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Turtle Traipse
Nov 23, 2011To be able to take your guests on the adventure, guides need to pass the iSimangaliso Wetland Authority turtle exam. This year, Phinda are proud to have quite a few rangers who passed their exams with flying colours and are now Qualified Turtle Guides. On the 4th November, the new guides gathered for a practical trip to the beach.
Usually guests leave the lodge in the early evening with their guide, and head towards Sodwana Bay. Once on the beach, the guests are treated to a delectable dinner and a breathtaking view. However, once they are done, the real adventure begins.
Looking for the turtles tracks is a relatively simple feat. The guides are equipped with a special beach vehicle that enables them to drive on the beach which makes it quicker to find the animals. Eyes were kept focused, seeking for the telltale signs of the two most well know turtles found in Sodwana, the Loggerhead and Leatherback turtles. The staff were amazed at the size of the tracks, some of them so large that they looked as though they should belong to a tractor and not a turtle. One of the guides could not even touch both sides of the tracks as her arms would just not reach that far.
One of the more qualified guides, Seth Vorster noticed some tracks leading out the ocean, and once he had stopped the vehicle, he indicated for the others to follow him. Guests would then walk behind their guide in single file while he assessed the tracks and found the nesting turtle.
Each year, these two magnificent species make their way to the warm waters and soft beaches of Sodwana Bay to nest. As many as 110 eggs are laid per clutch, yet roughly 90% of these hatchlings will die due to predation once hatched.
Light is never shone directly on the animals so as not to disturb them, but when shone around it, guests are able to crouch up close to the turtles to observe them laying their eggs. Leatherbacks are the largest of all hard-shelled turtles, and Loggerheads are the largest of all soft-shelled turtles. The egg laying is a slow methodical feat, and it can take up to an hour or more for the females just to lay their clutch. Once done she will then use her flippers to cover the eggs with sand so that they will be safe from predators while being incubated.
After watching the female leatherback covering up her eggs, Seth noticed the tide was coming in quite rapidly. The newly qualified guides hopped back onto the vehicle, but alas the wheels had started to sink already. Seth was chosen to climb out and dig sand from behind the vehicle while the others cheered him on. After some speedy digging, the vehicle came free and they all headed off the beach and towards Phinda Private Game Reserve. It was such an eventful evening, and after experiencing the thrill of the turtle traipse, the guides cannot wait to share the adventure with guests at Phinda Private Game Reserve.
