Turtles in Turkey

A sea turtle calmly gliding into view through the clear blue Mediterranean water is an awe-inspiring sight.

A turtle in the distance

I recently went diving with Scuba Turtle Diving School in Incekum in southern Turkey. They are situated within the Pegasos Club Hotel, right on a beach that turtles come to nest on every year. The eggs buried in the sand are carefully protected. The area of the beach where turtle eggs are laid is closed from use as long as the eggs are there.

There are two species of turtles that live in the Mediterranean, the green turtle and the loggerhead. They are both listed as endangered species. The subpopulation of green turtles in the Mediterranean is listed as critically endangered. Tourists crowding the sandy beaches where they lay their eggs, pollution of the water, and getting hit by jet skis and leisure boats are just some of the risks that tourism pose on these beautiful creatures.

There have been conservation programs to protect turtles in Turkey for the last two decades. They aim to minimize the impacts of mass tourism on turtles. One way of doing this is by protecting the beaches that they come to to lay their eggs.

The eggs at the beach are carefully protected and monitored round the clock, and it is possible for the guests of the hotel to witness the miracle of birth first hand when the eggs hatch, and watch the baby turtles make their way into the Mediterranean waves for the first time.