The Great Turtle Caper

The Great Turtle Caper
It was Christmas time again which meant that Sierra would be coming to spend time with us. I was excited because there was no looming crisis like last year when she came down and we had no engine and were stranded in Cabo. This year we were where we said we would be and the boat was up and running and in addition, she was bringing her fiancée. We were going to make some memories. I had a Harry Potter themed Christmas meal planned, complete with decorations and I had made a wand that incorporated the magic of the Sea of Cortez with a Harry Potter twist. What else could I add to the visit? I really wanted to participate in one of the Turtle release events. I had looked into several. Many of the resorts offer them for a very steep price. I was looking for a little more genuine experience rather than the “Disney” experience. With a little sleuthing I was able to track down Campamento Tortuguero Boca de Tomates, which seemed to be a rescue / conservation group that focused more on the turtles and less on making money off the Gringos. As it turned out this group truly is a rescue organization. This was the experience I was hoping to find. The problem though was their schedule is completely driven by mother nature. They do releases when eggs hatch and they have no programs when there are no hatchlings….makes sense but also makes planning a little more challenging. They post on Facebook when they have baby turtles to release. They try to post as soon as they can but again Mother Nature keeps to her own schedule and we were getting to the end of the season so days would go by with no babies to release. It was going to be tricky to get this worked into their visit.
Sierra and Cam had arrived and were staying in Puerta Vallarta which was over an hour away from us by bus. They were going to stay in Puerta Vallarta for a few days for the resort experience before spending the end of their visit on the boat. We went to Puerta Vallarta and spent some time with them exploring the area and showing them how to use the bus system. On another day we all went to Sayulito to putter around there. The days were going by and no message from the Turtle Camp. Sierra and Cam came to La Cruz to spend the day exploring a town with more of a village feel. We were sitting down to a late lunch. I had Wifi so I checked Facebook and saw the message that there were babies to be released at 6:15. Yikes…we didn’t have much time. A quick conference and we decided to try to make the release as we didn’t know when or if there would be another one. We quickly foraged through our meal and began the trek towards the bus stop. A local noticed our frenzied pace and asked us what was up? When we told him, he offered to get us a little head start. He was heading to Bucerias which is a small town about half-way to the Turtle Camp. We piled into the bed of his truck and he raced us to Bucerias weaving in and out of traffic and bouncing over the speed bumps. He has clearly lived in the area for awhile and has taken lessons from the bus drivers. He took us through town and dropped us near the last bus stop on the far side of Bucerias. We were half-way there and it was close to 5, it was going to be close. We grabbed a bus and I engaged my Google Maps. I had no idea how to get to this place on the beach (note to self, you should research these things ahead of time not try to figure it out on the fly). All I knew is that there was “a bit” of a walk. The bus driver didn’t know where I needed to get off the bus….oy vei. We bounced along in the bus, my Google maps showed that we were getting closer. I pressed the button, the driver came to a stop and we stumbled off the bus. It is a little before 6 and Google maps says we have about a mile and a half of walking to do. The men were just about done with the shenanigans but Sierra and I were more determined than ever. We began walking down this dirt road at a brisk pace, again the men were not impressed and became less so as buildings faded from view and the area took on a bit of a sketchy feel. It was 6:05 and we were still over a mile away from our destination. Sierra and I are feeling a bit desperate, the men are becoming disillusioned and wanted to turn around but Sierra is the eternal optimist and we continue on our quest. We noticed a car coming up from behind us headed our way. As it passed us we noticed it was a taxi and even though there were passengers already in it, we flag it down any way and he stops (only in Mexico). We told him where we were headed and he knew the place. The two passengers are ladies, tourists from France and are taken in by our story and offered to help us out. The driver makes room for us even though four more adult bodies clearly exceed his load limit. He drives as quickly as he can racing past the ladies stop…he will drop them off on the way back. About this time, I become aware of a pungent odor. OMG that is body odor, a quick sniff, not me. Cam is next to me and begins to turn a little green which should indicate how bad it was since he is an ex-marine who has done tours in the desert. I thought the taxi was a God send but it was getting more than a little gamey in there. The driver screeches to a halt in the parking lot of a Palapa. He directed us to go through the restaurant, turn left on the beach and walk another 150 feet. I am gasping for fresh air and rummaging through my purse for some pesos. There’s no time the ladies shout, we got you covered, enjoy the turtles. It was about 6:20 by this time. We kick off our shoes, run to the beach and turn left….there is nothing but beach as far as the eyes can see. Sierra and I start running and we see a group of people way down the beach. The driver’s 150 feet was closer to 1500 meters but alas there was a light at the end of the tunnel. We reached the turtle camp sweating profusely and breathing heavily and to our surprise the turtles had not been released yet. I was gasping for air as my body is not made for running in sand. The educational part of the program was just coming to an end and we arrived in time to be handed a baby turtle in a cup (kind of like a” cup of dirt” – just for you Sierra a Brian Regan reference). The sun was beginning to set and we were given our instructions on how the release happens. There are spotters on the beach looking for predators and Frigates. When the sky was clear we were given the signal and we released our turtles. Some scramble towards the water, others kind of meander around and get tumbled and tossed in the waves and others just sit there and wait for the water to get to them. Between the four of us, we had one of each. We sat there behind our turtle hatchlings cheering for them until the waves swallowed them up and just like that, they were gone. It was such a beautiful moment to be standing there in the setting sun with people I loved participating in this circle of life. For me it was so worth the mad dash, it made the moment all the more special because of all the craziness that brought us to that moment. And then it was gone and now just a memory.
It is amazing that any turtles survive. The miles and miles of sandy beaches that previously served as a nursery for tens of thousands of baby turtles now serve as playgrounds for the well to do. The female turtles remain driven to come to these beaches even though most of their nests won’t make it more than a day or two. Most of the nests are dug up by humans or their dogs. Resorts collect the eggs and then charge for the Disney experience. There are frequent reports of baby turtles found in the garbage of the resorts because people don’t release them, they die from the trauma of too much handling, or no one pays for the privilege so they die before they can be released. The turtle camp that we went to is a true conservation and rescue group. They function only on donations and volunteers. They are tireless in finding these turtle nests in unprotected areas. They meticulously measure the temperature and depth of the sand as they remove each egg. The eggs are then taken to their sanctuary where they are reburied to the same standards that the mother laid the eggs. In the sanctuary the eggs are protected from people and predators and then when they hatch, the baby turtles are released with minimal predation to give them the greatest chance of survival. I struggle with donations as it seems like for so many organizations most of the money goes into the administration and very little actually goes to the cause. Here in Mexico, I have found 3 causes where the donations actually go towards the cause and do not line the pocket of some administrator sitting in a plush office somewhere. Please check out each of these groups and if you feel so inclined to donate, know that most if not all of your donation will go towards the cause. We have met people from each of these organizations and they are doing amazing things with little money but lots of their time and effort.
Campamento Tortugero Boca de Tomates – for now they only have a Facebook page but they are very good about responding to messages on Messenger. They can tell you how to donate or I know of some locals that live full time in the area and could see that your donation gets to the right place.
Ecobac – https://ecobac.org This organization focuses on research, protection, and conservation of natural resources in Mexico.
Raben – https://rabenmexico.org This organization deals specifically with rescuing whales entangled in fishing nets. The sad story about the whales they rescue is that most of the nets they cut away from the whales come from Alaska and Canada which means these whales have swam for thousands of miles dragging these nets.
Any dollar you care to donate will go directly to the end source and will make a difference.
End with a discussion on conservation efforts and links to the whale rescue and turtle rescue operations in Banderas Bay