On a crowded sunday on Eagle beach Aruba, just before sunset, a group of 67 Leatherback Sea Turtle hatchlings breaks free from the nest in front of Le Dome.
The emergence of a turtle nest is surprising: all at once the entire group wells up, it looks like a fountain. Within half an hour all tiny hatchlings have gone. They swim just beneath the surface of the sea, because they have to breathe regularly. As fast as they can they swim away from the coast to the open ocean, where are less predators (fishes, birds) that will eat them.
Just 1 out of 1000 hatchlings will reach maturity and if that one happens to be a female, she will return to the beach where she herself was born to lay her eggs. The first time will be after 20 – 25 years. (That long it takes for a Leatherback Sea Turtle to reach maturity!
A lot of pictures were taken, light conditions were excellent! If hatching takes place at twilight or after sunset, at night, please do not use any lights and absolutely NO FLASH photography. Hatchlings are disoriented by artificial lights and will not find the sea anymore.
Do not touch the hatchlings. They have to make their own way to the sea in order to remember the location of their native beach at adulthood.
