St. Lucia Wetlands Guest House

Turtle Egg Laying in St. Lucia

November to March at R595-00 per person.

Leatherback and Loggerhead Sea Turtles return each year to lay their eggs on these beaches. The 1999 - 2000 season was an exceptionally good year with 40 nesting sites recorded on the 8 kilometre beach at St. Lucia.

Leatherback

A giant sea turtle that can weigh over 800 kgs. Females will lay approximately 1,000 eggs in a season. This is done by laying a batch of 120 eggs every 9 to 15 days. They return to the coast every 1 to 5 years. The leatherback turtle has been undergoing dangerous declines. From 115,000 in 1980 to just 35,000 in 1995.

Loggerhead

This is a smaller Sea Turtle weighing up to 138 kg. Females emerge at night in late Spring to lay about 500 eggs in batches of 100 at 15 day intervals. Most return to nest after 2 to 3 years.

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