A Night on Turtle Island

Ever wanted the thrill of seeing turtles climb on to the beach and lay their eggs?  It’s truly one of the most amazing experiences in nature and will give you memories you’ll never forget.  You can do it on the Island of Sandakan…..

Three islands form part of the Turtle Island Project which aims to save Turtles from pollution and poaching.   The island of Sandakan has chalets for about 60 people. The accommodation is basic, but that’s probably not why you’re there really.  Rooms are certainly better than you’d expect – they’ve all got towels, air conditioning and en-suite bathrooms but with only a cold water shower.   The food is basic, but hearty and well cooked.

Nature in the Raw

It takes an hour by speed boat to get to the island, and on the way you can stop for a very nice lunch before arriving on ‘Turtle Island’ in the afternoon.   Sandakan is a small island that you can walk round in about 45 minutes. There’s not much in the way of facilities really – an old football pitch and volleyball court – but the coral sandy beach is fabulous, although there are no sun loungers – only mats and plenty of sand flies to contend with.  Snorkelling off the beach is also very good with lots of fish and corals to see and hire of the required gear is very reasonable.

Turtle Time

After dinner you begin to see some turtle action.  They show a brief video about the Turtles and the project and after you’ve sat on the beach into the evening one of the guides will call ‘turtle time’ and it’s off down the beach to see a mother turtle laying her eggs.  Depending on the time of night (or it could be the wee small hours of the morning) you cannot use flash on your camera, but if you don’t get any decent shots of your own you can buy some really good ones at the little shop.

The Circle of Life

It’s terribly exciting to hear the swish of sand being dug and see a plume of sand rise in the air followed by a thump.  This is a female turtle beginning to make its nest. As you stand and watch, a second green turtle pulls itself ever closer until it starts digging a hole a foot from our feet. The turtle police get us to move. Then we are off on our night excursion. We go to find an adult green turtle that has just finished laying some of its 60 eggs and is beginning to fill in the hole. The warden is measuring it and tagging it. This one has been here twice before.   15 Australians coo around it and ask lots of questions. We got to touch the eggs and the Turtle but increasingly they are getting reluctant to let tourists do that.  If it is offered, be quick to say yes!  The Turtle seems oblivious to it all anyway.

Midwives to Turtles

A ranger collects the eggs for the hatchery. This stops the local monitor lizard population from eating them and we then get to lay the eggs in a mesh tube to protect them.   Then we let some hatchlings loose on the edge of the beach. 30 newborn Turtles are released and race for the sea. Two head off in the wrong direction but are herded up by the Aussies. The warden tells us this increases their chance of survival, but only 2 % of them will survive to come back here again.  That night about 40 turtles came ashore, eggs were laid and hatchlings ran for the sea – the circle of life.

An Experience to Remember

We settle down for a beer at the end of an exciting evening.  “Swish, swish” was the sound of a new green turtle coming to share our beer. She starts digging a hole 10 yards from our feet.  It was a really exciting experience – seeing nature at work up close made you feel almost like David Attenborough.  A night on Turtle Island is definitely a highlight and a real privilege!

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