Turtle Nesting

Turtle Nesting Season is Coming Up!

It’s that time of year. From late July through mid-December, Los Cabos becomes a sanctuary for sea turtles. In the months ahead, after adult female turtles have made their annual summer return to the region, thousands of turtle hatchlings will attempt to make their way across the beaches of Los Cabos to the sea. Because the hatchlings are easy prey for natural predators, these gentle reptiles need all the assistance they can get to reach maturity and increase their numbers.

For the past 15 years, Pueblo Bonito Golf & Spa Resorts and now Quivira Los Cabos have taken part in key ecological efforts, notably its turtle protection and release program. The resort community believes in educating residents and visitors alike about the importance of active conservation, in this case releasing turtle hatchlings from their protected nests. Why carry these critters to the sea? Because the turtles offer a meaningful lesson in ecology: Everything is connected.

Sea turtles are part of two vital ecosystems: beaches and marine systems. If sea turtles become extinct, both the marine and beach ecosystems in Los Cabos will weaken. Sea turtles use beaches and the lower dunes to nest and lay approximately 100 eggs per nest. Dune plants use the nutrients from turtle eggs to grow and become stronger. Without the turtles, dune vegetation would lose a major source of nutrients and would not be healthy or strong enough to maintain and anchor the dunes. In time, beaches would erode and wash away.

For guests and owners visiting Los Cabos through mid-December, and especially later this summer, Quivira Los Cabos offers the opportunity to assist conservation team members as they carry the hatchlings of four endangered species of sea turtles (Loggerhead, Black, Leatherback, and Olive Ridley) to the ocean.

Because there is no way to know exactly when the turtles will hatch, there is no predetermined schedule for the releases. When the eggs in a nest begin to hatch, the director of the ecological program notifies the resorts. The event is then organized to allow interested parties to participate. The release is scheduled for just before sunset on that same day. The newly hatched turtles are set free on the beach in front of Pueblo Bonito Pacifica and Pueblo Bonito Sunset Beach Golf & Spa Resort.

Guests enjoy hands-on participation during this rewarding experience, one that creates wonderful memories and photo opportunities. It’s a great way to assist Mother Nature—and to help preserve two essential ecosystems.