Old Hegg Hawksbill Turtle Sanctuary on Bequia

Visiting the Old Hegg Turtle Sanctuary on Bequia is an unforgettable experience.  It is relaxing and magical to watch these gentle creatures with their big inquisitive eyes and smiling beaks swimming around in their pools right in front of you.  I have not yet had the pleasure of seeing one swimming around in its natural habitat, but hope to some day.  Dive Bequia and other dive operations where sea turtles live and breed often publish their sightings and videos on Facebook or You Tube.

At the sanctuary, there are over 200 Hawksbill turtles, separated by size.  The newly hatched babies are fed canned tuna and the older turtles start eating sardines at 6 months, until they are large enough to be released after 3 years.  Orton "Brother" King who runs the sanctuary, had actually been a professional turtle diver, collecting these beautiful creatures and selling them for the value of their shells until this was outlawed in the late 70's in the Caribbean. Their shells were used for buttons, combs and other objects.  Mr. King did a total "about face" and in the 90's he established this Hawksbill turtle sanctuary to help replenish the ocean and save this colorful species from extinction.


 Mr. King says that the previous maturity rate of the turtles was only 1 in 1000 and he hopes to bring it up to 50 in 100 by keeping them at the sanctuary until they are large enough to be safe from their predators.  He makes a special mark on each shell so they can be tracked and counted while in their natural habitat.  The Hawksbill Turtle population has been reduced by 80 percent this century from being killed for their shells, which still happens illegally in some places, as well as destruction of their habitat.  They live in water 65 feet or less, mostly in rocky areas and coral reefs.  Their population also suffers from  disorientation while nesting and hatching due to all the nights at light on coastal areas, as well as being being hit by watercraft.

Besides the Caribbean, Hawksbill turtles are found in other tropical and subtropical areas of the Atlantic, as well as the Pacific and Indian Oceans.  According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service site, "Only five regional populations remain with more than 1,000 females nesting annually (Seychelles, Mexico, Indonesia and two in Australia)..."  The Caribbean, including Mexico, accounts for 20 to 30 percent of the world's population.  The Old Kegg's Turtle Sanctuary website is http://turtles.bequia.net/ .   The photo to your right is Orton "Brother" King at the turtle sanctuary.   If you would like to find out more about Bequia and the turtle sanctuary, please contact me at HLSails@aol.com.  Mr. King is usually too busy with the turtles to answer his email!