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The much-anticipated joyful pitter patter of the descendants of Aruba’s first visitors is once again being timed with Bucuti & Tara Beach Resort’s annual Sea Turtle Countdown Calendar.
Due date in sight
On Sunday, April 3, 2022, the first leatherback sea turtle of the season crawled ashore and laid her clutch between Bucuti & Tara’s SandBar and the water. With a 55- to 75-day range, hatchlings from Nest No. 1 are anticipated for this first nest sometime between May 28 and June 17, 2022.
To help our guests plan their vacations around possible hatchling arrivals, Bucuti & Tara’s Sea Turtle Countdown Calendar provides the protected locations of each nest along the resort’s beach and the anticipated due date range of the clutch of hatchlings.
Life moments
Four species of sea turtles are found nesting on Aruba: leatherback, loggerhead, green and hawksbill. Bucuti & Tara’s wide stretch of powdery white sand beach is prized by nesting leatherbacks. Massive in size, these gentle giants are a captivating site weighing in at up to 1,500 pounds and stretching up to 7 feet long, the gentle giant – the fourth largest modern reptile in the world. Yet, when they hatch, these tiny hatchlings are only the size of a baby’s foot.
Among Aruba’s first visitors dating back thousands of years, while they travel worldwide up to 3,700 miles annually, Aruba’s leatherback sea turtles return to the beach they were born for nesting anytime between March through September. Nests – clutches - are fenced off until hatchlings arrive within 55 to 75 days.
Bucuti & Tara’s 2022 Sea Turtle Countdown Calendar lets interested guests plan their stays around potential nest hatching dates from May through November.
Nature’s caregivers
Bucuti & Tara partners with Turtugaruba, the island’s sea turtle conservation organization. Our associates receive continuing education on how to best protect the vulnerable population including how to help guests make the most of protecting nests and witnessing a hatching along Bucuti & Tara’s beach. Guests discover how to live harmoniously with the sea turtles, keeping them safe, and helping them strengthen their status as a threatened species. They learn fascinating sea turtle facts, such as one 1 in 1,000 currently survive to maturity, undisturbed nests have a 90% survival rate versus only 25% chance of survival rate if disturbed by humans, and how hatchlings' internal magnetic compasses and the moonlight help guide hatchlings on their first steps to the sea.
For this bucket list experience, interested resort guests can simply let their personal concierge know to alert them when there are nestings or signs hatchlings may emerge.