It may have seemed the full moon Monday evening persuaded a hundred or so wee turtles to burst out of their shells and head into the ocean at Magens Bay, where a clutch of folks got a ringside view of the water babies.
However, Renata Platenberg, Department of Natural Resources wildlife biologist, said it’s not that unusual, "It’s not really that rare for the Hawksbill turtle to nest at Magens. They often will nest right by the restaurant, but they dig deep enough to protect the eggs."
That’s what someone in the know says, but for two local couples, the scene was something they won’t soon forget.
Judee and Gary Rosenthal had gone down for a late swim Monday when they heard exclamations near the parking lot in front of the beach entrance. "We walked over, and people were standing around, simply in wonder as the little turtles made their way to the water. It was quite unbelievable. I’ve lived here more than 30 years," Rosenthal said, "and I’ve never seen anything like this."
Meantime Nikki and Bill Arnet were similarly alerted to the spectacle. "We were strolling down the beach when we saw people cluttered around watching the little turtles making their way to the water. It wasn’t far cause the surf was very high. I noticed some folks picking them up and carrying them to the water, so I called Renata, and she said, ‘oh no, tell them not to touch them.
I guess we saw almost the whole thing from about 5:45 to 6:15."
Platenberg said she got to the beach too late to see the little hatchlings. "They do nest here and at a few other Northside beaches – Mandahl, Neltjeberg," she said. "We don’t like to advertise where they are."
She said, "The biggest threat to them is planting beach umbrellas and beach bonfires. The mother digs a hole about a foot deep, so they’re protected. We’ve had cases where people in a beach chair suddenly see the sand move underneath them and the babies come out."
The turtles have a hard lot. "Out of more than a hundred, maybe one will survive, it that," Platenberg said. "It’s a tough little life for them. They are so vulnerable. Crabs and birds gobble them up when they are trying to get to the water, then fish will gobble them up. Even when they’re full grown, even giant leatherbacks can get eaten by sharks, or hit by boats. It’s really hard."
Platenberg said, "We have volunteer turtle watchers, who will walk the beaches a few times a week. It depends on who is available. We have training courses."
A few years ago, guests at the Island Beachcomber Hotel bar were treated to the sight of a 600-pound leatherback lumbering up the beach at Lindbergh Bay, where she spent the next two hours laying her eggs. The spectacle made local and international news. National Geographic News Watch reported the event with a story titled "Leatherback Turtle Checks in to Virgin Islands Resort."
However, when the hatchlings that were supposed to emerge within 60 days failed to appear, Platenberg and a group of volunteers dug for several hours to find the eggs, finally finding 64 undeveloped eggs.
However, the scientists learned something. "It’s important to know there was a nest, and we wanted to know what happened, so we can protect future nests," Platenberg said at the time. "The eggs at the bottom of the nest were waterlogged."
