Last week, Reggie and I visited friends in Cabo, where he, of course, took in a couple of rounds of golf at the Diamonte Resort. However, we also walked on the beach on his days off from the greens.
On our first morning, we noticed an enclosure with white sticks and dates protruding from the ground. I shared, “I think that might have something to do with the sea turtles.” Upon our arrival two days earlier, I had noticed a “sea turtle” designation on the resort map.
The next day, we set out a little later, and I noticed drawings of sea turtles on one of the enclosure boards – in a variety of sizes, small at the bottom and larger at the top. I ran back down the dune to fetch Reggie’s phone. Mine took a dip in the pool the day before (and survived), so it was drying out in our room.
Once back up on top, I noticed a gentleman squatting near one of those white stakes – and assisting the birth of hundreds of sea turtles! I longed to hold one, but knew the fence was not the only barrier. Our language differences prevented me from asking lots of questions, but I managed to say “Muchos gracias para tu trabajo.” He smiled, and my heart swelled with gratitude. I then put it all together. The boards had the dates the eggs were placed in their sandy nests and the dates of their maiden voyage to the sea.
Later that day, I learned that one of the activities at the resort was the release of the baby sea turtles at 5:30 p.m. Unfortunately, our hosts had made dinner reservations. We had to be on the shuttle for our destination by 5:00. While I was a bit disappointed, I remained grateful for my brief visit that morning with those precious creatures.
On our last evening in Cabo, we had dinner with another group of friends Reggie had golfed with that day.
Divine choreography was in play. Dinner was scheduled for 6:30. It was just a 20-minute cab ride away.
I made my plan: I would dress for dinner, leave Reggie with my purse and wrap, and off I would dash, willing to get a little sandy and perhaps even wet to witness the release of the turtles.
However, I did more than that!
After the sea turtle handler halted his four-wheeler on the beach, I walked over and peered in the bin at hundreds of baby sea turtles – 438 to be exact. The handler, who spoke no English, put on white plastic gloves, and I spontaneously gestured and asked, “May I help?” He paused, reflected, and then handed me a glove.
Excitement and awe bubbled within me!
For the next half hour, I squatted next to the bin and released about a hundred baby sea turtles. The enormity of this privilege remains with me. While I have experienced a lot of amazing adventures, this ranks as one of my brightest moments, and I am so grateful.
I’ve shared this story a number of times to people close to me. My chiropractor, Dr. Ken, who is an avid diver, said, “Have you stopped to realize the impact you’ve had not only on the sea turtles you released, but perhaps the world? One day, many of those turtles will return to that beach and lay more eggs.”
Chills…
And because of the efforts of Diamonte and others, “Green sea turtles are no longer endangered, ‘thanks to decades of sustained conservation action,’ the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) shared, which Becca Longmire reported in her article in People magazine.
