Wondering where to release baby turtles in Mexico? Releasing baby sea turtles has been something I have wanted to do for such a long time, and it was one of the most memorable things we did in Puerto Escondido. Puerto Escondido is a beach town in the state of Oaxaca on the Pacific Coast of Mexico, which is perfect for relaxing and surfing and also has a crazy party scene. It is also the turtle capital of Mexico, with nearly every species of Turtle in the world being found in its waters, which makes it the perfect place to release baby turtles.
Is Releasing Turtles in Puerto Escondido Ethical?
The main place to take part in a turtle release is at Playa Bacocho and is organised by charity Vive Mar. Before attending the release, I was extremely skeptical about the ethics of something like this, but after hearing the talk from the volunteers, I was convinced. All the turtles that hatch that day have to be released the same day, so by getting people involved, it not only takes some of the workload off the daily volunteers, but also raises money for the charity and awareness for the cause at the same time. Without conservation, the baby turtle only has a 1 in 1000 chance of survival, but through conservation efforts, they are able to get that number to 1 in 100.
That being said, it is a bit of a bittersweet experience knowing that your turtle is not likely to be in the 1%, and it is hard to watch as seagulls and crabs try to get them from the moment you release them, but such is the circle of life!
When and Where is the Turtle Release
The turtles are released every day at 5 pm from Playa Bacocho, which is on the other side of Puerto Escondido than the more touristy area of La Punta. Once you get to Playa Bacocho, you will be able to see the Vive Mar turtle sanctuary pretty easily.
I recommend getting there a few minutes before 5, as it is likely there will be a queue, and if there were not a lot of hatchlings that day then it would be on a first-come-first-served basis. Every turtle that has hatched that day is released, so any leftover turtles are released by the regular volunteers at the end.
How much is the Turtle Release at Playa Bacocho
The turtle release at Playa Bacocho costs 100 pesos which is about €4. This money goes to the Vive Mar charity. They also bring around donation bags at the end, one which lets you donate more to the charity and one that lets you donate directly to the volunteers.
How to get to Playa Bacocho
From our hostel, (Tower Bridge) which is in the centre of Puerto Escondido, it was only a 15-minute walk. It should only be about 10 minutes by taxi or 60-80 pesos (€2.5) if you are coming from La Punta or Zicatela.
What happens at the Turtle Release
Once you arrive, you queue up and pay your 100 pesos in exchange for half a coconut. After that, everybody gathers into two groups to get given a ten-minute talk about turtle conservation and the charity, one in English and one in Spanish. The talk is extremely interesting and you learn so much in such a short space of time.
The type of turtles that we released were Olive Ridley turtles, which are the smallest and most abundant type of turtle.
After this talk, you are encouraged to give your turtle a name (I called mine Becky as an ode to my recently deceased goldfish). This is the time when you can take a picture of or with your turtle. Mine was really calm, (I thought they were dead for a moment) so I could take a few pictures, but some are really active and wriggly, in which case it’s important to prioritise them getting to the water safely over taking pictures. It is extremely important not to touch the turtles to not spread any harmful bacteria onto them.
Getting to the Water
Once you get near the water, there is a line drawn in the sand and a rope where you say goodbye. You gently tilt the coconut shell onto the floor and cheer them on. Some are fast and some are slow. From the moment they hit the sand, predators head straight for them. Crabs pop up out of the sand and seagulls swoop down from above. You are encouraged to try to scare them off, of course without touching or harming them. We, unfortunately, witnessed a baby turtle being scooped up by a seagull after it reached the water.
The turtles know to go towards the water by following the bright light of the reflection of the sun on the water. Because of this, turtles in areas with lots of car lights/street lights often get disoriented and don’t make it. This is also why it’s extremely important not to use flash when taking a picture of your turtle.
The turtles keep crawling towards the water, sometimes getting knocked back all the way to the start by waves until they time it right and get carried away by a big huge wave.
About Vive Mar
In Oaxaca, turtle eggs are consumed as a delicacy, and poachers search the beaches at night for nesting mothers to steal their eggs. Vive Mar volunteers patrol the same beaches every single night to protect the turtles and save their eggs. Any turtle eggs they find are taken to the hatchery, where they take 45-60 days to hatch.
Global warming is really negatively affecting the survival rates of turtles because the temperature of the sand determines the sex of the baby, and because of rising sand temperatures, there is now a disproportionate rate of female turtles. To try and combat this, Vive Mar places some eggs in a shaded section to wait to hatch.
Some Extra Turtle Facts
I learned a lot about turtles from the speech that was given at the beginning.
- Because the survival rate is so low, the mother turtles lay about 100-110 eggs each, and some even come up to lay twice a season.
- Turtles are extremely important to the ecosystem of the sea, because they are one of the only animals that can eat jelly fish!
- Despite all the predators that come for them, their main threat is global warming and pollution in the water, which many confuse for food.
- The first ten years of a turtles life are a mystery. They are called the ‘lost years’, and no one really knows what happens during them.
- Once they reach sexual maturity, turtles return every year to the same beach they were born on to lay their eggs.
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