January 23, 2018. Playa Royale, Mexico. The Turtles.

I large green turtle came onto the beach late this afternoon.  The purpose was to deposit  her  multiple eggs and bury them in the sand, right at the top part of the beach.  After depositing the eggs and covering all the eggs with sand, the Mother returns to the sea, never to return until the next year, where she will deposit the eggs at the same place.  It is quite a remarkable scene.  Ted and Kathy were having a drink at the sports bar and got to see the whole scene.  A small crowd gathered to enjoy the activity.

A group in town collects the eggs and keeps  the eggs in an incubator, returning them after 45 days, when they monitor the activity.  Volunteers then come and make sure the little newly hatched turtles get to the sea.  They always hatch on a full moon so the babies can follow the light down to the sea.  The problem with our area has to do with the lights.  The babies head to light, which is often toward the road not the sea.  So the volunteers try to be sure all the baby turtles get into the sea.  The whole operation is impressive.

After the eggs were deposited, a group continued to celebrate the arrival of the eggs.  I can still hear them singing and enjoying themselves.  It was the night the turtle eggs came to Playa Royale.