Last night at about 6:00PM about 25 Significant Others (wives, Girlfriends, fiancés, etc) Loaded up in a big bus and drove about two hours to the northern tip of Grenada! You can see in the picture below we are in Point Salines thats where the school is and we went all the way to Levera Beach to watch the turtles. A few fun facts before my pictures!
Leather Back Turtles are the largest turtles and the the largest living reptile in the world. The turtles can get up to 6.5-7 feet long and about 2,000 lbs!!!! The females lay clutches of about 100 eggs several times during the nesting period.
The leather back turtles are Critically endangered and there was a research team Ocean Spirits that stay throughout the entire nesting period. They sleep on the beach and are up from sun down to sun up watching for turtles and assisting the turtles when they get to shore. They track and tag all of the turtles that come to Grenada and a lot of times the Moms go back to the same place they were born to go lay their eggs. Out of about 1000 eggs about 1 will make it to adult hood. The mom we saw has been nesting on this beach for the last 6 years.
It was an amazing experience, we sat on the beach for about 30 min until we got the call that a mom was ready and started to dig! They wait to allow people to come up until they are fully committed so we don't disturb them. There are no flashes aloud and you have to be very quiet. The mom works so hard digging about a 3 to 4 foot hole and then lays about 100 eggs. (last night our momma laid 109 eggs) When we were leaving we got to see two more coming to shore and one just finishing up laying. I seriously was ready to call my husband and let him know I was moving to levera beach for the rest of the season.
It was that incredible, if anyone has the opportunity PLEASE go watch! It is a lot of waiting and for us about a 2 hour drive but one of the most amazing experiences in my life!!! Now to pictures... Here she is!
Here she is digging a 3 to 4 ft hole...A lot of work..
The lady in the picture is part of the research team and is counting the eggs and catching them as they are laid.
There are the eggs!
We were allowed to touch her and it was amazing!
I wanted to start to cry as I was sitting on this amazingly beautiful beach. I have had a once in a life time opportunity to live in this beautiful country and experience things I would never get to do. Just such a wonderful experience I will never forget...
