Seeing Leatherback Sea Turtles

[ScubaLuke]

Can anybody recommend a good place and time to see and photograph Leatherback Sea Turtles?

Luke

 

[archman]

I spotted one off a wall dive on Eleuthera, but it was a total fluke. It was so big, originally my dive partner and I took it for a pilot whale.

Leatherbacks are open ocean dwellers, as you are no doubt aware. Although they do come inshore to lay eggs every once in a while. I'm sure there must be someplace where the likelihood of seeing one is decent.

 

[Damselfish]

Saw a pair on the surface (apparently making baby leatherbacks!) somewhere off the north coast of Grand Cayman a good way from shore. Complete luck, the DMs sure were excited. (We were on the Sunset House Manta.)

 

[diversteve]

I don't know when, but one of the Leatherback nesting sites is Sandy Point National Wildlife Refuge on St. Croix in the USVI's. Closer to you, there used to be a nesting site on either Longboat or Siesta Key in the Sarasota FL. area. I haven't been there in a very long time though so don't know if it's still viable. It should be, the turtles return to the same place every year, I just don't know if recent land development in that area has caused them to move elsewhere.

 

[ScubaLuke]

Thanks for the input guys.

To Archman and Damselfish: I am extremely jealous. I'd love to get a chance to see one.

To sjspeck: I suspect my best shot is to try to hang around one of the nesting sites during peak nesting time but of course even that won't be a guarantee. I knew about St. Croix and was thinking about planning a trip there but I didn't know about Sarasota. I'll look into that.

Thanks again.
Luke

 

[gecko2gecko]

There is also supposed to be nesting in Costa Rica. We were planning a trip down there for Nov and turtles are my new obsession since picking up diving again recently. Nov is apparently the beginning of their nesting season. They offer tours to some reserve that they close to the public at night for the turtles. I do not know about the type of turtles off the top of my head though.

 

[knotical]

Some nesting info here:
http://www.cccturtle.org/leatherback.htm

 

[ScubaLuke]

There is also supposed to be nesting in Costa Rica. We were planning a trip down there for Nov and turtles are my new obsession since picking up diving again recently. Nov is apparently the beginning of their nesting season. They offer tours to some reserve that they close to the public at night for the turtles. I do not know about the type of turtles off the top of my head though.

Good luck and please update us when you get back. Costa Rica is on my list of places to go.
Luke