On a pelagic trip off the coast of Huatulco in Mexico’s Oaxaca state, we saw numerous seabirds, but I hadn’t expected to encounter so many adult sea turtles.
Most would sense the boat and quickly dive underwater, but I was able to capture photos of these mating olive ridley turtles that seemed too busy to care about us. We were lucky to get a good look at the male using the claw on its flipper to hook onto the female’s shell. I had seen turtles nest on the beach before, and I had seen them swimming, but I had never seen them mate. Earlier in the trip, we’d participated in a hatchling release with a nearby community, so I really felt like we had come full circle. In the past, turtle populations in the area dwindled due to hunting. Thanks in part to conservationists like our guide Manuel Grosselet, local communities now play an active part in protecting these animals.
Before visiting Oaxaca, I had heard so many good things, mostly in terms of its culture. However, I was not prepared for such a feast in terms of its natural history. Overall, it was an eye-opening experience.
Photos and story by Pelin Karaca
Mexico
