Sea Turtles in Grenada: Leatherbacks, Hawksbills and Nesting Season

Three species of sea turtle are regular in Grenadian waters, and each uses the islands differently. Leatherbacks, the largest turtles alive, haul themselves up the Atlantic beaches of St Patrick in the dark to lay eggs. Hawksbills pick their way across the reefs eating sponges, and green turtles graze the seagrass beds in sheltered bays. A snorkeller might meet the last two in an ordinary morning; the first takes planning and a night on a beach.

All sea turtles in the Caribbean are threatened, and the leatherback and hawksbill are among the most endangered. Grenada has a long history of eating turtle meat and eggs, and also a strong conservation movement built up since the late 1990s. Knowing the species, the seasons and the etiquette lets you see them without adding to their problems.

The species and how to tell them apart

Leatherback. Unmistakable: up to around two metres long and several hundred kilograms, with no hard shell but a dark, leathery back running into seven long ridges and scattered with pale spots. Leatherbacks spend most of their lives in the open ocean feeding on jellyfish and are rarely seen by snorkellers. In Grenada they are known almost entirely from nesting beaches.

Hawksbill. A medium-sized turtle with a narrow, pointed, hawk-like beak and overlapping shell plates edged in a serrated rim. The shell is the amber and brown pattern once used for tortoiseshell. Hawksbills live on reefs and feed largely on sponges, poking their heads into crevices. They are the turtle divers most often see on Grenada's coral reefs and around Carriacou.

Green turtle. Named for the green colour of its fat, not its shell, which is olive to brown. It has a short, rounded snout and a single pair of scales between the eyes. Adults are largely herbivores, cropping seagrass, so look for them over grass beds in calm bays, where juveniles in particular can be fairly approachable.

Loggerhead and olive ridley. Both occur in the wider region but are uncommon visitors here. A loggerhead has a very large head and a reddish-brown shell; any sighting is worth reporting to one of the turtle monitoring groups.

Leatherback nesting at Levera and the Atlantic coast

The main leatherback nesting beach on the mainland is Levera, at the northern tip of the island in St Patrick, inside the Levera protected area with its pond, mangroves and view to Sugar Loaf island. Leatherbacks also nest on other east-coast beaches, including Bathway and stretches of the St Andrew shoreline, and hawksbills nest on smaller beaches around Grenada and Carriacou.

The leatherback season runs roughly from March to August, with the busiest nesting usually between April and June. A female comes ashore at night, drags herself above the tide line, digs a body pit and then a deep egg chamber with her rear flippers, lays a clutch of around eighty to a hundred fertile eggs plus smaller yolkless ones, covers the nest and disguises the area before returning to sea. The whole process takes an hour or more. She will nest several times in a season, roughly every nine to ten days, and then usually not again for two or three years.

Eggs incubate for about two months, so hatchlings emerge from late spring through the summer, mostly at night. Sand temperature decides the sex of the hatchlings: warmer nests produce more females, which is one reason researchers worry about rising temperatures.

How to watch nesting turtles responsibly

Night access to the main nesting beach is controlled in season, and the reliable way to see a leatherback is with an organised turtle watch run by the monitoring programme or an authorised guide. Expect a late night, no guarantees, and a strict set of rules.

1. Book a guided turtle watch rather than turning up alone. Groups are kept small and led by trained people who know the beach and the turtles.
2. Wear dark clothing, bring insect repellent and leave white torches and camera flashes off. Guides use dim red light only, because white light disturbs nesting females and disorients hatchlings.
3. Wait at a distance while the turtle comes ashore and digs. Approaching early is the commonest reason a female abandons her attempt and returns to the sea without laying.
4. Once laying begins the guide will bring the group closer, usually from behind. Stay low, quiet and out of her line of sight, and never touch her or stand in front of her head.
5. Let her leave in her own time. Do not block her path to the water, shine lights towards the sea or follow her down the beach.
6. If you see hatchlings, do not pick them up or carry them to the water. The crawl helps orient them, and handling harms them. Keep lights off and let them find the sea by the brightness of the horizon.

Meeting turtles in the water

Hawksbills and green turtles are the ones you will meet while snorkelling or diving. Hawksbills are seen on many reefs around the main island and are a regular part of diving around Carriacou, often feeding with their heads in a sponge and tolerant of divers who keep still and low. Green turtles are more often found over seagrass in calm bays, where they surface to breathe every few minutes and then sink back to graze.

The rules in the water are simple. Keep at least a few metres away, never block a turtle's route to the surface, do not touch or ride, and do not chase if it swims off. A turtle that keeps feeding is relaxed; one that stops, lifts its head and turns away is telling you that you are too close. Operators who feed turtles to bring them in, or let clients handle them, are worth avoiding.

Photographers should switch off flash for close-ups of the eyes and let the turtle approach rather than swimming at it. The best encounters usually come from hovering beside a reef edge and waiting.

Things people get wrong about turtles

A few beliefs come up again and again on boats and beaches. Most are harmless; some lead to behaviour that hurts the animals.

• A turtle on the surface is in trouble. Turtles breathe air and rest at the surface regularly. A turtle that cannot dive, floats lopsided or is tangled in line is the one to report.
• Hatchlings need help reaching the sea. The crawl down the sand is part of how they imprint on the beach and build strength. Carrying them shortens their chances, not the opposite.
• A nesting turtle is crying from pain. The tears are salt being excreted from glands near the eyes. They are normal and visible because the turtle is out of the water.
• All the turtles you see were born here. Turtles migrate widely. Leatherbacks nesting in Grenada travel huge distances across the Atlantic between seasons, and juveniles feeding on local seagrass may have hatched on beaches elsewhere in the region.
• Tortoiseshell souvenirs are old stock and harmless. Hawksbill shell products are restricted under international trade rules and can be seized at customs. Buying them also keeps demand alive.

Threats, the law and how to help

Harvesting. Turtle meat and eggs were long part of the local diet, and harvest has been regulated by the Fisheries Division with closed seasons and restrictions. Taking eggs and nesting females is illegal. The detailed rules have changed over the years, so check current regulations with the Fisheries Division rather than relying on older guidebooks.

Lights on beaches. Hatchlings head for the brightest horizon. Hotels, houses and street lights behind a beach draw them inland, where they die. If you stay near a nesting beach, close curtains and switch off outside lights at night during the season.

Plastic, nets and sargassum. Leatherbacks mistake floating plastic bags for jellyfish, and all species drown in discarded nets. Large sargassum mats, which have reached the Atlantic coast in many years since 2011, can also block nesting females and trap hatchlings.

Volunteering and reporting. Turtle monitoring in Grenada has been led by groups such as Ocean Spirits on the mainland and the Kido Foundation on Carriacou, using paid participants and volunteers. Post-Hurricane Beryl arrangements on Carriacou may have changed, so check before you plan. Report injured, stranded or poached turtles to the Fisheries Division or the monitoring group.

Frequently asked questions