I have just got back from the best lunch break ever!!!
After hanging up the ‘Gone Diving’ sign we jumped in the car and 30min later Maurice and I along with Shaleyla, ecOceanica’s turtle expert were on the beach at El Ñuro, kitted up and ready to go. Safety checks completed we were soon diving with the some of the worlds most majestic of creatures.
It did not take long to spot the first, huge Green Sea Turtle (Chelonia mydas) coming to investigate us...and it really was huge! Swimming around us it took its time to size us up before going on its way. Before long we were surrounded by turtles of various sizes along with plenty of other fish and marine species.
There is a distinct range of emotions one feels when looking into the eyes of a Turtle as it swims towards you. The start is excitement at seeing such an amazing creature, then in creeps a little bit of reservation as it seems to head straight for you its size becoming ever bigger. As I look into the eyes of these majestic creatures however it is a sense of awe that overpowers me.
These majestic reptiles can swim 1000's of kilometers to breed, can live for more than 80 years, and can reach sizes of up to 1.5m long and an average of 68 – 190 kg and have populated our world seas and oceans for approximately 60 million years. What is there not to respect about that?
Sadly turtles, including Green Sea Turtles are on the endangered list. Young Sea Turtles already face a vast number of natural obstacles littering their way to adult hood but it is the increasing threats caused by humans that are driving them to extinction. We consume their eggs and meat (illegal in Peru since 1995), make luxury items from their shells, throw debris (mainly plastic) into our oceans that turtles ingest or become entangled in, artificially light beaches preventing nesting, contaminate our seas and oceans with chemicals and oil ...need I go on?
Spondylus is very lucky to have a Turtle 'playground' on its door step. El Ñuro one of the most important developmental sites for Green Turtles in Peru with some of its inhabitants staying year round. However we do not take this privilege for granted! ecOceanica (www.ecoceanica.org) is a non-profit organization aiming to preserve marine life in Peru and in 2010 they started the El Ñuro project as part of their Marine Turtle program. The aim of this program is to evaluate and monitor long term the aggregation of Sea turtles in El Ñuro. So far they have tagged 110 different turtles and they have recaptured many of them proving their residence in El Ñuro. In this incredible site there are not only juvenile turtles but also adults that weigh more than 100 kg! These adults make the conservation of this site even more important because of how valuable they are for the entire population. We are very proud to be working alongside Shaleyla, president of ecOceanica, and collecting as much information as we can about these amazing creatures on our regular dives with them. Excitingly Shaleyla is now also seeing the focus of her project from a different view point as she learns to dive with us and will soon be a Certified PADI Open Water Diver.
So back to today’s dive.... why where there so many more Turtles than on the other occasions I have dived in El Ñuro? The answer it would seem is time of day! Normally our dives take place in the early mornings when sea conditions and visibility are at its best! Our underwater friends however seem to feel that lunch time is a more respectable time of day to come out and 'play'! Which brings be back to the start of the Blog. It’s all about knowing your dive locations, know when and where to go and there are great dive experiences to be had!
If only every lunch break could be like that.....
Maurice’s dilemma of the week: Whilst on a similar dive to today he found himself, camera in hand, with a large turtle swimming straight towards him. Should he take a photo or enjoy the moment? What do you think he did?? (Answers in the comment box please!)
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