I can finally cross ‘observe turtles hatching’ from my non-existent, paper bucket list that seems to, however, actually have some semblance of chaotic habitation in my head. You with me? Cool.
I have been obsessed with the idea of seeing turtles hatch since I was a little girl. I’m not sure if it was because of my mermaid proclivities (I truly believed I was a mermaid stuck in a human body) or because I hit my head on a dead turtle while I was frolicking in the ocean surf one scorching day outside my home in Diani, Kenya (#truestory).
So, upon my arrival to the sunny state of Queensland, I quickly sought out the best place to see the wonders of new life being brought into the world. That magical place ended up being Mon Repos, a coastal locality situated in the Bundaberg region (yes, where the Bundaberg rum is made).
Then it was decision time. Nesting happens from November to January and hatchings happen over the period January to March. Do I choose to go see a turtle drag herself from the ocean, painstakingly dig a hole and deliver her precious load of eggs to the dark, sandy depths? Or do I watch hatchlings barely bigger than my palm stubbornly dig their way from the safety of their nest to the unknown? To the cold, brine air shifting over the loose sands of the beach, to the threatening scuttling of the white crabs, to the roar of the deep blue and the beckoning horizon lit up like a turtles version of the Las Vegas strip.
Some acquaintances berated me for leaving it all too late. But I wanted to be sure. I wanted it to be perfect. So, I waited. I waited until there was only three weeks left of hatching season and then I booked a whopping four days in advance. I am, as ever, a faithful servant to the ‘Last Minute Deity’.
Thursday 10th March 2016 at 7pm. I excitedly logged that into my phone calendar. Not that I needed reminding. I was already counting the hours. Booking it last minute also meant the wait was not as long or torturous.
The drive to Bargara, a small town located 5 minutes by car from Mon Repos, was uneventful and humid. How did I know it was humid even though I was cocooned in an air-conditioned car you ask? It seems my hair has this magical ability to know when the humidity levels rise, even though I frantically tried to trick it by blasting the AC the entire drive to the destination.
I arrived at Kelly’s Beach Resort at 6.10pm, which gave me 20 minutes to scope out the villa, dump my bags and freshen up. Since the choices of dining out in Bargara are extremely limited (McDonalds anyone?) I chose a barramundi dish from the resort menu. It ended up being a fantastic choice, I highly recommend it!
Even though Mon Repos is only a five minute drive from the resort I found myself to be fashionably late and at the gates by 7.10pm. From there it was a fast process of receiving my group number (no.2) and heading to where all the other groups were congregated. As luck would have it, my group was the first one to be called. No waiting for me! The universe was working in my favour to fulfil one of my life-long dreams as fast as possible.
The group seemed fairly large, it’s hard to count in pitch darkness with only the stars as light but the concentrated mass of darkness gathered on the beach around our solo guide was a good indicator to the size of our party. The rules are pretty straight forward, do not wander off, ALWAYS stay a few steps behind the guide (you don’t want to be a turtle killer right?) and do not (for the love of baby turtles worldwide) take pictures or shine torches/phones. Simples.
Five minutes into the walk and our guide already stumbled upon a handful of hatchlings doggedly making their way towards the water. He collected them up from the ground like they were mere seashells! Once they were all safely piled in his one hand, he walked them the last few steps to the ocean and placed them gently into the water and they quickly disappeared into the inky black salt water.
After that short interlude we continued on our beach stroll with only our guides flashlight to lead the way. Shortly after we met up with another turtle guide who was tending to a nest of hatchlings that were just starting to emerge from the sand. We formed a large circle around the small nest and watched as each hatchling painstakingly clambered out of their sandy haven while our guide answered any questions we had, and explained in detail to us the life and death of Loggerheads (the breed of turtle special to Mon Repos).
Once both guides had completed a brief search in the nest (similar to the way kids scavenge around in a scratch patch) for any hatchling stragglers, they took two hatchlings each from the little pile that had been created by placing them all in a little circular pen. The hatchlings were taken on a little tour around the circle of gathered people where you were permitted to take photographs and pet the hatchlings on their shell or flippers (most definitely not the head). Despite their fragile appearance, they are actually quite hardy, determined, little creatures.
As soon as everyones curiosity was quenched, the show hatchlings were returned to their siblings and the circle was broken up into two separate lines facing one another, thus creating a human runway to the ocean for the hatchlings. Those with torches were lined up in the middle (facing the nest and backs to the ocean) and given the important role of being a turtle marshall to ensure their safe delivery to the water. A walk that might take a human a few seconds took the hatchlings 10 minutes. It was a slip, slide, stumble and crawl but they all got there in the end, their dark, slight forms melding with the wet sand and warm ocean.
Afterwards you are given the option to stay and watch one of the guides dig up the hatched (and unhatched) eggs from the nest, which usually takes about 20-30 minutes ,or go back to the turtle centre. I chose the latter because my morbid curiosity did not extend to dead hatchlings and empty eggs. Although when booking the tour they do warn you that it could last from 7pm-2am, my experience only lasted an hour and a half. I was back at the resort by 9pm which meant I was actually able to check out on time the next day.
It was definitely an unforgettable experience, something I would probably do again later in life. But for now my curiosity has been sated. Watching them hatch, you realise how lucky you are to be human and how easy we have it. All the small things that bother and cause us to stress on a daily basis seem so small and insignificant compared to the task the hatchlings have to face. It is literally them against the world. And we as humans aren’t exactly making it easier for them. It’s both inspiring and sad, but I still give it 10/10 and I would recommend and go again!
What’s on your bucket list?
T
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