Turtle Watching in North Cyprus
Watching Sea Turtles in Cyprus.
Two months later, in July, the leathery eggs hatch and the tiny baby turtles head upwards into the open air. They frantically dig their way to the surface, emerging either in the cool of dawn or early evening, before scuttling out into the sea.
Or that’s the theory, anyway. For a newly-hatched sea turtle, their first instinct is head towards the light. For thousands of years this has meant the light from the sea, glowing gently in the moonlight, but with modern waterside developments, they can head the wrong way with disastrous results. In south Cyprus, modern developments have driven the turtles from all but a few of their nesting sites, but the quieter bays of Northern Cyprus and the Turkish coastline provide breeding sanctuaries for the 300 green turtles and thousand loggerhead turtles that live in the Mediterranean.
Turtle nesting sites in North Cyprus
Turtles still nest on sandy beaches around Girne (Kyrenia), on the Karpaz peninsula and in Famagusta Bay. Both green and loggerhead turtles are listed as endangered species and are heavily protected.
Turtle Watching on Alagadi Beach
Alagadi Beach is known as turtle beach, located approximately 10 miles east of Kyrenia. This sandy beach is full of large sweeping dunes and the clear water is also shallow. There is a beach bar open during summer months to serve refreshments and there are also toilets. Alagadi beach is famous for its loggerhead turtles which lay their eggs here during the summer. You can watch the turtles under the supervision of the Society for the Protection of Turtles (SPOT) Turtle HQ, based at Alagadi Turtle Beach. This is by far the best way to both see and help the turtles, as even visiting nesting beaches during the breeding season can seriously affect the turtles’ welfare.
Turtle Protection in Northern Cyprus
In an effort to protect the turtles, the Department of Environmental Protection has imposed measures between May to October that forbids access to a beach between 10pm and 8am, forbids fires or lights on the beach and use of a speedboat within one mile of the shoreline. The protection measures also advise people not to throw plastic bags into the sea; the turtles mistake them for jellyfish and die from trying to eat them.
You may also reach turtle protection society on 00 90 392 815 2496 or 00 90 392 815 5135
Help with Turtle Conservation in North Cyprus
You can also volunteer to help the researchers, but be advised this is a commitment of 6-8 weeks, and involves sleeping on a camp bed and walking up to 20km a day! Full details at http://www.seaturtle.org/mtrg/projects/cyprus/volunteer/
Turtle Watching in North Cyprus
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