Sea Turtle Season in Puerto Vallarta

As the summer comes to Puerto Vallarta so do many different species of Sea Turtle. These gentle reptiles grace this Mexican shore throughout the year as they come home, so to speak, to the place of their birth to start the cycle anew. From July to December it is fairly common to see these gorgeous creatures waddling about the beaches at night, although it is possible to see them anytime of the year.

Sea Turtle Season in Puerto Vallarta

During the turtles’ visits to the shore, they spend hours digging the perfect nests for their eggs, and will only do so once conditions are perfect. Due to poaching, predation and coastal development, however, their lives are getting harder! When the babies hatch they are adorable, but also highly vulnerable and statistic reckon that only one in one thousand will make it to full maturity. This is partly due to the nature of the animal; once the eggs are laid and buried the adult turtles return to the sea and leave their offspring to fend for themselves, but also due to attack by air, sea and land predators. As well as the odd human who fancies a new pet!

Trying to combat the low survival rate for sea turtles in Puerto Vallarta, the communities of Bandera Bay have, for the last thirty years, fought to conserve the habitats of these animals. Local restaurants, tour agencies and hotels have been working with the people of Puerto Vallarta in order to save the Olive Ridley Sea Turtle as well as many other endangered species. They’ve done so by setting up protected conservation camps around the city.

The idea is to protect the turtles from predators, pollution and coastal development while educating local and visiting humans as to their existence and plight. With that In mind there are even hatching events, held by those conservationists who gather and protect turtle eggs, where you can witness the joy of the baby turtles birth and be on hand to help them on their way. Research has shown that the presence of human spectators wards off some of the turtles natural predators and keeps poachers at bay thereby giving the turtles the best starting chance. Garza Blanca resort forms part of this movement to protect the turtles and has regular turtle release events throughout the summer months.

Between July and December there are quite a few distinct programs that you can get involved with as a Puerto Vallarta resident, should you wish, that range from fostering and releasing baby sea turtles to rehabilitating injured adults. Getting involved in this is not only a great way to make vacation memories (little can compete with seeing these intrepid little survivors scrambled for the surf), but you’ll also be helping to conserve one of Mexico’s most loved sea creatures.