Turtle Patrol: Polly's experience
Added to website: 27 June 2007
Polly:
Having heard recent accounts of enjoyable but turtle-less patrols from other Coral Cay people, I went out with Angelie and Helen expecting a similar experience. To begin with it seemed that that would be the case, as we walked up and down Grafton beach with no sightings. However, we then headed for Turtle beach and things changed pretty dramatically. I think we took about 5 steps on the sand before being faced with the somewhat gob-smacking sight of a leatherback the size of a small car lurching up the slope of the beach. That’s a bit of an exaggeration but it gives an illustration of how its hugeness really knocked us back. Just as we were contemplating its strangely prehistoric appearance, the atmosphere was tainted slightly as the tourists began to move in and the turtle gave up and scuttled (well, heaved) back to the sea without laying her eggs.
Further down the beach there was word of another turtle, so we hurried down to investigate to find that the poor old dear had decided to set up a nesting spot right by the water. Not the best option as it left her pretty stuck, but it got the tourists going again. I helped Gian measure the width and length of her shell (up close to a leatherback-very exciting stuff) but they ended up having to push her back out as she wouldn’t go any further up. Headed back to the other end to find two more turtles laying their eggs. The only problem was they were so close together they were filling up each other’s holes with sand. It seemed to be turning into a dramatic night…
And while all this was going on, another solitary turtle loomed up just a few metres away. Cue tourists rush in that direction. Helen helped Gian tag it and he then politely, but firmly asked the tourists to give her some space. It was at precisely this moment that one of the tour guides called all of his group to surround the turtle for a good stare before leaving. Clearly a very tricky situation for Turtlewatch.
We didn’t leave until 1am. We were decidedly sleepy but thrilled to have had such an insight into the process the turtles go through, and how different people respond to it.
