Following years of decline, numbers are starting to slowly increase, thanks to the many organisations and charities on the island including The Environmental Awareness Group and Jumby Bay Hawksbill Project (JBHP).

Throughout the summer months, the turtles come ashore and take their pick of the pristine 365 beaches found on the island to lay their eggs. After two months of incubation in the golden sands, the hatchlings make the all-important journey back to the sea.

Living for up to 100 years, the turtles spend most of their days in the warm seas. Visitors can swim, snorkel and dive with them throughout the year amongst the reefs and shipwrecks.

Jumby Bay Hawksbill Project, founded in 1987, monitors the island’s Hawksbill turtle community and has managed to tag and identify over 500 of them with some coming back year after year to nest and swim on the island’s beaches.

The Environmental Awareness Group works across five key nesting sites across the island, tagging and monitoring the nesting activity so the turtles can be identified when they return. Alongside this, they work with large hotels and schools to educate and inform with a hope that their work and conservation will continue to grow across the world and future generations.

Key things to remember if you’re visiting throughout nesting season:
Never intervene or help the hatchling turtles unless they are in immediate danger.
Do not disturb the turtles while they are laying eggs.
Keep a good distance and watch from afar.
Take your rubbish home – the biggest threat our seas face are man-made.

Pearns Bay is lucky to have its own reef just offshore for guests to explore and enjoy marine life. Grab some snorkelling gear from the house, take a hop, skip and jump down the steps and fingers crossed you will be able to spot a turtle or two!

If you would like to help support the ongoing conservation work, you can make a donation here.