Releasing Golfina Turtle Hatchlings

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by Amaral,Christine

"These precious tiny creatures will continue swimming until tomorrow," stated Josefina Naya, Public Relations and Advertising Manager for the Marriot CasaMagna Resort & Spa located in the Marina, speaking of the journey anticipated for the hatchlings within the next few days. "The hatchlings have enough energy after being born to swim all night, it is their instinct, and there are fewer predators outside of the bay."

Oscar Aranda, the Marriot's biologist during turtle season here in Puerto Vallarta, explains that the turtle hatchlings do not need to eat up to four days after being born because they "have enough energy from taking in nutrients from their embryonic fluids through an umbilical type tube; and you can see a tiny white belly button on their tummies." He also informed the growing crowd of wide-eyed small children with their parents and even fascinated couples that the baby turtles must be set free near the ocean at sunset because their instinct tells them to follow light and "just keep swimming," as "Finding Nemo's" cartoon fish Dora puts it; "if not," Oscar jokes, "they will get confused and end up going towards the lights on the Malecon and go dancing in the clubs."

One female turtle lays around 100 eggs per nest then returns to sea leaving the fate of her hatchlings in nature's, or expert biologists and eager helpers' hands. Josefina states, "The eggs are kept in sand that contains only salt water matter and no river sediment, this increases the probability of more eggs actually hatching and the gate around the nest protects them from being dug up by small animals or poachers."

The first nest hatched at the Marriot was released Thursday. The eggs hatch between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., and this will occur here about once every eight days. Adult female Golfinas Turtles lay their nests of eggs more frequently once September and October roll around; this means more eggs! About 8 nests per day, that's 800 eggs! This is only at one beach of the many in Banderas Bay.

"With the help from Marriot employees the previous one percent survival rate of each nest has grown to five percent, which is great!" assures Oscar. Out of every nest of 100 turtle eggs, 90 actually hatch and 5 of those will survive, then the females will venture back to the beach where they were born here in the Banderas Bay to lay their own eggs.
Children have priority to receive an entrancing Golfina hatchling to release into the sea at the Marriot hotel. "I did not get to experience this until I was an adult," states Josefina, but she says that it is a very thrilling event at any age. Every child reacts differently to this magical occasion; one young girl upon feeling the hatchling use it's flippers to try and squirm out of her hand began to bawl and asked her dad to take it from her, while other children yelled "Goodbye!" and blew kisses to their new found turtle friends.