1 in a 1000 Turtle

For the last time before we head past the southern end of the great barrier reef we took advantage of one more opportunity to get into the water and explore.

The beautiful lady Musgrave island is part of a small collection of islands that stick out the top of the ocean about 40 kilometers off the mainland. The coral surrounding the island has created a lagoon in the middle of the ocean no more than 10 meters deep where the rougher currents break around the edge and water inside is calm and protected.

It took a seriously rocky ride for nearly 2 hours to get us there. Pounding against the waves virtually everyone had one hand on the seat in front of them for balance and the other wrapped around a sick bag. The crew were just walking up and down the aisles collecting little plastic pouches of vomit, and the more you saw everyone else chucking up the more it made you want to do the same!

The marine life out there was once again incredible. We were lucky enough to see three turtles in the water during the day. We think they were all green turtles because they didn’t look big enough to be loggerheads. We didn’t want to swim too close to them for fear of disturbing them of being bitten – they can be aggressive when they feel threatened.

The next day we headed into Bundaberg to join 300 other people for a fully booked evening of turtle watching at the protected rookery of Mon Repos. Here 3 species of turtle come and lay over 40,000 eggs between January and March and if you’re lucky you can get to watch them laying or even the little hatchlings making their way down to the sea for the first time. 

Tonight was our lucky night. In the bright moonlight we got to see a 40 year old loggerhead, about 1.5 meters long, make its way up the beach, dig a 60cm deep pit with its rear fins using them like hands to reach down into the hole and scoop out sand. She then laid her eggs, which we got to touch. They felt like a ping pong ball that’s been played with so much its got a little dented and deflated.

After laying she filled in the hole and made her way back to the ocean. Of every 1000 eggs that are laid only one will become a turtle old enough to lay a clutch of eggs – amazing. The turtle we saw was like the rest of them a 1 in a 1000 winner.

The work they are doing at the beach to conserve and monitor the population is extraordinary and incredibly significant in helping boost the chances of growing the populations.

So what do you think is the biggest threat to turtles? You guessed it. Us. As usual man is almost entirely responsible for the decline in turtle numbers in recent years through hunting for shells, catching in fishing nets and pollution. Disgusting. If another life form ever visited earth its things like this that would make you feel ashamed to be human, but at the same time proud of the folks that are down here night after night helping these turtles in their struggle.

A truly magical evening that will be impossible to forget.