Guarding the nesting Sea Turtles
Night Patrol
During nesting season, usually from April to November, the female sea turtles come ashore at night to lay their eggs. This is the time for our nightly guard duties: armed with red flashlights, measuring tape, cloth, notebook, pens and other emergency items including a thermos of coffee, we patrol the main nesting area at Diumanod beach.
Night after night this can be hard work - Pawikan Patrollers go out regardless of the weather unless typhoons or heavy rains make the task too dangerous.
During the pandemic months of 2020 and 2021, the night patrols had to be suspended to observe local curfew restrictions. To continue our monitoring activities we switched to daily 5 o'clock morning patrols.
Occasionally we invite small groups of visitors to join us. Even without a turtle sighting, a lot of other night creatures may be observed. And to spend a warm night under a star-studded sky on a tropical beach is an experience by itself.
Photo credit:
Geraldine de Montpellier (July 2019)
Geraldine de Montpellier (July 2019)
Photo credit:
Geraldine de Montpellier (July 2019)
Geraldine de Montpellier (July 2019)
Examples for observations of diurnal and nocturnal marine life.