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Exciting news from the Prodivers team at Hurawalhi Maldives – they have had the first turtle nesting on the beach since the resort opened.

Two early-riser guests witnessed the green sea turtle covering her nest with sand at 7.15 am on Halloween, 31st October 2018, and she returned to the sea at around 8 am. We think she had been hard at work digging the nest, laying her eggs and covering them for at least 3 hours before she was found and was very tired when she finally went back to the water. Green sea turtles lay an average of 100-110 eggs per nest but this one laid 134! For every 1000 hatchlings, just one will survive long enough to reach maturity and be able to reproduce, so every baby turtle counts. Incubation takes between 50 and 70 days and the nest will start to be checked at 50 days – 20th December – for any signs of hatching. The eggs usually hatch at night as they are better protected from predators then; at nightfall, the sand temperature drops, usually triggering the hatching process.

Turtles can be identified using the unique markings on their face but unfortunately, on the nesting female, the ID wasn’t clear enough to be sure that she is a previously unidentified turtle. If she is seen again and an ID can be confirmed, she will be adopted by Hurawalhi and named ‘Val’.

If you’d like to adopt a turtle please visit the Olive Ridley Project website for more information – a great Christmas gift idea for turtle lovers!

Will there be Christmas or New Year hatchlings….stay tuned for the latest news!