What a fascinating, interesting and exhilarating experience tonight! We had just retired to the trailer for dinner after sundown when our beach neighbours came to the door. Usually, it’s camp rules that you don’t bother others unless they’re outside, so we were like “uh-oh - are these those obnoxious types with no boundaries?”
Bernadette from Nanoose Bay, BC, said “We just found a nest of turtles hatching next to our RV...thought you might want to come see!”
Our trailer is up on a sand bluff and their RV was on the lower part of the arroyo only 60 feet away, with another set of BC friends camped in front of theirs closer to the beach. And there were at least a hundred leatherback hatchlings spewing out of the sand just beside the arroyo wall in the middle of all of us!
Now, some may think this is the most beautiful, natural sight to behold. But these hatchlings were at least 120 feet from the water over a treacherous path covered with tire tracks, wood debris, and dogs. So we were scrambling to figure out how to help them without hurting them. It was also an interesting experiment in human nature!
The younger campers immediately went to Google, where they learned the gospel of “Don’t touch them!”. So they tried to help by creating a raked path towards the water. But it still seemed an unrealistic distance for them to reach the ocean and many were going off in the wrong direction.
Then an older (or shall we shall more experienced) couple from Hornby Island came over and said “Oh, half of these guys will die of exhaustion before they reach the water! We’ve helped with thousands of turtle hatchlings...just pick them up and get them closer to the waterline!”
Which, after a brief but palpable inner argument between Google vs experience, we all succumbed to the feeling we had all along...which was to help the little buggers! Out came buckets and shovels so the 10 of us could quickly ferry as many as possible to the sea.
Then as the light was fading, it was pretty awesome to stand by on the sloped wet sand and watch these tiny egg-sized critters flap towards the water. A wave would come and wash half of them into the open ocean and those remaining would just keep trudging until they too were aloft.
We all have dogs, and interestingly enough, the dogs all sensed something special was going on. They paced around excitedly but never nipped or got too close to the hatchlings.
This place is truly magic! We’ve heard stories from many campers who said they came down here 40 years ago when Cabo San Lucas was nothing more than a fishing village with a grocery store, gas station, and open sand. Here an hour north, walking along the 2-miles of open beach today (where we said “hola” to 6 other people), I wonder how much longer it will remain this way. Sadly, I think we’re nearing the tail end of it...my guess in that in another decade this area will be built up with resorts.
In the meantime we will enjoy and love these lawless beaches, and treat them with respect...and hopefully some turtles will come back!
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