Leatherback Sea Turtles of Puerto Rico

Nature is amazing, it’s all around us, but how many of us really take time to see and enjoy it?

Sometimes it takes one of nature’s miracles to jolt us into really seeing just what is out there. Some folks on a San Juan beach this month were lucky enough to witness one of nature’s awesomeness at work; when dozens of baby leatherback turtles hatched and began their long and perilous journey of life.

The beaches of Puerto Rico, particularly the north coast and the islands of Vieques and Culebra are prime nesting grounds for these endangered sea turtles.

Female turtles return to the beaches of Puerto Rico around May of each year and make the transition to land in order to lay their eggs in the sand. Once all the eggs have been laid they head back to the sea, leaving their young to fend for themselves.

The following photo and video shows one of the female leatherback turtles heading back to the sea after laying her eggs on a beach on Culebra Island. As you can see, these leatherback turtles are huge.

The photo and video were taken by Mark Hayward of the Palmetto Guest House on Culebra Ranked #1 B&B on Culebra by Tripadvisor

Thanks to local groups and government environmental officials the nesting grounds are protected as much as possible, giving the next generation of leatherbacks the best possible start to life.

After 2 months incubating in the heat of Puerto Rico, it’s time for the baby turtles to hatch and return to the sea. The video below shows the mass exodus of the sea turtle nest as the baby turtles make their way to the open waters of the Atlantic Ocean

To date I have not been as fortunate as the locals and visitors in the above video to see this amazing event take place, but just seeing it on video makes me realize there is so much to enjoy around us, we just need to open our eyes more.

If you have been lucky enough to see a female leatherback laying its eggs or the hatching of dozens of baby leatherbacks; why not share your experience in the comments below.