Sea Turtle Encounter

During our stay in San José del Cabo, we had planned on taking a whale watching cruise, and were quite disappointed when it was cancelled due to high winds. We had hoped to see some whales like we saw in years past near Reykjavik, Iceland, and San Juan Island in Washington State.

Sadly, it was not meant to be, so we returned to our hotel and took a mournful walk along the beach.

Towards the end of our walk along Playa Costa Azul, theTravelsketcher and I noticed a large crowd near our hotel. As we got closer, we noticed a sea turtle digging a hole in preparation for laying eggs. Soon she stopped digging and proceeded with her mission.

Then she proceeded to cover the nest. At this point, a hotel security officer arrived to make sure no one bothered her.

At this point, the woman standing beside me said ‘au revoir’, to which I smiled and replied, ‘oui, au revoir et bonne chance. C’était incroyable!’ She looked quite suprised when I spoke to her in French, so we continued talking for about five minutes, which made the experience even more special. Turns out she’s from a small town in Quebec and speaks very little English.

As we were heading back to the hotel, we noticed that the security guard had cordoned off the area to protect the nest.

Last year while in Acapulco, we visited a turtle sanctuary and got to release some little hatchlings. Click here to read about these little ones. We never dreamt we would actually get to see the mature version up close.

Afterwards, we returned to the pool at the hotel and as I was texting with our daughter and son-in-law, sharing the videos I had just taken, I was actually teary-eyed. I absolutely love sea turtles, so witnessing this act was a true highlight for me.

But wait, the plot thickens! As we were heading to our room to change for dinner, we chatted with a woman who said she and her husband were sitting on the beach when the turtle came out of the water. She said the turtle came straight to them and proceeded to move her husband’s beach towel with her head! He quickly figured out that she wanted that spot, so he moved. She then started digging in the exact spot where he had been sitting. She knew what she wanted! The woman also shared that it’s late in the season for turtles to be laying eggs, so we feel very fortunate to have witnessed this event.

At dinner that evening, we chatted with our server about the event. He shared that he frequently dives in the area and often sees turtles. He said they’re quite friendly, and enjoy having their necks rubbed. He also mentioned that in Mexico, anyone who harms or kills a sea turtle will spend 20 years in prison. I whole-heartedly support this.

Witnessing this event was the icing on my birthday, vacation cake, and made the missed whale watching tour a distant memory.

As a side note, we spent the first part of our San José del Cabo vacation in a small, locally owned and operated hotel in the Gallery District. We then moved to a hotel on the beach for the last part of our stay, which was quite disappointing. Click here to read theTravelsketcher’s review of the beach hotel.

As always, I would love to hear from you so leave a message if you wish.

Wishing you splendid animal encounters and grand adventures,

Tricia