In the small archipelago of Con Dao in Southern Vietnam, lies a beautiful islet known as Bay Canh. That is where I spent 10 days helping local forest rangers with sea turtle conservation.
Con Dao is home to the largest population of marine turtles in Vietnam, and Bay Canh is the largest conservation area. Between July and September, many turtles come here to lay eggs, which brings a fascinating activity to tourists. Visitors can stay on the islet overnight and follow the rangers’ guide to watch this phenomenon. Everyone has to stay in the dark and only approach mother turtles when they are digging holes, because light and noise may scare them away.
The holes are about 60 centimeters deep and 20 centimeters wide. A mother turtle can lay from 50 to 150 eggs each time, 2 to 5 times every breeding season. The record of most eggs layed in Bay Canh is 200.
Once the laying process is finished, mother turtles leave their nests and swims into the sea. The forest rangers, along with volunteers, take their eggs to incubating area.
Half of the eggs will be put in holes with shades to balance the sex of hatchlings, since turtles’ sex are determined by light and temperature condition. The incubation area also protects them from outsiders who may cause harm.
After 55 to 60 days, baby turtles hatch and crawl up on the ground. In early morning, rangers will put them in baskets and brings them to the beach. They will quickly follow the light and the sound of waves to crawl to the sea.
When reaching maturity, these turtles will return to their birth place to lay eggs. Only 1 in 1,000 will survive until that day, so the rangers are working hard everyday to keep marine turtles safe.
Visitors in Vietnam can travel to Con Dao islands by airplane. One-way ticket from Ho Chi Minh city to Con Son airport costs about 70$. From there, you can spend a day on Con Son island, then take a canoe to Bay Canh islet. The price for watching turtles laying eggs is 15$ - 26$ a night, depending on the number of people.
All photos taken by me.
Do you plan to make this an annual activity?