Turtle Hatchery

Isla Los Brasiles is an island that constantly receives turtles to lay their eggs, for this reason it is also an area of high poacher traffic. Surfing Turtle Lodge is dedicated to help the sea turtle population re-emerge on Isla Los Brasiles and elsewhere. On occasions, guests are helped by our staff or volunteers to safely watch sea turtles lay eggs, or watch baby turtles hatch and help them to the ocean. Through our efforts of eco-tourism we wish to achieve a balance between providing guests with an unforgettable experience while at the same time helping the sea turtle population.
For more images of our hatchery click here.

(Please note: Sea turtles do not lay eggs, or hatch on a daily basis. Also, we do not keep the sea turtles on site for extended periods, they are released to the ocean as soon and safely as possible)

Page content:
Turtle Project.
Night/Day watch.
The Turtles that nest on our beach.
How to watch the turtles.

Turtle Project

Our turtle conservation project stretches the length of Isla Los Brasiles. An island which has a virtually deserted coastline of approximately 7 kilometers. A Sea Turtle Hatchery has been built on our property, predominantly supported from profits of Surfing Turtle Lodge and volunteer work. We are working with the local population as well as environmental bodies to help the endangered sea turtles. Our volunteers range from tourists to students, as well as staff. Through this we hope to provide a small haven for the sea turtles and develop awareness for the locals, as well as the tourists that come visit us.

Night/Day watch

The Lodge organizes night walks and early morning walks to look for turtles that lay their eggs, and through a humane process, retrieve the turtle eggs and relocate them to our turtle hatchery, where the eggs are under our careful care and protection.

Night walks

Volunteers do night walks to look for sea turtles with the help of hostel guests. This ensures that we can give some level of protection to the sea turtles as well as enjoy the beauty of a birth giving female sea turtle. With care we move the eggs to our protected turtle hatchery. Where the eggs can be under a watchful eye until they hatch and make their journey to the ocean.

Morning walks

Right before sunrise, around 4 or 5 in the morning volunteers have a morning walk along the sea shore, to look for sea turtles and/or tracks of a turtle nest. The turtle eggs will then be carefully transported to the turtle hatchery, a short distance away.

The Turtles that nest on our beaches

The Olive Ridley

The Olive Ridley is one of the smallest sea turtles, with an adult shell length averaging 60 to 70 cm. The turtle’s name comes from it’s often green-olive colour. The shell is characterized by its distinctive heart-shape. Olive Ridleys have a medium–sized, broad head that appears triangular in planar view.

Olive Ridleys generally begin to group together near nesting beaches approximately two months before nesting season, although this may vary throughout its range. In Pacific Nicaragua, nesting occurs throughout the year with peak nesting events occurring between September and December.

The Olive Ridley is classified as a Vulnerable species according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature And Natural Resources (IUCN), and is listed in Appendix I of CITES. These listings were largely responsible for halting the large scale commercial exploitation and trade of Olive Ridley skins.

The Leatherback:

The leatherback sea turtle (Tortuga Tora) is the largest living sea turtle in the world and the fourth largest modern reptile behind three crocodilians. It can easily be differentiated from other modern sea turtles by its lack of a bony shell. Instead, its carapace is covered by skin and oily flesh.

Like all sea turtles, leatherbacks start as hatchlings climbing out of the sands of their nesting beaches. Birds, crustaceans, other reptiles, and people prey on hatchlings before the new turtles reach the water. While other sea turtle species almost-always return to their hatching beach, leatherbacks may choose another beach within the region. Leatherbacks nest year round, however, nesting usually occurs from Febuary to July. The eggs hatch in about sixty to seventy days.

Leatherback turtles have existed in some form since the first true sea turtles evolved over 110 million years ago. Leatherback turtles have the most hydrodynamic body design of any other sea turtle, with a large, teardrop shaped body. Leatherback’s front flippers can grow up to 2.7 meters (9 ft) in large specimens, the largest flippers (even in comparison to its body) of any sea turtle. Adults average 1–2 metres (3.3–6.6 ft) long and weigh 250 to 700 kilograms (550 to 1,500 lb).[4] The largest ever found however was over 3 meters (10 ft) from head to tail and weighed 916 kilograms (2,019 lb). That specimen was found on a beach on the west coast of Wales.

The leatherback turtle is a species with a cosmopolitan global range. Of all the extant sea turtle species, D. coriacea has the widest distribution, reaching as far north as Alaska and Norway and as far south as the Cape of Good Hope in Africa and the southernmost tip of New Zealand.[4] The leatherback is found in all tropical andsubtropical oceans, and its range extends well into the Arctic Circle. Leatherback turtles can be found primarily in the open ocean. Scientists tracked a leatherback turtle that swam from Indonesia to the U.S. in an epic 20,000 kilometers (12,427 mi) foraging journey over a period of 647 days.

The Hawksbill Turtle

The hawksbill turtle is a critically endangered sea turtle, and is very rare to spot. It is easily distinguished from other sea turtles by its sharp, curving beak with and the saw-like appearance of its shell margins. Hawksbill shells slightly change colors, depending on water temperature. While this turtle lives part of its life in the open ocean, it spends more time in shallow lagoons and coral reefs. Human fishing practices has brought this species near extinction.

Mating season for the hawksbill usually spans April to November. The baby turtles, usually weighing less than 24 grams, and hatch at night around two months after the mother laid the eggs. They instinctively walk into the sea, attracted by the reflection of the moon on the water.

The World Conservation Union classifies the Hawksbill as critically endangered. Hawksbill shells are the primary source of tortoise shell material, used for decorative purposes. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species outlaws the capture and trade of hawksbill turtles and products derived from them.

How to watch the Turtles

When watching turtles, please take the following guidelines into consideration to ensure that the turtles can safely come to the beach and lay their eggs:

Always stay at a distance of at least 3 meters, and never get in front of the turtle – always watch the turtle from behind.

Remain very quiet and do not move around when the turtle is laying her eggs. Instead, sit down and relax while enjoying this natural miracle.

Once the turtle finishes laying her eggs, immediately step away to create space for her to return to the ocean.

Do not form a circle around the turtle; this can be very stressing for the turtle.

Visiting at night? Do not shine light on the turtle because this can cause her to stop laying eggs and return to the ocean.

Taking pictures and especially using flash or other unnatural light is restricted and controlled by the guides. The only moment to take pictures is when the turtle has started to lay eggs and the guide indicates that pictures can be taken.

If there are baby-turtles getting out of their nest, do not touch them. Bacteria, repellent, or any food rests can harm the hatchlings. If it is absolutely necessary to pick them up, be sure to wash your hands carefully. If a hatchling is trapped just put it back on track, do not bring the turtle all the way to the ocean.

Garbage does not form part of the natural environment. Do not throw it on the beach.

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