Volunteering with Sea Turtles in San Pancho, Mexico 🐢✨
Our travels have taken us to a lot of places, from bustling cities to quiet little corners of the world, but when the chance came up to volunteer at a turtle sanctuary, we didn’t hesitate for even a second. Project Tortuga in San Pancho, Mexico, gave us one of the most memorable and heart-filling experiences of our lives. Not only did it check the “giving back” box, but living at turtle camp and being immersed in the whole process is something we’d recommend to anyone who loves wildlife, sandy beaches, and perhaps enjoys functioning on very little sleep. 😅
So, let’s dive into what it was actually like being turtle volunteers!
The Magical Side (and the Sandy Reality) 🌊🐢
Sure, the pictures of baby Olive Ridley hatchlings making their way to the ocean at sunset are magical, and watching mama turtles haul themselves up the sand to lay their eggs feels like you’re witnessing something prehistoric. But behind that magic? Buckets. Lots of buckets.
Each nest can hold about 100 eggs, and for every nest, you need about two buckets of beach sand. On busy nights with 20+ nests, it’s safe to say we developed some serious biceps. Forget the gym — sand hauling is the ultimate full-body workout. 💪🏖️
The Night Shifts (a Love/Hate Relationship) 🌙
Volunteers patrol the beach in three shifts:
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9:00–11:30pm
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11:30pm–2:00am
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2:00–4:30am
Third shift is brutal on your sleep schedule, but honestly? It’s also the most peaceful. The beach is quiet, the stars are out, and it’s just you, the surf, and the turtles. Some nights even come with a bonus: lightning dancing across the horizon. 🌩️ During nesting season, these storms roll in almost every night, and no matter how many times you see them, the show never gets old.
There’s something surreal about approaching a nesting turtle with only a red light, watching her dig with her back flippers, lay her eggs, and then do her little “sand dance” as she camouflages the nest.
Once she’s done and makes her slow crawl back to the ocean, we carefully collect the eggs and head back to turtle camp.
Sunsets That Steal The Show 🌅
If the lightning shows kept us in awe at night, the sunsets were their daytime rival. We went as often as we possibly could, just to sit back and soak it all in — surfers catching their last waves of the day, dogs chasing each other along the shoreline, and waves crashing like a perfect soundtrack. The sky would morph from golden yellow to fiery orange to deep purples and pinks until the sun finally dipped below the horizon. It never got old, and honestly, we’d put San Pancho sunsets up against any postcard.
Life at Turtle Camp 🏕️
Back at camp, it’s not just “drop the eggs and go.” Oh no. First, the sand needs to be prepped — sprayed with just the right amount of water for moisture. Then the eggs are placed in a box, layer by layer, in a honeycomb pattern, covered with more sand, and placed in the nursery to incubate for 45 days.
Walking into the nursery, you’ll sometimes hear the faint scratching of hatchlings trying to break free. That sound is pure joy. 🥹
Once they’re active and moving, they get placed into baskets and released either at public sunset events (cue the tourists with their phones out 📸) or quietly during our night shifts. Honestly, this part might be our favorite — watching tiny turtles race toward the waves like little wind-up toys never gets old. Check out this video showcasing the hatchlings from nest to ocean. 👇🐢
Hatchling Check-Ups and Beach Burials ⚰️➡️🌊
Once the hatchlings make their debut, our work isn’t quite done. Around three to five days after hatching, we excavate each box to collect important data — how many eggs hatched, how many were unviable, and anything else that helps track success rates. Getting a box that hatches at 100% does happen… but not often.
That’s why it was a pretty big deal when Eric and Nick scored the first perfect hatch of the season. (Cue the bragging rights 🏆). And a week later, Eric and I had a 100% box too! Of course, Eric still likes to remind me that he’s now got two under his belt — not that we’re competitive or anything… 😉
The unhatched eggs, eggshells, and sterile material are then taken back to the beach and buried. It’s a full-circle moment — a mix of science, teamwork, and a touch of beachside humility. It’s a sobering reminder of how tough survival is for these little guys — and why conservation work matters.
Sometimes the nursery fills up, so we also build beach nurseries. These don’t have the same success rate, but they provide much-needed overflow space. Think of it as turtle “student housing” — not as fancy, but it gets the job done. 🏚️🐢
Extra Projects and Community Fun 🔧🎉
One of the coolest parts of volunteering is that it’s not just about turtles. Everyone pitches in wherever their skills (or muscles) are needed. Eric became the unofficial camp mechanic, repairing an ATV, building new beach nurseries, and hauling more nest boxes than he cares to count. Each box weighs in at around 100 pounds and has to be stacked on one of four nursery shelves—sometimes requiring a tag-team effort. 💪 Lisa, on the other hand, helped set up outreach stations for visiting Scout groups and even proved she could hold her own in the nest-box shuffle. 🐢📦
It’s messy, sandy, sometimes exhausting work — but it’s the kind of tired that leaves you smiling at the end of the day.
Final Thoughts 💙
Volunteering at Project Tortuga didn’t just give us memories; it gave us perspective. We filled our “bucket of giving back,” gained a newfound respect for conservation work, and got to be part of something much bigger than ourselves.
If you’ve ever thought about volunteering abroad, this is the kind of experience that sticks with you. You don’t need to be a scientist or even know much about turtles — all you need is curiosity, a willingness to get sandy, and a good sense of humor. Midnight beach patrols, sunrise releases, and cheering on baby turtles as they sprint to the ocean? It’s unforgettable. 🏅🐢
If you’re interested in joining the effort, check out Project Tortuga’s website for details on how you can volunteer. Who knows — your next adventure might just involve saving turtles under the stars. 🌌
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