It was back in the month of January when the stokedtraveler went back with his family to Camayan Beach Resort in Subic Bay, Zambales. Lucky for them it was within the nesting season of the sea turtles. Nesting season usually starts around early October and may extend all the way to January.
Subic Bay like many other nearby beaches serve as nesting grounds for various species of sea turtles. Camayan Beach Resort is no exception. All around the resort you will see many of these enclosures with details of the type of sea turtle, nesting date and expected hatching schedule.
While the stokedtraveler failed to see live hatchlings being released to the wild during the Pawikan Festival in Morong, Bataan, they were fortunate enough to have a close encounter with one Olive Ridley turtle.
Olive Ridley sea turtle encounter in the wild
It was already dark and the ocean view has already faded into pitch black. Only distant lights drew the line of the horizon. On the other side of the beach, the resort guests were already settled in and ready to call it a night. It was probably the mixture of these elements falling into play when the stokedtraveler was gifted a sighting of one of nature's most graceful creatures. He rushed back to their room to call in the rest of his family to the occasion with.
