of reproduction is simply fabulous and a privilege. All seven marine turtles in the world are on the IUCN Red List of Endangered Species and I can only hope that future generations will be able to witness this spectacle of nature as well.

Government and worldwide organisations such as WWF and TAMAR (Brazil) are doing their share in the conservation of this marine wildlife. But you and I can do our share as well. With a couple of basic guidelines we can watch these beautiful reptiles while it is safe for them to work on the continuation of their species.

Distances to watch marine turtles ashore laying eggs

There are moments when to keep a distance, others when you can move closer to the turtle:

Stop walking as soon as you see a sea turtle emerge from the water. If you rush up to her, she will turn around and head back to the ocean straight away. Quietly follow her at about 20 metres and stay behind her.
Keep this distance while she digs her nest.
Once she starts spawning you can move in to as close as 2 metres because she is now in some sort of trance. The spawning generally lasts about 10 minutes after which she will close her nest.
Slowly step back and keep 5 metres from her as she returns to the ocean. Never stand between her and the ocean, because this will distract her.

Sea turtles and disturbances by light

Light can completely disorient a marine turtle. Light deters her from nesting, or makes her seek refuge at another, maybe less-suitable, beach. Hatchlings may not be able to find the ocean, and also adult turtles are known to go inland instead of to the sea due to artificial light disturbance.

For visitors to the beach there are two important issues when watching sea turtles:

Turn off your flashlight when you see a turtle coming ashore. You can turn it on while she is laying her eggs, but only from behind. Never shine the light straight into her face. It is better to cover the glass of your flashlight with red foil, which you can obtain from, among other organisations, KWATA – a sea-turtle protection organisation in Cayenne (French Guiana).
Never use a flash when taking pictures.

Touching and helping sea turtles?

To many of us, the following guidelines may seem obvious, too insulting even to mention. Unfortunately, experience has taught me otherwise, so I'll state them anyway:

Don't touch the turtle. This is primarily not to bother the turtle, but also realise this is for your own safety. Some of them may bite when you come too close, and being hit by a flipper can be painful as well.
Don't touch means: don't sit on it to ride it either...
Don't help, even though your heart aches and your hands itch at seeing their struggle. These prehistoric animals know how to do their job. Your good intent may be disastrous. This is especially the case with hatchlings. You don't help them by opening their nest. They need the tightly packed sand to crawl upwards – they can't climb up a steep hill made by you! By carrying the hatchlings to the ocean you take away their chance of strengthening their muscles, which they will need when swimming all those kilometres. Stick to removing obstacles such as a trunk, branches, or other things they may get tangled in.

Where and when to watch marine turtles

Based on my own travel experiences I can say that there are numerous sea turtle beaches in South America: Brazil, French Guiana, Suriname, Venezuela and Colombia. Some beaches are plagued by mosquitoes and/or sand flies. To protect yourself, bring mosquito repellent and consider wearing footwear to prevent the sika sand fly from laying her eggs under your skin (as it is known to do in Suriname and French Guiana).

Best times to watch the sea turtles are two hours before and after high tide. High season depends on the species, the beach, as well as the time of year. Check with the local authorities for specific information.