Cozumel and Sea Turtle Rescue
Tommy talking to Tony the Turtle before he got released
Cozumel and Sea Turtle Rescue
Part of our August 2017 Cruise Adventure: New Orleans - Carnival Ship - Progresso
We got off the ship in Cozumel with plans of 2 different excursions. The ship offered one “Save a Sea Turtle” and then we found a private tour for a glass-bottom boat/snorkel trip to one of the beautiful reefs.
We met up with the bus for the Save a Sea Turtle Experience. Holy crap. This is a MUST DO if going to Cozumel, and the highlight of the whole trip for me! I would like to sell everything I own, move to Playa del Carmen, catch the ferry to Cozumel a couple times a week, and volunteer with these guys helping save turtles! Check out this Facebook page for updated programs available to assist in rescue outside of a cruise expedition.
There were about 20-25 people on the bus. We were broken into smaller groups each group assigned a nest. We dug through the nest looking for poor little stragglers who couldn’t dig their way up to the top and get out to sea in the night. Once we got them, we held them in a basket then took them near the water to let them be free. We also dug out the eggs of the little turtle that made it out to the water and the eggs that didn’t hatch so the organization could get a count of how many eggs were laid and hatched.
The tour group rescued 40 baby sea turtles that day! Our family rescued 9 alone, and uncovered eggs from last year, as well as this year. What a feeling!! Unexplainable, you just have to do it!
Run lil dudes, run!
The turtles made the cruise expedition worth doing though. The feeling you get from digging out the poor little guys who couldn’t make it out on their own, then setting them free to waddle their little asses down through the sand to the water, and get washed out to sea to swim and play for the next 150 or so years - so awesome! The rest of the tour took us through a “Mayan Village” which to me seemed pathetically staged and cheesy just to get attention from the tourists.
After the bus dropped us back off at the dock/mall, we caught a cab over to El Cid Beach Resort where we were supposed to meet up with our glass-bottom snorkel boat. Apparently, there was a miscommunication of where to meet at the hotel, so we never got out on that boat.
We did however meet up with a WONDERFUL lady, Carla Blanco, with Snorkel Adventure, who had a boat out on a tour due back soon. She was kind enough to get us reserved and then sent us into the hotel for food. Technically we were not really allowed in since we weren’t guests of the resort, but we had Carla’s ok. Thanks, Carla! The boat still hadn't returned by the time we finished eating, but we walked back to the dock where Carla was. We determined the boat was gonna get in way too late for us to make the trip and get back before our ship left. So, to kill time, we just played at the resort for a little bit, jumped off the pier )about 15ft up, and had fun talking with Carla and her daughter. I would HIGHLY recommend getting ahold of her if you want to snorkel in Cozumel. She has WONDERFUL customer service skills and will do whatever she can to help you.
Ever had a trip turn out a bit different than expected?
Setting the turtle in the basket before the big release
