Hip-Hip Hooray it’s May!
Ahhh May…one of my favourite months of the year, when spring flowers bloom and trees blossom, and us moms get pampered on Mother’s Day. (Then after ONE day of bliss, we’re back to glumly filling the dishwasher…)
In May, a wondrous event of nature takes place on the Caribbean coast of Mexico. Endangered sea turtles (loggerhead & green turtles) journey from long distances to nest on the soft sandy beaches of Akumal from May to October. Mexico is famous for being the sea turtle capital of the world as literally every sea turtle species on earth nests on Mexico’s beaches, save one that is only found in Australia. (If you’ve read my past blogs, you’ll know I have great affinity for turtles who’ve been around for over 130 millions years and rubbed elbows with dinosaurs (and outlived them.) And who can forget “Crush”, the insightful hippie turtle from “Finding Nemo” who had me at “Dude”!)
Oops, back to turtles! Akumal (Mayan for “place of the turtle”) is a delightful small beachside town that attracts many tourists from around the world, but none so welcomed as the sea turtle. After mating at sea, the female swims thousands of miles to return to the soft sand beaches of Akumal shore where she hatched as a baby, to dig a nest to lay her eggs which take about 60 days to hatch. Each female lays between 100-140 eggs, and once hatched, the little hatchlings scurry their way into the sea where they grow up and flourish and continue the cycle of life!
However, while the number of eggs laid seem so abundant, sadly few of these turtle offspring will survive, due to predators both on the shore and in the water. Everything from footprints to driftwood and crabs to birds are obstacles. Hatchlings use cues to find the ocean including the slope of the beach, the white crests of the waves, and the natural light of the ocean horizon. Artificial beachfront lighting can be a major problem because it attracts these tiny creatures inland away from the water.
I am thrilled to report that recently, Mexico passed laws offering a whole slate of new protections for sea turtle nesting grounds in the country. The new regulations extend habitat protections to “all” sea turtle nesting sites.
Combine this new law with the efforts of a non-profit conservation group called Centro Ecológico Akumal (CEA) which runs a government program for protection, conservation, research and management of sea turtles since 1993. These people do amazing work; during turtle season, CEA staff and volunteers patrol the beaches nightly to identify and protect nesting females, nests, and hatchlings.
Akumal is a tranquil tropical paradise to visit, but what makes it even more attractive is the fierce dedication the community has towards protecting sea turtles; the gentle ambassadors of the ocean who have chosen Akumal as their place to create new life. This adds to the charm and appeal of this small seaside village which our family can’t wait to visit again this summer.
Long live the turtle!
“PLAYA Gal” (a very satisfied client working to promote Playa Beach Getaways!) 
salgal@playabeachcondo.com ~~~ PS Catch us on Facebook & Pinterest