Nature Encounter at Sea Turtle Camp

The Olive Ridley turtle is the smallest and most abundant of the 7 marine turtles and is aptly named due to the olive-green color of its shell. During this intimate small-group tour you might even see a mother turtle coming ashore to lay her eggs while participating in a hatchling release.

Puerto Vallarta, one of the most popular Mexican beach resort areas, has been working to protect the local environment by supporting local sea turtle protection programs for almost forty years.

The excitement begins when you reach the meeting location and attend a lecture on these magnificent sea turtles. Olive Ridley turtles, or Golfinas, grow up to 2 feet in length and are best known for their synchronized nesting in mass numbers, returning to the same beach where they were hatched to lay their eggs.

Head to Banderas Bay for shore patrol, quietly combing the coast and watching the sea for signs of a mother turtle. For a few months each year, typically between July and December, Olive Ridley sea turtles come on shore to lay their eggs in the sand. If you're lucky enough to be there when one appears (as the turtles do not have a set time or place to give birth), you can witness the miracle yourself. The turtle will scoop the sand with her flippers and will then deposit her eggs before returning to the water.

Studies show that for every thousand baby turtle hatchlings only one will make it into reproductive adulthood. To complicate matters even more, sea turtles reach their reproductive maturity between 8 and 12 years of age, so they continue to face low survival rates from the day they enter their ocean home. As the sun sets, you will help release baby turtle hatchlings and assist them into the ocean with a dedicated team of Mexican biologists working to increase the survival rate of the endangered turtles. Due to regulations you are not able to touch the baby turtles directly, but will assist them into the ocean from a plastic container.

This family-friendly tour is a perfect way to get a close look at the conservation efforts in Puerto Vallarta. Book now for your turn to release baby hatchlings into the ocean.