The warm, aquamarine waters of Kenya’s Indian Ocean are home to five species of sea turtle, several of which are seen on the regularly by scuba divers on the local dive sites, especially Diani’s Galu Reef. Kenya is a global hotspot for sea turtles and protecting them is high on the agenda for Diving the Crab.
Threats to the global sea turtle poulation include over fishing, hunting, poaching and the encroachment of their nesting grounds in pursuit of prime, beachfront real estate. Both Hawksbill and Green sea turtles are currently classified as endangered as a direct result of these activities.
Diving the Crab works with the Local Ocean Trust (LOT), a private non-profit entity committed to the protection of Kenya’s marine environment. The organisation works to create awareness for the protection and sustainable use of Kenya’s marine resources. Diani Turtle Watch, working under LOT’s umbrella arm, focuses its efforts on the protection of turtles through community education, the preservation of turtle nests and by helping hatchlings in their perilous journey to the shoreline.
Diving the Crab’s land base, The Sands at Nomad, has its own turtle hatchery to which the first sea turtle nest of 2018, containing 130 eggs, was trans-located in late January. The female turtle can lay between 100 to 200 eggs at a time and these eggs take approximately 60 days to hatch. By translocating and protecting the nest these eggs have a greater chance of hatching and of the little hatchling turtles reaching the ocean safely.
Divers and snorkellers have the priviledged opportunity to witness these fascinating creatures in their natural environment, on the reefs around the Diani Beach area.
