The first time we spotted a sea turtle from aboard Freeranger was on the passage along the Baja California Mexico coast from Bahía Santa Maria to Cabo San Lucas.
We were under full sail, propelled only by wind and had been marvelling the sheer volume of marine life around us. We had humpbacks off our port side now, dolphins in all directions, barking sea lions surfing the waves alongside and birds - magnificent frigates and pelicans - all around.
Then the first of five sea turtles cruised on by to shrieks of delight from the crew.
We’ve got pretty good at identifying whales and dolphin types but the turtles were new for us especially underway!
It was sobering to learn that all five species of sea turtles in Baja California, Mexico are endangered: Hawksbill, Loggerhead, Leatherback, Green Turtle, and Olive Ridley so we quickly went about finding a citizen science project we can contribute to.
Upwell is an organisation dedicated to sea turtle conservation and they have a great citizen science Turtle Spotter project in the eastern Pacific.
We’ve added it the citizen science directory here!
Good luck if you spot one and can identify it (harder than we thought as they’re so fast!!) - uploading your sightings to their project helps researchers understand changes in populations, movements, foraging locations and habitat conditions
It involves using iNaturalist app and our kids are enthusiastic about any chance for permission to get near the iPad so it makes a fun family activity spotting and reporting.
Here’s a great sea turtle spotter guide to see who is who!
Sea turtles migrate thousands of miles each year, and some species can travel over 10,000 miles. Environmental cues like water temperature and daylight length influence the timing and routes of their migration.
Turtle season in Baja California is from late August to early December, when the turtles return to lay their eggs on the beaches where they were born. However, turtle releases are becoming more rare due to threats from humans, including: Poaching, Becoming by-catch in unsustainable fishing practices, Coastal development, and Ocean pollution.
We hope to take part in some hatchling releases in the next few weeks so watch this space!
Cover picture by Wexor Tmg
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