Treasures of the Sea – Protecting Cyprus’s Sea Turtles

Treasures of the Sea – Protecting Cyprus’s Sea Turtles

Sea turtles – the majestic but elusive creatures I’d been desperate to see for five years. And then last week, I had the most magical experience of my life swimming with a group of sea turtles.

 

This post was going to be about that. I was going to share exactly where I had this experience so that others could have a similar one and feel the same love for these creatures that I have. But word-of-mouth is spreading and so are the stories of utter thoughtlessness. People chasing the turtles. Parents encouraging children to touch them. Spearfishing around them! A peaceful haven now filled with noise and splashing.

 

Cyprus

 

My unease is growing, knowing that I had a part to play in this. I was on a high after what I’d experienced and I shared photos, I told people where to see the turtles. I only told people who I knew would be respectful around them but, nonetheless, I helped the word-of-mouth spread. So I guess I’m writing this post in the hope that it helps the situation in some small way.

 

sea turtle

 

Until Herc was born, I ran our local Turtle Watch group. I was fortunate to be trained by the island’s most eminent marine biologist, Dr Andreas Demetropoulos, who has spent 35 years trying to protect the endangered turtles of Cyprus. I’m no expert but I have picked up a fair bit of turtle knowledge over the years. However, most of what I’m about to write is just common sense. And having a respect for nature.

 

marine life

 

Don’t touch the turtles

 

If you are ever in the privileged position of being close enough to a turtle to touch it, don’t! I know it’s tempting. I was tempted. But just don’t.

 

It’s incredible enough to just see one.

 

The most obvious reason for not touching a turtle is that you could scare them. I saw them in a quiet, protected bay that seemed to attract juvenile turtles. They were perhaps drawn by the relative safety of the bay but also because it was filled with sea grass that green sea turtles feed on. I’ve heard of people swimming down to touch them while they were feeding and chasing them away. You should never do anything that alters a turtle’s behaviour.

 

I only recently discovered another important reason for not touching turtles. Their shell has a mucousy covering that protects them from bacteria and harmful parasites. Touching them can compromise this protective barrier.

 

In Hawaii, touching a turtle is such a serious crime that fines can reach $10,000!

 

Ah, so close! So tempting. But I didn’t touch.

 

Don’t chase the turtles

 

This seems so obvious but I think there can be a lack of awareness around chasing a turtle that is trying to get away from you and respectfully swimming alongside one who is relaxed about you being there. Read their body language. If a turtle swims with its shell angled towards you, that’s a defensive gesture so keep your distance. If it darts away, it doesn’t want to be near you, so don’t pursue it – which may seem obvious, right? But I saw one woman who was so intent on pursuing a fleeing turtle that she literally barrelled straight over the top of me. There was a level of hysteria that was unnerving.

 

Cyprus
I swam right past this young turtle before I spotted it.

 

It was scared of me and fled. I didn’t attempt to pursue it.

 

The juvenile turtles were more fearful, so we just watched from a distance. However, the older turtles were far more relaxed around people. When we approached (slowly and quietly) they just glanced at us and carried on eating. When they needed to surface for air, they did so in a relaxed manner, sometimes swimming towards us on their way to the surface. I quickly saw the difference between a relaxed and a scared turtle.

 

marine life
This majestic adult surfaced for air right in front of me. Not worried in the least.

 

It was one of these magnificent adults that allowed me to swim alongside him. I approached slowly and he didn’t alter his pace, just gracefully gliding through the water, like he was flying. I swam quietly alongside him, watching him surface for air. Occasionally he got very close to me (which was how I was able to get close-up photos) but I didn’t touch him, as much as I wanted to. And then he dived down to eat some sea grass. It was a magical encounter and I silently thanked him for allowing me to share the water with him.

 

sea turtle
This was a male – you can tell by the length of his tail

 

Don’t scare the turtles

 

For the same reasons as above. Splashing, shouting and touching all risk scaring the turtles. If you find yourself in the company of a turtle, be quiet, stop splashing around. It’s important not to do anything that might alter its behaviour or interfere with its feeding.

 

sea turtles
Stopping for a snack

 

Why is this all so important?

 

All living creatures deserve our respect and the sea turtles need extra protection because they are endangered. We get two types in Cyprus, the Loggerhead and the Green. Green turtles are the most endangered. The females return to the shores where they were born in order to lay their eggs. Only 1 in 1000 of the hatchlings will survive to adulthood.

 

sea life
A rescued loggerhead turtle in the hatchery at Lara Bay

 

The main threats to turtles are predation, the fishing industry and mass development of the coastline. Foxes often dig up unprotected nests and eat the eggs. Human activity often compromises the pristine beaches the turtles need to hatch on. Lights from buildings can confuse the hatchlings as they make their way to the sea (they should follow the light of the moon, not artificial human lights). And if they reach the sea, they often perish as bycatch in fishing nets, by ingesting fishing lines or getting caught in them. Or they die after swallowing plastic bags that look like jellyfish.

 

Through the conservation efforts of Dr Andreas and the various Turtle Watch groups, turtle nests have quadrupled in Cyprus since the 1980s.

 

Cyprus
A predated nest – dug up by a fox who ate the eggs

 

Working with the Environment department to rescue an unwell turtle. It was nursed back to health in a rehabilitation centre in Larnaca.

 

What can you do to help?

 

Keep the beaches clean. Take your rubbish home with you. Organise a beach clean. Rubbish on the beach can end up in the sea which can be perilous to marine life. It can also be perilous to hatchlings trying to make their way to the sea.

 

turtle conservation
Our first Turtle Watch beach clean in 2015

 

Volunteer for a Turtle Watch group. They organise beach cleans at the start of the nesting season (April/May). During the season, volunteers take turns walking their designated beach every day, checking for nests. Turtle tracks are usually pretty easy to spot! The nests are then protected with a metal cage to prevent predation of the eggs.

 

sea turtles
The turtle crawls up the beach to dig her nest, lay her eggs, cover up the egg chamber, then returns to the sea.

 

turtle nest
A nest protected by a cage. This prevents predation while still allowing hatchlings to get out.

 

Keep dogs off the beaches – the scent of a dog may cause a female turtle to abort nesting and jettison her eggs into the sea.

 

Don’t use umbrellas or tents on the beach. The umbrella pole or tent pegs could puncture an undiscovered egg chamber causing it to collapse. It was disappointing to see how many people ignored this on Lara beach, one of the island’s most important nesting sites.

 

turtle nesting
Lara beach – spot the countless metal nest cages on this crucial turtle breeding beach. And spot the two umbrellas stuck in the ground, potentially destroying undiscovered nests.

 

Don’t drive on the beach – for the same reason as above.

 

Stay off the beaches at night. Hatchlings use the moon to direct them to the sea. Torchlight, firelight and car lights etc can confuse them, causing them to waste crucial energy walking in the wrong direction.

 

turtle tracks
The most rewarding sight for a Turtle Watch volunteer – finding dozens of hatchling tracks from a protected nest. These were all going in the right direction – to the sea!

 

In truth, most of the people I saw swimming with the turtles were being respectful. Some people genuinely didn’t know they shouldn’t touch them and I hope this post helps with that.

 

For me, swimming with a turtle was one of the most moving and exhilarating experiences of my life. For Goobie too. His turtle encounter has only deepened his passion for marine life. And yet, this amazing memory is laced with guilt. From knowing that, despite being so careful around the turtles, it would have been best for them if I hadn’t been there at all.

 

Cyprus turtles

 

For more information, go to www.seaturtlestatus.org

Written by

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Hi, I'm Julia

I love travelling and have been all over the world with my husband, Matt. Going home always sucked. I wanted more – I wanted to live abroad. When my son Goobie was born, I took a career break from publishing books in London. So, when Matt’s job gave us the opportunity to move to Cyprus, we grabbed it with both hands, ready to embrace everything Cyprus has to offer. Follow us as we explore this amazing island, from the beautiful to the baffling, the exciting to the downright embarrassing.
Tweets