Silence falls with the last glimmers of daylight, settling like a weight over the shoreline of Playa Aventuras DIF. The dark canvas sways to the rhythm of the Caribbean Sea, where dozens of sea turtles emerge majestically each night with a single mission: to safeguard their precious eggs on land.
As they make their way onto the beach, the other protagonists of the night also arrive. Their footsteps and red lights mark the path. Fundación eco-bahia descends onto the completely deserted beach to accompany the turtles during the nesting process and assist with egg-laying, as well as to monitor the arrival of specimens to the shore.
Playa Aventuras DIF is a natural sanctuary where their story begins and is reborn. This location is also a unique enclave where the highest number of Loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) nesting events in the country are recorded each year. Last year alone, Fundación eco-bahia protected 1,678 nests, achieved 96% sighting success, and released more than 142,947 hatchlings into the sea.
The journey back home
Sea turtles are born with their own built-in GPS. Natal philopatry is the observed behavior by which a female turtle returns to the beach where she was born. A hatchling born today may return 14 or 15 years later to lay its own eggs.
Arrival
They emerge silently onto land only to lay their eggs. During each nesting process, they lay between 80 and 120 eggs, which they cover to form a natural nest in the sand.
Monitoring
The experts of Fundación eco-bahia are guardians of the beach. They live at night and sleep during the day, reversing their natural cycle in order to accompany the turtles. They locate them, record their arrival, and document their condition.
Nest protection
We mark nests so they are respected and protected until the hatchlings emerge naturally. If necessary, they are relocated to a protected enclosure.
Hatching
Weeks later, the sand begins to move. The hatchlings emerge together—tiny yet full of strength. The team accompanies them on their first journey toward the sea, increasing their chances of survival in a world full of threats.
Every turtle that reaches the sea does so because someone cares for it and its environment. Become a guardian of the beach as well.
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