Turtle Watching Tourism

The importance and value of sea turtles as tourist attractions and as a component of the tourism product of many destinations around the world is increasing as the industry seeks to enrich the traditional “sun, sea, and sand” experience, as the geographical reach of tourism extends into regions that involve more encounters with wildlife, natural areas, and local people, and as tourism conceptually expands such as with “Eco tourism” and “community based tourism”  to encompass the direct involvement of local communities and generation of benefits both to the environment and to grassroots economies.

With this increasing demand for turtle experiences comes the need to develop and disseminate principles, standards, and operational models so as to ensure that, at a minimum, turtle-oriented tourism ventures do not adversely impact sea turtles, their populations, or their habitats and, at best, actively contribute to meeting both their conservation needs and those of local communities. 

 A growing interest is manifest in the field of turtles everywhere in the world. While an infinitesimal minority of carnivorous being are bent on destroying these disappearing breed of marine turtles for their flesh and shell, a preponderant majority of peace in many countries are keen to protest the turtle and provide them sanctuaries.
 

Marine turtles were roaming the oceans for about 190 million years. Among the many different variety of this species only eight of these ancient reptiles are found living today.
Of the seven Sri Lanka is famous for five kinds of turtles who regularly visit the sandy beaches to nest in Sri Lanka's South Western and South Eastern beaches from Induruwa to Yala and Kandakuliya in the Puttalam district.
Along the South Western coast turtles rest in Induruwa, Kosgoda, Akurala, Mavela, Rekava and Kahanda Modera. In the South Eastern beach from Usangoda, Ambalantota, Bundala upto Yala the turtles are found.

 "The following five different species visit Sri Lanka beaches to nest"
 

• Induruwa: Green Turtle, Olive Ridley Turtle and Leatherback Turtle;
• Kosgoda: Loger head Turtle, Hawlesbill Turtle and the three species found in Induruwa;
• Akurala: Green Turtle;
• Mavela: Green Turtle and Leatherback Turtle;
• Kahandamodara: Unknown species of Turtles visit the area.
• Usangoda: Leatherback Turtle.
• Ambalantota: Green Turtle and Leatherback Turtle;
• Bundala: Green Turtle, Olive Ridley Turtle, Leatherback Turtle, Loggerhead Turtle and Hawksbill Turtle;
• Yala: Green Turtle, Leatherback Turtle and Olive Ridley Turtle.
• Kandakuliya: In this area Jayasekera said thousands of Olive Ridley Turtles are found every year. So far no nesting has been found.

Five out of the seven species of sea Turtles come ashore to nest in Sri Lanka , making it an ideal country to go Turtle Watching. Turtles are very nervous when they are looking for a place to nest and can therefore be easily scared.

The Turtle can only be approached when she starts laying the eggs because by then she is engaged in a very mechanical, almost trance-like behavior and it is unlikely for her to be frightened by spectators.

This activity involves some waiting and some walking on the beach because as with all of nature, it is the Turtle that sets the time and place of the event! The whole process of a nesting Turtle can take up to 3 hours and can include ‘false crawls' (non-nesting emergence). Of course there is no guarantee that the Turtles come to nest every night, but sitting on a deserted beach under the open starry sky in Sri Lanka is an incredible experience in itself.

Watching Turtles Come Ashore At Night 

Turtles are very nervous when they are looking for a place to nest and can therefore be
easily scared. The turtle can only be approached when she starts laying the eggs
because by then she is engaged in a very mechanical, almost trance-like behavior and it
is unlikely for her to be frightened by spectators.
This activity involves some waiting and some walking on the beach because as with all of nature, it is the turtle(not us) that sets the time and place of the event! The whole process of a nesting turtle can take up to 3 hours and can include ‘false crawls’ (non-nesting emergence). Of course there is no guarantee that the turtles come to nest every night, but sitting on a deserted beach under the open starry sky is an incredible experience in itself.

More About Turtle Nesting 

 Turtles mate at sea. Hatch lings in the same nest may have different fathers, as each
female mates with several males, which gives the species a degree of genetic advantage.
Each mature female will try to return to the "rookery", or nesting beach, where she
hatched. There she will lay five or six batches of eggs at fortnightly intervals, averaging a
hundred and twenty eggs per batch, on alternate years. Six or seven hundred eggs every
two years might sound excessive, but few will survive to become adult turtles. The mother
covers her eggs with sand, rests for an hour and a half, and then laboriously drags her
body back down the beach to swim away. From that moment, she abandons them to the
dispassionate care of Mother Nature. Predators abound. Dogs dig and gorge on eggs.
Lizards burrow below the sand for them. Men mark the turtles' tracks and sell the eggs at
market as a delicacy. Some eggs are infertile; some fail to hatch.

Hatch lings emerging after the sixty-day gestation period 'float' to the top of the nest, rather
than digging their way up. As the turtles move, their struggle to emerge from their shells
causes sand to fall through the egg-pile: the turtles rise to the top. Sand temperature is
significant in the hatching process. Genders determined by temperature: below 29
degrees, turtles will become male, above 29 degrees they will be female. Most hatch lings
stay an inch or two below the surface of the sand until the temperature drops at night