Turtle Season in Aruba

If you see a sea turtle nesting on the beach, it’s important to respect the animal and help protect it. Here’s a list of what to do and not do:

• Keep your distance – Stay at least 30 feet (10 meters) away.
• Stay quiet – Speak softly and avoid sudden movements.
• Turn off lights – Flashlights, camera flashes, or phone lights can disorient turtles.
• Observe from behind – Always stay behind the turtle; never get between her and the ocean.
• Watch your step – Avoid walking on tracks or the nesting area to preserve evidence for researchers.
• Report it – Please call TurtugAruba sea turtle conservation group so they can mark and monitor the nest. 297-592-9393

• Hatching takes place from May to November.
• Incubation takes approximately 60 to 70 days.
• There is no precise way to know when the hatching will occur during the ten-day window.
• We do not make any announcements as to the days and locations in order to not draw crowds around the nests.
• Some nests have the nesting date marked on them so you will have an idea of when they are due.
• You may occasionally see our volunteers around checking the nesting sites. Say hello.
• Most often the hatching occurs at night.
• Ask at your hotel desk if they have a call list for when a local nest hatches.
• Please do not email us to be alerted as we do not have a list for this purpose.

There is no way to know or predict when the turtles will hatch. 

You just have to be close by to see when the sand in the middle of the nest area begins to fall down into the hatching area. Small little openings will occur where the sand begins to sift downward.

If you see a crowd over at one of the barricades, then odds are something is happening.

Most often the hatch happens at night.  Moonlight and the especially full moon seem to call to them to hatch somehow.

Even if you miss the hatch – you might be able to watch the volunteers do an inventory of the nest site the next day.  Usually, a crowd will form for this event as well. They try to do this early as possible in the morning after the hatch as there may be some hatchings trapped in with the empty shells.

Often, they find a few hatchlings that are still alive as they count the eggs.  They are usually exhausted from trying to dig their way out of the nest.  Other hatchlings may have pushed them down as they struggled to reach up to the open air.  After a period of rest time to allow those found alive to get their breath back – they often release them into the sea from near the nest area. Many people stay to watch this happen.